“Enabling Artistries: Displays of 19th-Century Creativity, Disability, & Freedom”
Curated By: Laurel Daen, Marianne R. Petit, Roxane Pickens, and Elizabeth Verrelli
Based on “Mouth & Toes: The World of 19th-Century Silhouette Artists with Disabilities” by Laurel Daen and Marianne R. Petit
Special Collections: William Pruitt
Tactile Interpretations: Stefanie Koseff
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library, New York University, New York NY
Enabling Artistries: Displays of 19th-Century Creativity, Disability, and Freedom showcases the extraordinary works of nineteenth-century visual and performance artists working primarily with silhouettes and navigating boundaries of creativity and achievement as persons with unique status and ability in U.S. culture. Highlighted is artwork by Martha Ann Honeywell, Sarah Rogers, Saunders Ken Grems Nellis, and Moses Williams, along with contextual materials that situate them in the early-mid nineteenth century. Enabling Artistries highlights how artistic practice and expression serve as gateways to personal autonomy and freedom.
Enabling Artistries is based on Mouth & Toes: The World of 19th-Century Silhouette Artists with Disabilities, a collection of moving panoramas, printed scrolls, and handheld flip books as well as an eBook and virtual exhibition, created by Laurel Daen and Marianne R. Petit. In addition to the nineteenth-century reproductions, Petit’s artworks, and Daen and Petit’s book, the show features items from the private collection of William R. Pruitt III and tactile interpretations by artist Stefanie Koseff.
The show was co-curated by Petit, Daen, Roxane Pickens (Community Engagement Librarian), and Elizabeth Verrelli (Associate Director of Engagement at NYU Libraries). It was on view in Bobst Gallery (Bobst Library, 1st Floor) from October 15th – December 15th 2024.
https://guides.nyu.edu/exhibitions-at-nyu-libraries/bobst-gallery-enabling-artistries-fall-2024
Marianne R. Petit 