Unfettered

Kami Noland, undergoing massive life changes while creating her show, experienced hardship that left her debilitated for much of the first four of the seven weeks she had to prepare. But she pushed on. With a quick walk through the gallery, you might not be able to tell, but when you linger with her pieces, taking note of the diversity of what she presents, you can start to see her search for direction—her effort resulting in the 57 unique pieces that make up Unfettered.  

After talking with Noland about her show, the repeated lines in a popular children's story from my childhood came back to me. "Can't go over it. Can't go under it. Can't go around it. We got to go through it." Often, despite adversity that might come our way, the most efficient way to go is through. Unfettered is a great example of moving through. It's Noland's choice to go forward despite and because of her circumstances. 

Like many, Noland shared that she tends to struggle with a blank canvas. And, given her timeframe, she mentioned the only way she could finish this exhibition in time was to gather everything previously finished and work on all the little ideas she had, using materials she already had. This lack of a clear, cohesive path forward, while some might see it as great freedom, "is part of the more negative consequences of being unfettered." Because of this, Noland's title came to be. 

The great thing about art is, as Noland puts it, "[it] takes so many shapes. No one is the ultimate authority on what is 'good' art. It's entirely too subjective." In creating Unfettered, she thought about how she let opposing voices make her feel insecure for too long, and, "gathering up all of the different parts of [herself], … [she saw] where [she's] been to decide where [she] want[s] to go next."  

As you experience Noland's show, I encourage you to think about the crossroads in your life, the directions ahead of you, how you chose to move in the past, and how you want to move forward. Noland hopes you feel encouraged by her variety of pieces and feel freer to play with whatever ideas light you up creatively, choosing joy no matter what.