Blurring Boundaries:
The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 – Present

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION:
An awe-inspiring celebration of an intergenerational group of artists—one that is both comprehensive and long overdue—Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 – Present highlights the indelible ways in which the women of American Abstract Artists have, for more than eighty years, shifted and shaped the frontiers of American abstraction.

The hierarchy of distilled form, immaculate line, and pure color came close to being the mantra of 1930s modern art—particularly that of American Abstract Artists (AAA), the subject of a new exhibition entitled Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936 – Present. From the outset—due as much to their divergent status as abstract artists as to their gender—women of American Abstract Artists were already working on the periphery of the art world. In contrast to the other abstract artist collectives of the period, where equal footing for women was unusual, AAA provided a place of refuge for female artists. Through fifty-six works, Blurring Boundaries explores the artists’ astounding range of styles, including their individual approaches to the guiding principles of abstraction: color, space, light, material, and process.

More than eighty years after its founding, AAA continues to nurture and support a vibrant community of artists with diverse identities and wide-ranging approaches to abstraction. In celebration of this tradition, Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists traces the extraordinary contributions of the female artists within AAA, from the founders to today’s practicing members. Included are works by historic members Perle Fine, Esphyr Slobodkina, Irene Rice Pereira, Alice Trumbull Mason, and Gertrude Greene, as well as current members such as Ce Roser, Irene Rousseau, Judith Murray, Alice Adams, Merrill Wagner, Katinka Mann, and Louisiana-based artist Susan Bonfils.

American Abstract Artists was founded in New York City in 1936 to promote and foster greater understanding of abstract and non-objective art. AAA was a predecessor of the New York School and Abstract Expressionism, and was instrumental in the development and acceptance of abstract art in the United States. To this day, AAA organizes exhibitions, produces print portfolios and catalogues, and provides a forum for discussion through panels and lectures. AAA distributes its published material to cultural organizations worldwide, documents its history in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and maintains an archive at the Whitney Museum Library.

International Arts & Artists in Washington, DC, is a nonprofit arts service organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally, through exhibitions, programs and services to artists, arts institutions and the public. Visit ArtsandArtists.org

The Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture is named in honor of C. Kermit “Buck” Ewing, who initiated the art curriculum at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 1948. Begun in 1981, the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture is a professionally managed university gallery that is funded jointly by the School of Art and the College of Architecture and Design. Their mission is to coordinate exhibitions that illustrate both historical and current attitudes in art and architecture; to support the academic goals of these respective areas; and to serve as a cultural resource for the general university and regional communities. The Ewing Gallery has developed and maintained a permanent collection for the purpose of scholarly research and the enrichment of the University and regional communities.

The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University
The mission of Murray State University Galleries is to serve the students and scholars of Murray State University’s community by conceiving and hosting diverse, dynamic exhibitions. An integral part of the Department of Art, the four distinct spaces of the University Galleries engage students and scholars in creative and intellectual discourse with regional, national, and international artists, and act as a laboratory for creative experimentation and expression. The Clara M. Eagle Gallery is a multi-level exhibition space for visitors to learn about the history of art and present-day media. In addition to hosting several major national exhibitions throughout the year, the gallery annually organizes exhibitions of work from graduating students, as well as contemporary art exhibitions which complement the University’s studio programming.

ON VIEW AT LSU MOA: July 14–October 23, 2022

The exhibition was curated by Rebecca DiGiovanna.

LSU MOA Installation

Exhibition Lenders & Sponsors

Blurring Boundaries: The Women of American Abstract Artists, 1936-Present was organized by The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, Murray State University, Murray, KY and the Ewing Gallery, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN and is toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C. This exhibition is also sponsored by Taylor Porter Attorneys At Law.

Additional support is provided by generous donors to the Annual Exhibition Fund: Louisiana CAT; The Imo N. Brown Memorial Fund in memory of Heidel Brown and Mary Ann Brown; The Alma Lee, H.N. and Cary Saurage Fund; Charles "Chuck" Edward Schwing; Robert and Linda Bowsher; LSU College of Art + Design; Mr. and Mrs. Sanford A. Arst; and The Newton B. Thomas Family/Newtron Group Fund.

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