Artists Space

U.S. Projects

May 25 – June 29, 1985

Artists Space is pleased to announce the opening of U.S. Projects, an exhibition of work by five artists from across the United States. Jerry Beck, Anita David, Audrey Glassman, Sherry Markovitz, and Patricia Thornley have been selected by art professionals in their home states to present installations of their work at Artists Space.

A crafted deer head with horns appears on the wall with various drawn patterns on it.
Sherry Markovitz, Danny Boy, 1985. [A crafted deer head with horns appears on the wall with various drawn patterns on it.]

This is Artists Space's second group of U.S Projects. The first was a series of 10 site specific installations which took place in 1980-82. Selections for U.S Projects and last season's International Projects have been made by art professionals from different regions. Each were invited to select an artists from their region to travel to New York and install an exhibition of their work at Artists Space. Choosing several contemporary art professionals as opposed to a single curator allows for a varied and knowledgable selection of artists. For this season, Boston artists, Jerry Beck was selected by Kathy Helbreich, Director of Exhibitions at MIT's Hayden Gallery; Chicago artists Anita David by Anne Rorimer, former Curator at the Art Institute of Chicago; Audrey Glassman was chosen by Marge Goldwater, Curator at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Sherry Markovitz was chosen by Anne Focke, former Director of and/or in Seattle; and Patricia Thornley by Alan Sonheim, Curator of Nexus Contemporary Art Center in Atlanta. An illustrated catalogue with statements by the artists, essays by the guest, curators and Acknowledgments by Linda Shearer will accompany the exhibition. The catalogue will be available at Artists Space for $3.

Jerry Beck founder of The Revolving Museum an "itinerant avant garde showcase" of artworks by young artist was born in Hollywood, Florida. In 1957, Beck moved to Boston following completion of his BFA at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In 1983, he organized the Basement Gallery, an alternative space, and The Revolving Museum in 1984. His first site-specific installation, "From a Desert in Boston" which transformed an abandoned storefront basement into a desert terrain, serves as a point of departure for his installation at Artists Space. The first full-scale exhibition of The Revolving Museum, "The Little Train that Could...Show" involved the participation of twenty artists who installed their work in the cars of an abandoned train in downtown Boston. In addition to his work at abandoned sites, Beck has been included in exhibitions at the Helen Schlein Gallery, Boston, and the Rose Art Museum of Brandeis University, ad has performed at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

Anita David's work has taken form of gallery installations, window installations and performances at such diverse locations as Hallwalls, Buffalo, CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, the Randolph Street Gallery, Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago and Franklin Furnace, New York. She currently lives in Chicago, where she attended the University of Illinois for a BA in sculpture, completed in 1974.

Audrey Glassman was born in 1948 in St. Paul, Minnesota now lives in Minneapolis and has been based in the Twin Cities most of her life. Her often extended travels abroad provide the backdrop for her photographs which predominately captures the brilliance of Latin environments. Graduating with a B.S. in 1970 from the University of Minnesota, she has exhibited widely in the Twin Cities area with recent shows at the Thompson Gallery, The Walker Art Center and WARM Gallery, in Minneapolis; and at the Minnesota Museum of Art and Films in the Cities both in St. Paul. Her most recent exhibition at the Walker Art Center was accompanied by a brochure with an essay written by Marge Goldwater and will be reprinted in the Artists Space catalogue.

Sherry Markovitz has shown extensively in the Seattle area, with one-person shows at the Linda Farris Gallery in 1983, 1981 and 1979 and at and/or 1979. Her work has been seen in recent group shows at 911 Gallery, University of Washington Henry Gallery and Hodges/Bank Gallery. She has shown widely outside of Washington, including group exhibitions at the Brooklyn Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Born in Chicago in 1947, she received her MFA from the University of Washington, Seattle, in 1975.

Patricia Thornley was born in 1961 in Birmingham Alabama. Patricia completed her BFA from Atlanta College of Art in 1984. That same year, she had her first one-person show at Nexus Contemporary Art Center and Gallery 413, both in Atlanta.

