Kennedy Museum of Art to host opening reception for “Self Adjacent” exhibition examining parenthood on Sept. 20

The Kennedy Museum of Art at Ohio University will present “Self Adjacent,” a group exhibition curated by Sarah Irvin and Tracy Stonestreet from Sept. 20, 2024-March 23, 2025. This compelling exhibition examines the transforming experience of parenthood interpreted by 20 artists as they navigate their many identities alongside and within the field of caregiving. Their journeys are impacted by many factors which vary from person to person and inevitably change over a lifetime.

A gallery walk and talk with Stonestreet and Irvin will take place at the Kennedy Museum of Art on Friday, Sept. 20, from 5-6 p.m., with a reception to follow until 7:30 p.m. Participating artists including Athens-based Courtney Kessel, who also serves as the assistant director for Experiential Design at OHIO, will be present.

Artists in the exhibition take an expansive approach to both concept and materials that each uniquely engage in the conversation around parenthood and identity. Through photography, performance, painting, printmaking, video, textile and sculpture, “Self Adjacent”features diverse viewpoints from artists across the United States.

The Visual Arts Center in Richmond, Va. was the inaugural location for this traveling exhibition, followed by Massey Klein Gallery in New York City, and now the Kennedy Museum of Art in Athens.

In addition to Kessel, the exhibition also includes artworks and performances by Alberto Aguilar, Robin Assner-Alvey, Christa Donner, Travis Donovan, Meg Foley, Kate Gilmore, LaToya Hobbs, Sarah Irvin, Kevin and Jen Johnson, Carmichael Jones, Chloe Kessel, Ahree Lee, Colleen Merril, Qiana Mestrich, Sarah Sudoff, Emilia White, William Glaser Wilson, Megan Wynne, and Bohyun Yoon.  

Stonestreet is the director of UMW Galleries at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Va., and the academic director of SECAC, the Southeastern College Art Conference. Irvin has been featured in more than 20 solo shows, as well as more than fifty group exhibitions across the United States and abroad.

The Kennedy Museum of Art is an integral part of the educational, research and public service missions of Ohio University. The purpose of the Kennedy Museum of Art is to enhance the intellectual and cultural life of Ohio University and the region through quality national and international exhibitions, collection-based research, and diverse formal and informal learning opportunities. To learn more about KMA visit: ohio.edu/museum.