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march 22, 2021 - Institute of Contemporary Art

Jessica Vaughn: Our Primary Focus Is To Be Successful

MARCH 19, 2021
 
TO OUR COMMUNITY:

ICA condemns anti-Asian violence, white supremacy, and discrimination. In grief and solidarity we stand with the AAPI community. 

The increasing violence against Asian communities across America has once again laid bare the pervasive nature of racism in our society. We honor and mourn the countless lives taken by devastating violence stemming from hatred and racist beliefs. 

In the wake of the murders of 8 #people, including 6 Asian women in Atlanta and the escalating violence toward Asian Americans throughout this country, we share the pain and anger of so many in our community. This increasing violence compels us, once again, to look to the heart of our mission and the foundation of who we are and what we do—to champion and advocate for diverse voices—while supporting an exchange of ideas about art and society that resonates today.  

ICA remains committed to fostering and amplifying under-recognized voices, alternative narratives, and outlooks that help us frame and reframe our understanding of the world.  

Our guiding principal of centering equity and inclusion in our own work has begun internally and drives everything we do. We support and celebrate our communities extending from West Philadelphia, the university, and beyond—recognizing the resilience of those around us at this difficult moment. 

Explore the new Jessica Vaughn: Our Primary Focus Is To Be Successful virtual tour. Featuring notes by the curator as well as an expanded look at Vaughn's photographs, sculptures, paintings, and video on view which are grounded in the political and social influences of the workplace. On display in a moment of radical change, Vaughn's examination of discarded and mass-produced materials reminds us to contemplate the objects and spaces we come into contact with daily. 

ARTIST INTERVIEW

Jessica Vaughn

A year into the pandemic, artist #jessicavaughn (Penn MFA ’11) was asked what the experience was like putting together this exhibition at ICA giving us a peek into her process, creative mind, and her thoughts on slowing down. 

"I've always really enjoyed ICA’s space and exhibitions. It’s nice to come back to a familiar location and to have such a great opportunity to exhibit in Philadelphia. Although this exhibition was going up under difficult circumstances, the conditions of the space still felt familiar. That is not to say that it wasn’t a challenge working during COVID. The majority of the exhibition planning with the ICA was done over screens and not in person. Not being able to directly interact with #people and sometimes even directly with the material was a new way of working for me. But it was really great to be able to trust and work so well with the team at the ICA. And, in general, the pandemic slowed down the pace of every aspect of creating work for this show. But you know, there's also something great about being forced to slow down and really consider things in a different way. I think the slowing down was good for this exhibition."