Contemporary Museum Gets Down to Business with Cottage Industry
Exhibition features six entrepreneurial artists from June 1 to August 24, 2008
Cottage Industry, an exhibition exploring the artist as entrepreneur, will open at the Contemporary Museum on June 1, 2008. Co-curated by the Contemporary’s Executive Director Irene Hofmann and guest curator Kristin Chambers, the exhibition will feature six artists and artist collaboratives that have merged art with business by creating small shops, business ventures, and alternative cultural institutions. The exhibit will be open through August 24, 2008.
“The Contemporary Museum has long been engaged in exploring the boundaries of art and moving the experience of art into our neighborhoods and our everyday lives,” said Hofmann. “With projects that mingle art, ideas, commerce, and community, the artists in Cottage Industry re-frame the site of creative exploration and bring the experience of art into the realm of the marketplace and social relations.”
Cottage Industry will be presented at the Contemporary Museum’s 100 West Centre Street gallery space as well as at two off-site locations in Baltimore.
Public Programs and Cottage Industry Publication: The Contemporary Museum will host a series of seminars and activities to accompany Cottage Industry, including a “smocking workshop” for visitors to create their own garments; a gardening seminar with expert advice from master gardeners; and an entrepreneurship workshop with useful advice for small business owners. Cottage Industry will be accompanied by an 80-page full-color catalogue designed by Orange Element. The Cottage Industry catalogue will be available at the Contemporary Museum in June and at www.lulu.com.
Cottage Industry will be on display at the Contemporary Museum and throughout Baltimore from June 1 – August 24, 2008. The Contemporary Museum is located at 100 West Centre St., in Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon Cultural District. Museum hours are noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. For more information on the exhibit and the Contemporary, visit www.contemporary.org.
