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Barbara Earl Thomas: The Illuminated Body

Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania
Barbara Earl Thomas, A Joyful Noise, 2022, paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford / Zocalo Studios, courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, New York, and the artist. 
Barbara Earl Thomas, A Joyful Noise, 2022, paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford / Zocalo Studios, courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, New York, and the artist. 
Barbara Earl Thomas' Transformation Room composed of floor to ceiling handcut paper with light shining through.
Barbara Earl Thomas, Transformation Room installation view, 2021, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA. Photo by Ed Pollard.
Barbara Earl Thomas, Girl and the World, 2022, paper cut with hand-printed color.
Barbara Earl Thomas, Girl and the World, 2022, paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford / Zocalo Studios, courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, New York, and the artist.

The first exhibition in Philadelphia of Seattle-based visual artist Barbara Earl Thomas presents works that address racial inequity in portraiture and depict Black subjects in moments of joy and creativity across class lines. The show includes cut-paper portraits and glass vessels along with The Transformation Room, an immersive installation created from Tyvek and light. Thomas collaborates with cellist Seth Parker Woods on a new sound piece comprising a poem by Thomas and composition by Woods. Supporting programs include a performance of Parker’s Difficult Grace with dancer Roderick George, lectures with multidisciplinary artist Marisa Williamson and art historian Dr. Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw, and a community-organized celebration.

The total grant amount represents project funding plus an additional 20% in unrestricted general operating support.

Recipient
Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania

Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania

Located at the University of Pennsylvania, the Arthur Ross Gallery hosts a variety of programming, including exhibitions, symposiums, film screenings, and live performances. The gallery is a non-collecting institution and presents four exhibitions each year, free and open to the general public. 

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