Social & Solitary: Reflections on Art, Isolation, and Renewal
Social & Solitary: Reflections on Art, Isolation, and Renewal
Florence Griswold Museum
June 5–September 19, 2021
In the spring of 2020 the COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill, requiring
people worldwide to shelter in place. With health and safety at risk, we were forced to
social distance and cease physical interaction outside our immediate households. The
world experienced a tremendous loss of life, livelihood, and economic security, leaving
families, businesses, and schools to cope with a new reality. As a museum, we have
turned to art to consider the implications of an interconnected, socially-dependent world
forced into solitary confinement.
Throughout history, art has served as a vehicle for processing the trials and tribulations
of humanity. Artists and audiences may use art to learn about and contemplate the past
as well as to reflect upon our contemporary moment. The global crisis caused by the
coronavirus spurred the sudden redefinition of what it means to be social, solitary, and
both at once. We found ourselves immediately alone, together. Knowing the comfort
and solace to be found in art, museums in 2020 rallied online initiatives like virtual tours,
lectures, and conferences, and shared thoughtful posts with images tagged
#MuseumfromHome, #MuseumMomentofZen, or #MyQuarantinePainting. New forms of
connection and social interaction have been forged out of this solitude, creating a way
forward in these times. Although isolation and distance have helped preserve physical
health, this pandemic has underscored the necessity of engagement with our fellow
humans and with the environment in which we all live.
As an institution guided by empathy for our audience, we seek to create an opportunity
for our visitors to process and heal from this momentous, ongoing event. The artworks
in these galleries offer inspiration to think about both solitude and our social bonds, and
to consider how the social and solitary inform artistic practice.
After you tour the galleries, please visit Solitary Garden outdoors near our historic
gardens. This collaboration with contemporary artist jackie sumell consists of a garden
bed planted by volunteers who correspond with a “gardener” who is currently in prison.
Each Solitary Garden is a gesture of hope connecting an isolated person to the outside
world through the restorative act of nurturing herbs, vegetables, shrubs, or flowers.
This exhibition is co-organized by Amy Kurtz Lansing, Curator, and Jennifer Stettler
Parsons, Associate Curator, Florence Griswold Museum
We invite you to share your perspective in our comment book and on social media
#FloGris #SocialSolitary @FlorenceGriswold Museum
These exhibitions have been made possible by generous support from Connecticut
Humanities, the Department of Economic and Community Development, Connecticut
Office of the Arts, HSB, Ms. Barbara Smith, Mr. Andy Baxter, The Vincent Dowling
Family Foundation, Roy & Deborah Moore, Mr. & Mrs. J. Geddes Parsons, Mr. & Mrs.
Richard H. Booth, Bouvier Insurance, Wayne & Barbara Harms, Jeb & Dianne
Embree, Dr. Margaret O’Shea & Mr. Daniel O’Shea, Jonathan & Deborah Butler as well
as donors to the Museum’s Annual Fund. Our media sponsor is WSHU Public Radio.
