Open Thursday: 12:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Close Menu

Boxed In

March 26, 2022 – July 17, 2022

oil painting of house with the silhouettes of two people's heads on the inside
James R. Perry, Domestic Interior #2, 1981. Oil on wood, 28 x 31 3/4 inches. Gift of Don and Nancy Eiler, Collection of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

About

Boxed In is an exhibition conceived by the MMoCA Teen Forum, a group of ten Dane County teenagers selected to learn about the workings of a museum. Drawn from the MMoCA Permanent Collection, the exhibition responds to the 2022 Wisconsin Triennial: Ain’t I A Woman?

When considering the concept of being Boxed In, the only true characteristic to emerge is that the experience of “the box” is entirely unique and determined by each individual’s personal perspective. In attempting to understand what “the box” means—who is inside the box and how they got there, how one fits inside the box, and what happens if the box is destroyed—two themes began to unfold: Confinement and Conformity and Perspectives of Power.

Confinement and Conformity speaks to societal and individual expectations and exclusions. Instead of asking ourselves “who am I?,” we continually ask ourselves “who must I become to be accepted?” or “what must I repress?” Perspectives of Power examines how these same expectations and exclusions often result from the struggle for power. When differing perspectives grapple for power, the outcome always results in loss and its many definitions—damage, harm, defeat, reduction.

This exhibition is designed for the viewer to reflect upon these themes, and to think about what the box means to each individual, diverse communities, and the position we all occupy in relation to being Boxed In. Yet the exhibition also proposes the possibility to break through and exist unapologetically beyond the box.

Accessibility

Exhibition labels are available in English and Spanish.


Virtual Tour



Programming & Events

Exhibition Celebration | Reception
Saturday, April 2, 2022 • 1–3 PM

Teen Poetry Event
Saturday, May 21, 2022 • 1–2 PM


Press

MMoCA hosts reception for new Teen Forum exhibit
Channel 3000

Artwork

Perv’s House. Artist: Michael Abramson. Date: 1976. Medium: gelatin silver print.

Perv’s House

1976

Michael Abramson

Learn more about Perv’s House.
Perv’s House. Artist: Michael Abramson. Date: 1976. Medium: gelatin silver print.

Perv’s House

1976

Michael Abramson

Learn more about Perv’s House.
Untitled (Mauve Dress). Artist: Patty Chang. Date: 2004. Medium: C-print.

Untitled (Mauve Dress)

2004

Patty Chang

Learn more about Untitled (Mauve Dress).
DJ and His Baby. Artist: Larry Chatman. Date: c. 1980. Medium: gelatin silver print.

DJ and His Baby

c. 1980

Larry Chatman

Learn more about DJ and His Baby.
Old. Artist: Judy Chicago. Date: 2012. Medium: lithograph and etching.

Old

2012

Judy Chicago

Learn more about Old.
Boxed Vision. Artist: Jocelyn Cox. Date: 1983. Medium: intaglio.

Boxed Vision

1983

Jocelyn Cox

Learn more about Boxed Vision.
Women dress for other women from Point of Departure II. Artist: Eleanor Droll. Date: 1997. Medium: etching.

Women dress for other women from Point of Departure II

1997

Eleanor Droll

Learn more about Women dress for other women from Point of Departure II.
Curb Your Animal Instinct. Artist: Ilona Granet. Date: 1986. Medium: screenprint on aluminum.

Curb Your Animal Instinct

1986

Ilona Granet

Learn more about Curb Your Animal Instinct.
When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?. Artist: Guerrilla Girls. Date: 1989. Medium: poster.

When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?

1989

Guerrilla Girls

Learn more about When Racism & Sexism Are No Longer Fashionable, What Will Your Art Collection Be Worth?.
Man and Woman #20. Artist: Eikoh Hosoe. Date: 1960. Medium: gelatin silver print.

Man and Woman #20

1960

Eikoh Hosoe

Learn more about Man and Woman #20.
Untitled, C.H.F.. Artist: Jin Soo Kim. Date: 1985-1990. Medium: steel, paper, chicken wire, dirt, and acrylic.

Untitled, C.H.F.

1985-1990

Jin Soo Kim

Learn more about Untitled, C.H.F..
The Blue Nude ll. Artist: Phyllis McGibbon. Date: 1987. Medium: etching.

The Blue Nude ll

1987

Phyllis McGibbon

Learn more about The Blue Nude ll.
Out-Loud Silent. Artist: Lev T. Mills. Date: 1969. Medium: etching with aquatint.

Out-Loud Silent

1969

Lev T. Mills

Learn more about Out-Loud Silent.
Domestic Interior #2. Artist: James R. Perry. Date: 1981-1982. Medium: oil on wood.

Domestic Interior #2

1981-1982

James R. Perry

Learn more about Domestic Interior #2.
Is You Is or Is You Ain’t. Artist: Alison Saar. Date: 2017. Medium: intaglio and hand-painted shellac.

Is You Is or Is You Ain’t

2017

Alison Saar

Learn more about Is You Is or Is You Ain’t.
Hold. Artist: Robert L. Schultz. Date: 2016. Medium: lithograph.

Hold

2016

Robert L. Schultz

Learn more about Hold.

Exhibition Support

man with his hand on the belly of a pregnant person
Larry Chatman, DJ and His Baby, 1980. Gelatin silver print, 15 1/8 x 19 7/8 inches. Gift of the Artist. Collection of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art.

Exhibitions in the Henry Street Gallery are generously funded through an endowment established by the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Additional support for the Teen Forum provided by Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc. charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.