Member Preview Day – Chris Friday and Personal to Political
Saturday, May 3
Chalk on black archival paper, approx. 132 x 48 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Amir Aghareb.
Chalk on black archival paper, approx. 192 x 54 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Amir Aghareb.
Chalk on black archival paper, approx. 70 x 108 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Amir Aghareb.
Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old
May 4, 2025 – August 10, 2025
This exhibition is made possible, in part, with generous support from:
Platinum Sponsors
Judy and Fred Fiala
Katherine and Frank Martucci
Gold Sponsors
Charlotte and John Suhler
Silver Sponsor
Marge and Leon Ellin
Multidisciplinary artist Chris Friday invites visitors into imagined sanctuaries in her first solo museum exhibition, Chris Friday: Where We Never Grow Old. Best known for her large-scale, yet intimate, figurative chalk drawings, Friday explores the literal and metaphorical safe havens we create for self-preservation in her new site-specific installation. Taking inspiration from themes of nostalgia, family, culture, and spirituality, Friday creates an alternate reality through her art—a world untouched by the hardships and injustices of real life. Tender depictions of Black figures resting peacefully and ceramics representing everyday items that conjure comfort for the artist make up this world, portrayed in a larger-than-life scale. Gold-embellishments adorn Friday’s ceramics, a meaningful reference to the age-old tradition of bronzing precious childhood keepsakes. Through this never-before-seen body of work, Friday invites viewers into her artistic haven where memory is sacred, imagination is incorruptible, the burdens of the outside world are lifted, and the soul never grows old.
This exhibition is organized by Sarasota Art Museum of Ringling College of Art and Design, curated by Rangsook Yoon, Ph.D., senior curator, Sarasota Art Museum.
