Pensacola Museum of Art unveils ‘A Question of When,’ exhibition reflecting on the world during COVID-19 pandemic
On Saturday, June 20, 2020, the Pensacola Museum of Art will open a new exhibition in response to our changing world during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Throughout history, art has played a unique and crucial role in times of change. Featuring works by Marc Chagall, Walker Evans, Joan Miró and other artists from the museum’s permanent collection, “A Question of When” is a visual representation of the collective grief and ongoing sense of hope felt by many as this situation unfolds.
On Saturday, June 20, 2020, the Pensacola Museum of Art will open a new exhibition in response to our changing world during the COVID-19 global pandemic. Throughout history, art has played a unique and crucial role in times of change. Featuring works by Marc Chagall, Walker Evans, Joan Miró and other artists from the museum’s permanent collection, “A Question of When” is a visual representation of the collective grief and ongoing sense of hope felt by many as this situation unfolds.
The museum was originally set to host a permanent collection show to feature recent museum acquisitions, but due to the pandemic, the show has evolved with the crisis to reflect both the strangeness of a new reality and the unique role of art in times of change.
The objects in the show represent over 100 years of art making across a variety of media.
“Some works evoke the isolation of social distancing through their imagery,” said Anna Wall, chief curator of the museum. “Others demonstrate how artists reflect larger societal shifts through abstraction and the dissolution of form.”
Though the selections in this show represent a small fraction of the nearly 700 artworks held by the museum, they illustrate the breadth of the museum’s holdings and highlight the institution’s mission to preserve, interpret and share diverse artworks and artists from the past 150 years of visual culture.
“Exhibiting our permanent collection feels appropriate on the heels of a stay-at-home measure,” Wall said. “Spurred by funding cuts and decreased access to artists and artworks, many museums will undoubtedly look inward and showcase a larger percentage of their collection over the coming years.”
“A Question of When” is on display at the museum, which is located at 407 S. Jefferson St. in historic downtown Pensacola, until Sept. 6, 2020. To view the exhibition or set up an interview with the museum director or chief curator, email pma@uwf.edu. For more information about the Pensacola Museum of Art, call 850.432.6247 or visit pensacolamuseum.org.
