For Patrons Only: Art in the Service of Society

ForPatronsOnly

Art in the Service of Society

At the end of the last century, MoMA mounted a major exhibition, “The Museum as Muse: Artists Reflect,” which commented on nearly every aspect of museums and the art industry. “For Patrons Only” contributes to this body of work. Here I invite the viewer to meditate on both museums and artistic movements by considering an overlooked but critical space in every museum – the restroom. Simultaneously hidden and open to the public, one will find the mundane, the predictable, the surprising, the overlooked, the critical.I have been adding photographs to this series for over fifteen years. Started on a whim, my first challenge has always been to make an interesting image. Limited by palette and a reduced number of elements, I look for something that may connect to the larger institution, or comment on it. The photographs have also become part of my visual memoir, tracking my movement through the art world over the years.

“MASS MoCA Restrooms a Postcard Portfolio” on sale at museum shop, Hardware, & Davis Orton Gallery, Hudson NY. Prints exhibited at MASS MoCA between Men’s Room & Ladies’ Room
MASS MoCA Restrooms Postcard Portfolio by Karen Davis