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Companion Species

Exhibition
Modern Art Gallery
FREE
This event has passed

Companion Species is a new focus exhibition and collaborative project that takes inspiration from the recent Crystal Bridges acquisition, Companion Species (Speech Bubble) by Marie Watt (Seneca). In the spirit of Watt, who embraces community and connectedness at the heart of her artwork, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Museum of Native American History (MONAH) in Bentonville, and will be presented across the two museum sites.

Wall-mounted art with red and orange fabric panels, handwritten text, abstract shape, white wall.
Marie Watt, Companion Species (Speech Bubble), 2019, reclaimed wool blankets, embroidery floss, and thread, 136 5/8 in. × 198 1/2 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2019.30. Photography by Edward C. Robison III.

Watt’s monumental textile was created through community sewing circles across Northwest Arkansas and in Portland, Oregon and Honolulu, Hawaii in 2018 and 2019. Words such as neighborcompanionhatemother, and brother are rendered in unique stitches reflecting the hands of the many contributors of the sewing circles. The words draw attention to relatedness, and also come from the Marvin Gaye song “What’s Going On,” penned by Gaye, Renaldo Benson and Al Cleveland in 1969 in response to racial violence. In both cases, familial terms like “mother” and “brother” are not used solely to indicate biological awareness, but to extend to all humans, and in Iroquois teaching, to animals and the environment as well.

In the spirit of Watt, who embraces community and connectedness at the heart of her artwork, the exhibition is organized in collaboration with the Museum of Native American History (MONAH) in Bentonville, and will be presented across the two museum sites. Companion Species will be on view at Crystal Bridges November 21, 2020 to May 24, 2021. MONAH is working their re-opening plans and will announce exhibition dates soon.

After its run at Crystal Bridges, this focus exhibition will travel to other museums with support from Art Bridges.

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Marybeth and Micky Mayfield