A Reckoning, March 7 - April 13, 2014, Huff Gallery, Louisville, KY
Of Internal Affairs, April 19 - May 30, 2014, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, New Harmony, IN

Acknowledgements

It has been a distinct pleasure to have the opportunity to complete a curatorial project such as this two-part exhibition. To say that I could not have managed such a major undertaking on my own is at the very least an understatement. I take great honor in having the chance to pick and garner such great minds as the ones involved in many aspects of this exhibition.

To begin with, I have to extend my highest regards and sincere gratitude to the institutional leaders that believed in my creative authority. Joyce Ogden of Spalding University allowed me to claim an exhibition slot two years in advance in anticipation of my thesis pursuit. John Begley at the University of Louisville helped me connect the dots in my ideas and my approach. Garry Holstein saw potential in my proposal and allowed a reservation at the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art despite my lack of formality when it was so early in the idea development stage.

I would also like to thank the artists for finding interest and connecting with the ideas I set out even when they were only an empty framework. I believe the strength of this exhibition lies in the artists' approach to filling the gaps in my original curatorial construction. And to that I would like to add a special thanks to my colleagues, associates, and friends that assisted in the virtual spread of the call for art where this exhibition began. Additionally, I would like to thank the artists for making art. I am constantly questioning my own creative contributions and feel reaffirmed when I can work with people that have such brilliant, beautiful, challenging and attractive ideas as the artists in this exhibition.

The process for research, development, construction, and presentation of this curatorial project mirrored a studio practice. I knew I was interested in a broad idea, I set it out for artists to respond to using a social network to spread the word, I sifted through the art that was placed in front of me and found the synergies, often not knowning what the connections were until they were formed. The resulting exhibition evolved from multiple conversations with the artists and my advisors to formulate a more curated and polished theoretical ground on which to present the selected artwork. While several basic details were in place from the beginning -- the two gallery spaces, the issues of dualities and places -- many of the subtleties that make this show engaging and rewarding for the spectator came from my constant seeking. This exhibition was created through an evolutionary process, developing the things that started to make sense, and scrapping the things that weren't working, just like a studio artist.

Finally, I would like to thank my partner (and newly fiancé!) for the relentless support he has given me through the researching, planning, designing, installing, and opening of this exhibition. I cannot imagine to have had the strength to complete such a project without a strong, loving, selfless man next to me.

Stacey Reason
March 19, 2014