Boundaries Between Imagination and Reality Explored in Exhibition

A new contemporary art exhibition debuts on March 9, 2022 at Racine Art Museum (RAM) in downtown Racine, Wisconsin. Blurry Boundaries: Contemporary Artists, Imagination, and the Spaces Between will feature works made from a variety of materials that address the ambiguous connection between reality and imagination. This exhibition will be on display through August 27, 2022.

On a certain level, being imaginative means producing things in the mind that exist independent of reality, including scenarios that are invented or fantastic. While there may still be connections to day-to-day reality, the scenes, sensations, or ideas within the imagination are fictional. However, philosophically, it could be argued that what happens in the mind is just a different kind of reality. This vagueness about defining what truly is—or is not—real leaves potential for artists to investigate, create, and actualize their own narratives.

Blurry Boundaries addresses these ambiguities, or spaces between, by sharing a wide range of works—including sculpture, painting, prints, and art jewelry. There are invented characters, versions of legendary tales, musings about death, and scenes that simultaneously seem real and unreal. With narratives operating in a space between fiction, fantasy, and reality, the contemporary artists whose works are included represent a variety of backgrounds and perspectives.

To narrow the scope of an exhibition that addresses ambiguity and the imagination, the works featured in Blurry Boundaries mostly—although not exclusively—reflect visualized narratives. Each artist, depending on their individual style and materials used, offers elements of a story—some depicting characters or scenes while others might rely on associations or metaphor. These elements are filtered through the artist, and therefore, allow for various interpretations or shifting meaning.

While primarily drawn from RAM’s collection, the exhibition also spotlights loaned work from Wisconsin-based Yeonhee Cheong and Illinois-based Paul Andrew Wandless. Cheong’s textiles address the almost incomprehensibility of tragedy while Wandless’ ceramic vessels and prints are filled with invented characters and scenarios. Additionally, the loan of Lost at Sea by Edouard Duval-Carrié represents a newly formed partnership between RAM and Art Bridges, a foundation dedicated to expanding access to American art across the nation. Duval-Carrié’s large-scale two-dimensional work addresses the propaganda of paradise, responding to the way historical imagery sometimes diminished cultural identity.

Exhibitions at Racine Art Museum are made possible by: Platinum Sponsors—Judith and David Flegel Fund, Nicholas and Nancy Kurten, Wingate Foundation; Diamond Sponsors—Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Ruffo Family Foundation; Gold Sponsors—Anonymous, David Charak, Tom and Irene Creecy, Herzfeld Foundation, Ron and Judith Isaacs, National Endowment for the Arts, Racine Community Foundation, Reliance Controls, Trio Foundation of St. Louis, W.T. Walker Group, Inc., Wisconsin Arts Board; Silver Sponsors—A.C. Buhler Family, Andis Foundation, Lucy G. Feller, Ben and Dawn Flegel, Johnson Financial Group, Bill Keland, Dorothy MacVicar, RDK Foundation, Inc., Real Racine, Twin Disc, Inc.; Bronze Sponsors—Anonymous, Baird, Susan Boland, Virginia Buhler, Educators Credit Union, Fredrick and Deborah Ganaway, Get Behind the Arts Studio Tour, William A. Guenther, Tom and Sharon Harty, Andrea and Tony Hauser, The Norbell Foundation, Bill and Mary Walker; Media Sponsors—88Nine Radio Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public Radio.

Together, the two campuses of the Racine Art Museum, RAM in downtown Racine at 441 Main Street and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts at 2519 Northwestern Avenue, seek to elevate the stature of contemporary crafts to that of fine art by exhibiting significant works in craft media with painting, sculpture, and photography, while providing outstanding educational art programming.

Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum are currently operating with limited hours, open Wednesday through Saturday from Noon to 4:00 pm. To comply with the City of Racine mandate, masks covering both nose and mouth are required to enter RAM and RAM's Wustum Museum at all times.