Albuquerque Museum Presents “Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue”

The Albuquerque Museum announces Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue, which will be on view September 7, 2024 – March 2, 2025. Curated by Ginger Dunnill and Josie Lopez, the exhibition features large-scale installations, sculpture, video, and a robust programming line-up celebrating the work and ideas of 23 artists who have contributed to Dunnill's Broken Boxes podcast.

Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue celebrates ten years of the podcast of the same name and amplifies the collective strength of contemporary artists. Focusing on interviews over the past four years, the exhibition features large-scale installations by renowned artists and includes floating metal “jingle clouds”; a vibrant parade float honoring matriarchs; a colossal wolf forged from community care; brilliant mirrored tapestries honoring lives lost; a monument to Trans rights; and much more.

In addition, a dynamic video gallery showcases short films and experimental music performances. The slate of public programs includes live music, artist conversations, and workshops. Each of the featured artists engages their own cultural experience and elevates activism within diverse communities.

“The Albuquerque Museum is a cultural cornerstone in our community,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “By shining a light on exceptional talent, they highlight our heritage with experiences that inspire and educate.”

The exhibition is accompanied by an art book published by UNM Press, featuring an essay by Broken Boxes creator Ginger Dunnill, a creative response by artist Maria Hupfield, and an introduction by Albuquerque Museum Head Curator Josie Lopez.

Broken Boxes—the podcast, the exhibition, and the book—centers around bringing artists together in dialogue with each other. This collaboration introduces the public to artists who are committed to creating, sustaining, and building solidarity. By opening up the conversations across communities, groups, art practices, materials, and shared spaces, Broken Boxes demonstrates how artists are forging new forms of action.

Co-curator Ginger Dunnill says, “Here are 23 revolutionary artists bringing the creativity of their processes and identities to life in the Albuquerque Museum’s exhibition and accompanying book. Broken Boxes: A Decade of Art, Action, and Dialogue delves deeply into the realm of intentionality, amplifying how artists create and why.”

Co-curator Josie Lopez reflects, “Broken Boxes boldly transcends disciplinary boundaries, adopting a more complex approach to subjects ranging from decolonization to environmental justice, from queer and feminist theory to Indigenous sovereignty. For Dunnill, embracing complexity is the very key to change—to imagining and dreaming a different future with resilience.”

The exhibition features the following 23 local and international artists, nine of whom are creating new work (see asterixis): Tanya Aguiñiga*; Natalie Ball; CASSILS; Autumn Chacon; Raven Chacon; India Sky Davis; Jeremy Dennis*; Kate DeCiccio*; Amaryllis R. Flowers*; Sterlin Harjo; Elisa Harkins*; Christine Howard Sandoval; Cannupa Hanska Luger*; Tsedaye Makonnen; Guadalupe Maravilla; Laura Ortman; Katherine Paul (Black Belt Eagle Scout); Joseph M. Pierce*; SWOON; Chip Thomas*; Marie Watt; Saya Woolfalk; and Mario Ybarra Jr.*

This exhibition extends beyond the confines of Gallery 1 and activates the lobby, atrium, and permanent collection spaces of the museum.

About Broken Boxes: Broken Boxes is an artist-run independent broadcasting platform shedding light on narratives of complexity, solidarity, contradiction, and inspiration in the arts. Launched in 2014 by New Mexico-based artist Ginger Dunnill, the podcast is co-hosted by artist Cannupa Hanska Luger. The project was created to transmit ideas between working contemporary artists by sharing their lived experiences and world-building strategies. It functions as an archive of cooperative strength, while examining how art and imagining can unbind us from collective social trauma. The long-form interview format reflects the artists’ vulnerability and strength, while acknowledging their values as activists, advocates, disruptors, or culture activators. Broken Boxes promotes deeper understanding, healing, and solidarity. For more information, visit brokenboxespodcast.com.

OPENING WEEKEND

Opening Day: Saturday, September 7, 2024; 1-5 p.m.

• 1 p.m. - PERFORMANCE: The Live Cycle of Rainbows by India Sky Davis
• 3 p.m. - CONVERSATION: Artists' Roundtable - CASSILS, Tanya Aguiñiga, Jeremy Dennis, Amaryllis R. Flowers, and Guadalupe Maravilla in conversation with Broken Boxes hosts Ginger Dunnill and Cannupa Hanska Luger. Opening remarks and introductions by Co-curator Josie Lopez.
• 7 p.m. - CONCERT: Mato Wayuhi

Sunday, September 8

• 2-4 p.m. - WORKSHOP: LGBTQIA+ INVERSIONS OF POWER - Spiritualized martial arts focusing on inversions of power through artful martial theater and somatic intelligence (for all bodies) for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This program is presented in partnership with exhibiting artist CASSILS and Site Santa Fe. (Capacity is limited; registration required.)

The six-month exhibition is accompanied by a series of programs including performances, conversations, screenings, and more. Access the "Broken Boxes Program Guide" at https://www.cabq.gov/artsculture/albuquerque-museum/documents/bb_calendar_18x18_web5.pdf.

For more information on the Broken Boxes exhibition, contact the Albuquerque Museum at (505) 253-7255 or email [email protected].

This exhibition is made possible in part by project grants from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts, with support from the City of Albuquerque, Albuquerque Museum Foundation, and Frederick Hammersley Fund for the Arts at Albuquerque Community Foundation.