Metamorphoses:

In addition to stewarding artworks and objects acquired since the 19th century – when the H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College and Tulane University were separated by gender – the Newcomb Art Museum periodically acquires new works that resonate with the critical issues of our time, as well as the institution’s historic emphasis on innovative art, craft, and design. In a first-of-its-kind collections display, Metamorphoses contrasts iconic Newcomb Pottery with kinetic sculpture, photography, and prints to explore ideas of change, transition, and movement in both a literal and symbolic sense. Works, such as Flood Lines by the Vestiges Project, reference human-built environments imperiled and inevitably altered by natural disasters. By contrast, works like John T. Scott’s Black Butterfly encourage reflection on rhythm and motion, and serve as metaphors for transformation and rebirth.

While the works by Newcomb and Tulane-affiliated artists ground the exhibit, other pieces reveal how the collection has evolved to include art inspired by diverse cultures, architecture, and the sociopolitical landscape. The exhibition includes selections from past faculty Lin Emery, Ida Kohlmeyer, Sarah Agnes Estelle “Sadie” Irvine, and George Rickey; as well as alumni such as Melissa Turner Drumm, Betsy Packard, Cynthia Scott, Michel Varisco, and artists of the Newcomb Pottery Enterprise and Newcomb Guild. Works by artists Carrie Mae Weems, Carlos Rolón, and Jesús Rafael Soto are also featured.