In Conversation: Franco, Koons, and Dubois Shaw | Institute of Contemporary Art

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Sachs Guest Curator Josh T. Franco is joined by renowned artist Jeff Koons and art historian Gwendolyn DuBois Shaw to discuss the influence and importance of yard art in contemporary art. This conversation will delve into the intersection of artmaking and liminal spaces, examining how yards have long served as vibrant sites of creativity, community, and cultural expression. The trio will explore how Where I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard brings this informal art movement into the gallery, challenging conventional boundaries and celebrating the diverse ways people across the U.S. and beyond have used their yards as canvases for artistic innovation. Prior to the conversation, join us for a special performance of Scriptorium con safos: Yard by Josh T. Franco in the ICA gallery from 1-2 pm. The piece demonstrates Franco’s practice of making art history by hand and resonates with the themes of reclamation and personal expression inherent to the exhibition. A light reception will follow. RegistrationRegister to attend this free event here | Attend via Zoom here. Live captioning and ASL interpretation will be provided for this program. ICA is committed to creating a welcoming environment for all visitors. For more notes on accessibility including accessible parking nearby visit our Accessibility landing page. If you require any accessibility accommodations or have any questions about the program, please contact Brittany Clottey (bclottey@ica.upenn.edu). About the exhibitionWhere I Learned to Look: Art from the Yard celebrates the foundational role of yards in shaping contemporary art in America. Building upon existing scholarship on Yard Art, artwork created to exist in the transitional space between the home and wider world, artist and art historian Josh T. Franco examines the lineage of this robust American art form which has historically existed outside of museum and gallery spaces. Featuring over 30 works, the exhibition spotlights both community and academically taught artists over the past five decades including David Driskell, vanessa german, Donald Judd, Noah Purifoy, and Finnegan Shannon, revealing connections across communities in creative world-building with what is available. This exhibition is part of ICA’s Sachs Guest Curator Program, which since 2007 has funded artists and interdisciplinary creatives to curate ambitious contemporary art presentations and actualize projects that leverage the space of resources of ICA to examine emerging and underrecognized creative practices. SupportProgramming at ICA is made possible in part by the Emily and Jerry Spiegel Fund to Support Contemporary Culture and Visual Arts and the Lise Spiegel Wilks and Jeffrey Wilks Family Foundation. Public and Student Engagement at ICA is supported by the Bernstein Public Engagement Fund, Suzanne Weiss Doft & Jacob W. Doft, Stacey & Robert Goergen Jr., Hilarie L. & Mitchell Morgan, the Nash Family Foundation, Joline & David Stemerman, and by Dana McDonald Strong & Mark W. Strong. ICA gratefully acknowledges support from the Katherine (CW’69) and Keith L. Sachs(W’67) Guest CuratorProgram. Additional support has been provided by Linda & Jeffrey Chodorow, Arthur Cohen & Daryl Otte, B.Z. & Michael Schwartz, Patricia & Howard Silverstein, and The Study at University City. Information Source: Institute of Contemporary Art | eventbrite