Sara Berman’s Closet

Maira Kalman (American, born 1949). Sara Berman on the Terrace in Rome, 2018. Gouache on paper, 12 x 16 x 2 in. Courtesy of the artist.

Sara Berman’s Closet is a rumination on the essential meaning of life. A recreation of a humble closet. A visual essay on the search we all engage in. For beauty, order and meaning. This faithfully presented archive serves not only to demonstrate the care Sara Berman took in organizing her personal belongings, but also the freedom she experienced in crafting her own private yet magnificent life.

Richard Benson: The World Is Smarter Than You Are

"Newfoundland (Green Boat)," c. 2006, by Richard Benson (American, 1943–2017). Multiple impression pigment print, image: 11 9/16 × 17 3/8 inches.; sheet: 12 15/16 × 19 inches. © Estate of Richard M. A. Benson. Collection of Barbara Benson. Image courtesy Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2021.

“Go out into the world with the camera and photograph and find out that the world is smarter than you are.” – Richard Benson

This exhibition surveys nearly fifty years of Benson’s photography, a wide-ranging body of work that reflects his humility and boundless curiosity about the world and his tireless exploration of how to make photographs. A selection of artworks by ten artists who studied and worked with Benson will also be included in this exhibition.

A Beautiful Mess

Kirsten Hassenfeld, (American, born 1971) Millefleur (detail), 2019, salvaged textiles with mixed media, 78 inches diameter, (c) Kirsten Hassenfeld

From micro artworks the size of your hand to mammoth room-sized installations, the national roster of women artists in A Beautiful Mess push the boundaries of their textile-based medium. Using rope, yarn, clay and wire, this group of conceptual artists knot and twist their media into sculptures that range from minimal and hyper-organized to utter pandemonium.