Bozeman Magazine

Months of anxious social distancing have created an undeniable appetite for culture and fellowship. Tinworks Art 2020 features the work of thirteen artists and collectives, both local and non-local, working in a diversity of mediums, and at all stages of their careers. What they have in common is their capacity to weave together our solitary experiences of the pandemic into a shared one. The artists have been selected for their challenging ideas and unique perspectives.

Some address the novel coronavirus directly. Avram Finkelstein’s installation, for example, explores the relationships among three public health crises: AIDS, COVID-19, and widespread poverty. Criticism of the federal government’s pandemic response, as well as the unevenness of its physical and economic impacts, have added momentum to decolonial and anti-racist movements against police brutality, immigrant detention centers, and mass incarceration. Artists like Kota Ezawa and the collective Paintallica employ the visual language of protest so central to this summer of political action.  

Others take a sidelong approach to this extraordinary moment. Space, but especially negative space, is a persistent theme of the exhibition. The work of Cristina Marian and Anthony Discenza considers the increasing importance of open public space during a health crisis that keeps people homebound. The Einstein Collective fabricates astronomical spaces that transport the viewer to the expanses of outer space, while Chris Fraser’s Asterisms uses the building’s architecture to create a solar observatory. Still others explore the emotional highs and lows that accompany social distancing. 

Each installation in this summer’s exhibition has been conceived with the safety of the public in mind by maximizing our outdoor venues and minimizing the temptation to congregate. We are holding fewer public events, with limited attendance, and no grand opening. We have opted instead for a fazed opening, one that embraces the disturbances of our current moment, as incitements to consider what we do and do not value in our homes, communities, and nation. 

Please bring your friends, families, and masks for what promises to be a provocative and community-building experience.

Curators, Tinworks Art 2020
Melissa Ragain
Eli Ridgway

Saturday, July 18: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, July 19: 11am – 6pm

Friday, July 25: 11am – 6pm
Saturday, July 25: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, July 26: 11am – 6pm

Friday, July 31: 11am – 6pm
Saturday, August 1: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, August 2: 11am – 6pm

Friday, August 7: 11am – 6pm
Saturday, August 8: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, August 9: 11am – 6pm

Friday, August 14: 11am – 6pm
Saturday, August 15: 11am – 6pm
Sunday, August 16: 11am – 6pm