Animal/Vegetable/Mineral

This exhibition takes the form of a familiar childhood game and is meant to enhance the desire and ability of visitors to creatively think and question the work presented. Most visitors will have heard of or played Twenty Questions, which is sometimes called animal, vegetable, or mineral. Other visitors will be familiar with the Linnaeus classification system and others will have heard of the radio and television game show of the same name. This approach provides multiple points of entry from lived existence and popular culture for visitors to engage with art. The theme is meant to provide a context that is not intimidating to viewers who might not see themselves as museum patrons or who do not have a background in art history.

Artists in a wide range of media will be featured. Selected works from the Daum collection will be displayed in conjunction with artists from around the nation. This exhibit will situate the permanent collection work into a broader conversation and extend its meaning. It also makes the underlying complex themes of the artists approachable by presenting them in the context of a familiar game that invites the viewer to build connections between the works presented. The works selected intentionally highlight the contrast between materials and subjects and create different representations of what might be labeled animal, vegetable, or mineral.