August 1, 2020 – October 4, 2020

ABOUT THE EXHIBIT:
This exhibition and the accompanying essay compare two modes of art making; a mode which prioritizes the art itself as the “message of form” and a mode that prioritizes the “message of content.” Fables, Allegories, and Aestheticism: The Art of the Message brings together a diverse group of artists with the intent to understand how these artists use art to convey messages. Key are the artists who practice art with no preplanned message. For these artists, there is an important social value in creating artworks that may stimulate viewers to find their own message. These artists are Dominic Finocchio, Michael Onken, Glenn Moreton, and Daniel Overturf. The artists with implied social messages are David Yates, Lizzy Martinez, Chloe Flanigan, and Margaret Keller. A Siegfried Reinhardt (1924-1984) painting is included from the Cedarhurst permanent collection as an example of a type of coded social commentary found in modern art that viewers must interpret for themselves.