A sculpted cross appears on a larger sculpted cross along with a small bottle on its left, a ladder inset on the right and an open text on the bottom part. All is hung on a white gallery wall and dimensions are written above the sculpture in pencil.
Jerry Beck, Red Earth Cross, 1985. [A sculpted cross appears on a larger sculpted cross along with a small bottle on its left, a ladder inset on the right and an open text on the bottom part. All is hung on a white gallery wall and dimensions are written above the sculpture in pencil.]
A sculpted pedestal with a black object on it is visible on a wooden floor below a sculpted multilayered cross hanging on a white gallery wall. Numbers are visible above the image.
Jerry Beck, Cryptic Cross, 1985. [A sculpted pedestal with a black object on it is visible on a wooden floor below a sculpted multilayered cross hanging on a white gallery wall. Numbers are visible above the image.]
A sculpted cross with two scale readings on either side of it along with bullets lined in formation on the top half and some undefinited black marks on the bottom half and two unidentified objects hanging underneath. It hangs on a white brick wall.
Jerry Beck, Bird of Destruction, 1985. [A sculpted cross with two scale readings on either side of it along with bullets lined in formation on the top half and some undefinited black marks on the bottom half and two unidentified objects hanging underneath. It hangs on a white brick wall.]
Sculpted cross with strings strapped around it, holding unidentified items together inside of it. Held on a white background with dimensions written in pencil on the right side.
Jerry Beck, American Mummy, 1985. [Sculpted cross with strings strapped around it, holding unidentified items together inside of it. Held on a white background with dimensions written in pencil on the right side.]
A sculpted pedestal with a black object on it is visible below a sculpted multilayered cross hanging on a gallery wall. Sharp lighting shrouds most of the image in darkness with a light falling on the figure on the pedestal.
Jerry Beck. Installation view of Cryptic Cross. Artists Space, 1985. [A sculpted pedestal with a black object on it is visible below a sculpted multilayered cross hanging on a gallery wall. Sharp lighting shrouds most of the image in darkness with a light falling on the figure on the pedestal.]
A spotlight shines on a photograph hanging on a white wall framed by string and electrical wire hanging around it and falling to the black floor underneath.
Patricia Thornley. Untitled (detail), 1985. Electrical wire, string, fans, photograph, spotlight, wood, wax, dirt, water. Dimensions variable. [A spotlight shines on a photograph hanging on a white wall framed by string and electrical wire hanging around it and falling to the black floor underneath.]
Two beds appear on the floor with a mirror and a picture hanging on the walls along with a clock in the right corner. Light is shining onto the wall from an area not visible to the viewer.
Audrey Glassman, Untitled, 1983. Cibachrome, 28 x 42 inches. [Two beds appear on the floor with a mirror and a picture hanging on the walls along with a clock in the right corner. Light is shining onto the wall from an area not visible to the viewer.]
Sculptures of lizards and turtles are seen on the top portion of the image in bright lighting on a white gallery wall and on the bottom of the image is a 10-gallon hat.
Audrey Glassman, Untitled, 1983. Cibachrome, 28 x 42 inches. [Sculptures of lizards and turtles are seen on the top portion of the image in bright lighting on a white gallery wall and on the bottom of the image is a 10-gallon hat.]
One sculpted deer head is seen in the foreground with a paper mache design and a darker deer head sculpture is seen in the background with horns. Both are hung in a white-walled gallery space.
Sherry Markovitz. Installation view. Artists Space, 1985. [One sculpted deer head is seen in the foreground with a paper mache design and a darker deer head sculpture is seen in the background with horns. Both are hung in a white-walled gallery space.]
An projection is present centrally in the image while strings and wire hang in the surrounding area of the work. All is hung in a white-walled and black floor gallery space.
Patricia Thornley. Untitled (detail), 1985. Electrical wire, string, fans, photograph, spotlight, wood, wax, dirt, water. [An projection is present centrally in the image while strings and wire hang in the surrounding area of the work. All is hung in a white-walled and black floor gallery space.]
A sculpted deer head with numerous designed drawn on it is viewed upright and with a veil hanging over it with a white background.
Sherry Markovitz, Marmele Veiled, 1983. [A sculpted deer head with numerous designed drawn on it is viewed upright and with a veil hanging over it with a white background.]
A nude figure is seen sitting in a pool of water in the corner with ceramic tile wall paneling behind them. Sharp lighting accentuates the top half of the image where the face of the figure is, staring into the camera.
Audrey Glassman, Untitled, 1983. Cibachrome, 28 x 42 inches. [A nude figure is seen sitting in a pool of water in the corner with ceramic tile wall paneling behind them. Sharp lighting accentuates the top half of the image where the face of the figure is, staring into the camera.]
A moose head with antlers is designed with a decorative flower pattern with a white background.
Sherry Markovitz, Carmine, 1985. [A moose head with antlers is designed with a decorative flower pattern with a white background.]
A close up detail of the sculpted deer head with patterned designs on its face and antlers.
Sherry Markovitz. Danny Boy (detail), 1985. [A close up detail of the sculpted deer head with patterned designs on its face and antlers.]
An opened gate is visible on the right with tables and chairs set up on a cement floor and decorative steel windows visible at the top.
Audrey Glassman, Untitled. Cibachrome, 28 x 42 inches. [An opened gate is visible on the right with tables and chairs set up on a cement floor and decorative steel windows visible at the top.]
Two figures sitting at opposite ends of a couch looking outside of the image to the right. A telephone sits on a table next to the couch on the right.
Audrey Glassman, Untitled. Cibachrome, 28 x 42 inches. [Two figures sitting at opposite ends of a couch looking outside of the image to the right. A telephone sits on a table next to the couch on the right.]

U.S. Projects Press Release

U.S. Projects Exhibition Card, Back

U.S. Projects Exhibition Card, Front

Sherry Markovitz, Artist's Statement

Audrey Glassman, Artist's Statement

Brenson, Michael "U.S. Projects," *The New York Times. June 21, 1985

Artists Space activities are made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; the New York State Council on the Arts; Edward R. Broida Trust, Jerome Foundation, Leonhardt Foundation, Betty Parsons Foundation, Mark Rothko Foundation, and Samuel Rubin Foundation; AT&T Communications , Chase Manhattan Bank, Citibank, Consolidated Edison, EXXON, Mobil Foundation, Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, Paine Webber, Phillip Morris and Shearson Lehman/American Express, as well as our numerous Friends.

    Three lights are visible in a triangle formation shining on one central photograph in the middle of the image which is framed by hanging strings and wires in a white-walled gallery space.
    Patricia Thornley. Untitled, 1985. Electrical wire, string, fans, photograph, spotlight, wood, wax, dirt, water. [Three lights are visible in a triangle formation shining on one central photograph in the middle of the image which is framed by hanging strings and wires in a white-walled gallery space.]