Ric Kasini Kadour’s Art Meets History initiative asks, How can artists pick
up the unfinished work of history and contribute to the civic discourse?
What can we do to offer viewers the opportunity to experience and understand
the multiple histories that inform contemporary life in America? Can artists
deconstruct whiteness in a way that whiteness can be seen more clearly? Can
artists elevate the experiences of indigenous people and people of color so
that they are heard and respected? What is the role of art organizations and
institutions in this work? Can we reimagine the museum and the role it plays
in various communities? Kadour will research these questions in preparation
for an exhibition at the Wilson Museum at the Southern Vermont Arts Center
in 2022. Kadour will travel to art centers and historic sites in New York,
Chicago, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Mexico, New Orleans and Vermont to build a
network of artists and historians. The goal of his research is to inform
curatorial practice as it relates to presentation, audience engagement, and
community impact and to identify considerations artists and curators could
take as they work at the intersection of art and history; and what happens
when history-based artwork is brought into the museum context. He will
organize two artist labs and two symposiums that bring together a diverse
range of practitioners to engage with these subjects.