Reap is a multimedia installation by Bridge Work Madison artist Kel Mur that focuses on the artist’s experience living with a large uterine fibroid in her abdomen. The causes of fibroids are not well understood but are thought to be related to a family history of fibroids, diet, excess estrogen collecting in the uterus, and, in some circles, the harboring of emotional or spiritual trauma. With surgery delayed by the pandemic, Mur worked outdoors near a cornfield and collected abandoned stalks, remnants of agriculture that helped her understand the mystery of her body’s fibroid development. Combining weaving, video, performance, and sound, Mur lays bare her own body’s landscape in relation to the natural cycles of the earth, sowing, and reaping.
Mur will join fellow Bridge Work Madison artist Gillian Drier for a virtual artist talk and Q&A on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 5pm streamed live on Facebook. Audience members can submit questions online during the event or send questions in advance to hello@artlitlab.org.
Sponsored by Dane Arts, Bridge Work Madison is the Dane County chapter of a multi-state project founded by Jason S. Yi and Leah Kolb of Plum Blossom Initiative (Milwaukee), and joined in 2017 by Arts + Literature Laboratory. Bridge Work provides critical opportunities for emerging artists to broaden the scope of their professional connections and experiences. Bridge Work endeavors to forge a more interconnected arts community throughout the Midwest by facilitating meaningful artistic exchanges and dialogs among artists and art-centered organizations and professionals.
The emerging artists invited to participate in this project express the energy, commitment, and willingness to benefit from the resources and guidance provided by each region’s facilitators. A culminating group exhibition brings together a diverse group of artists who are dedicated to their practices and poised to fully engage the contemporary art world. Kel Mur and Gillian Drier will represent Madison in this year’s group exhibition at the Allen Priebe Gallery at UW OshKosh from March 29 to April 14, 2021.
Reap will be on view at Arts + Literature Laboratory from January 14 through February 27, 2021. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, exhibitions in ALL’s new galleries will be available to view during limited hours from 12-5pm Thursday through Saturday or by appointment. Visitors inside the building will be required to wear masks and practice social distancing, and the number of visitors will be limited according to current public health guidelines. Exhibition admission is free.
