The University of Richmond Museums opens Crooked Data: (Mis)Information in Contemporary Art on February 9 through May 5, 2017, in the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art. The exhibition features art by twenty-one contemporary artists and studios who work with data in nontraditional ways. Some artists incorporate data from known sources, using it as an aesthetic device divorced from its originally intended interpretive function. Others gather and manifest data that might normally be considered not worthy of collecting. And some of the works explore alternatives to standard data visualization forms and practices.
“We see data and data visualization everywhere — graphs in the news about voting statistics, interactive maps on our phones, animated weather radars and charts, standardized testing scores, etc.,” says the exhibition curator N. Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions, University Museums. “The artists in this exhibition use data and data visualization as their subject and their process, creatively questioning our assumptions about how we decide what information is important and how we communicate and interpret information visually.”
Some of the works featured in Crooked Data include a selection from R. Luke DeBois’ series A More Perfect Union, in which the artist presents maps of states, replacing the names of cities and towns with the most frequently used words from residents’ online dating profiles that are unique to that region. For example, in the map of Virginia, the city of Richmond and local towns are represented by the words “tobacco,” “reasonable,” and northern Virginia, not surprisingly, is denoted by the words “Pentagon,” “diplomat,” and “beltway.”
Other works in the exhibition include Blast Theory’s app Karen which features a pseudo life coach who provides personalized personality profiles based on user input. Nathalie Miebach translates science data into sculpture, installation, and musical scores. In the series Wars and Conflicts, Dan Mills uses vintage maps as a space to investigate global data on international tensions, conflicts, and refugee statistics. Clement Valla reproduces Google Earth images that reveal anomalies within the system, images that are correctly formed with the data used by the software but are incorrect in accurately depicting their subjects.
Artists included in the exhibition:
The exhibition will also include an artwork created by University of Richmond students enrolled in the fall 2016 Introduction to Printmaking class, taught by Brooke Inman, Adjunct Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Richmond. Their screen-printed mural consists of data derived from usage statistics from the University’s Weinstein Center for Recreation and Wellness.
Digital America, an online journal on digital culture and art, will be featuring three art works in conjunction with the Crooked Data exhibition on its website (www.digitalamerica.org). Each piece in the online gallery explores the deceptive nature of digital data through various digital media. Digital America is supported by the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Richmond.
Organized by the University of Richmond Museums, the exhibition is curated by N. Elizabeth Schlatter, Deputy Director and Curator of Exhibitions, University Museums. It is presented in cooperation with the University’s Departments of Art and Art History, Geography and the Environment, Boatwright Memorial Library, the Digital Scholarship Lab, Recreation and Wellness, and Partners in the Arts. The exhibition and programs are made possible in part by the University’s Cultural Affairs Committee, Data Blueprint, and funds from the Louis S. Booth Arts Fund. The exhibition is accompanied by an online catalogue featuring works in the exhibition and interviews conducted by Elizabeth Schlatter and Lindsay Hamm, ’17, art conservation (interdisciplinary studies) major, University of Richmond. Visit the website at www.crookeddata.com
Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 6 to 8 p.m.
6 p.m., Opening reception, artists’ talk, and preview of the exhibition
Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
6:30 to 7 p.m., Artists’ Talk by Brooke Inman, Adjunct Professor, Department of Art and Art History, University of Richmond, and University students enrolled in the 2016 fall semester Introduction to Printmaking course taught by Professor Inman
Sunday, February 26, 2017, 2 to 2:45 p.m.
Museum Story Time for Children, Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
Reading from Susan Verde’s book The Museum
Followed by an art activity
Free, reservations are recommended, call Martha Wright, Coordinator of Visitor and Tour Services, University Museums, at 804-287-1258, or email mwright3@richmond.edu
Wednesday, March 8, 2017, 4 to 7 p.m.
Teacher Open House, Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
Free and open to k-12 teachers and homeschool educators
Wednesday, March 15, 2017, 6 to 8 p.m.
6 p.m., Conversation, Camp Concert Hall, Modlin Center for the Arts
“Artists’ Conversation” with Eric Rodenbeck, Founder, CEO, and Creative Director, Stamen Design, San Francisco; and Tiffany Holmes, artist and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
7 to 8 p.m, Reception and viewing the exhibition
Funded in part by Data Blueprint, the event is co-sponsored by the University Museums and the University’s Department of Geography and the Environment
Thursday, March 16, 2017, 12 to 12:45 p.m
Discussion, Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
“Sustainability and Art” with Tiffany Holmes, artist and Dean of Undergraduate Studies, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and Rob Andrejewski, Director of Sustainability, University of Richmond
Wednesday, April 5, 2017, 8 to 10 p.m
College Night, Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
Free and open to University students! Enjoy refreshments, entertainment, and art!
Thursday, April 6, 2017, 6 to 8 p.m.
Video Festival, Ukrop Auditorium, Jepson School of Business
Organized by Jeremy Drummond, Associate Professor of Art and Chair, Department of Art and Art History, University of Richmond, and co-curated with students enrolled in the 2016 fall semester Independent Film and Video: Curatorial Practice and Presentation course taught by Professor Drummond
Wednesday, April 12, 2017, 12 to 12:45 p.m.
Idea Lounge, Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts
Discussion on the topic of “data” with University faculty and staff: Rob Nelson, Director, Digital Scholarship Lab; Tom Roberts, Assistant Vice President, Recreation and Wellness; and Meghan Rosatelli, Adjunct Lecturer of American Studies and Part Time Instructor, Art
