Amy Cutler

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© Amy Cutler, courtesy of Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York. Photo: Jeffrey Sturges.

Amy Cutler, "Trial," 2004. Opaque watercolor and graphite pencil on paper, 29 x 41-1/4 inches. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art has re-opened its galleries with limited hours (noon-6 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays) and social distancing rules in place. Through mid-May, the work of Amy Cutler is highlighted. Detailed drawings and prints of mostly women engaging "in curious activities — from sewing stripes onto tigers to delivering elixirs while wearing boot-shaped wooden stilts" form the heart of Cutler's provocative, illustration-like, narrative work. Reservations are not needed but a mask is.

press release: Amy Cutler is known for her highly detailed compositions of austere but immaculately attired women who, with singular focus, engage in curious activities—from sewing stripes onto tigers to delivering elixirs while wearing boot-shaped wooden stilts. Despite their fictionalized settings, the drawings are often inspired by Cutler’s own experiences and anxieties, which she brilliantly transforms into allegorical scenarios that resonate with emotional depth and humor. Seamlessly integrating subtle allusions to contemporary politics and even stories of religious martyrdom into her work, the artist is also influenced by a range of visual sources, including Persian miniatures, Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, and ethnographic dress and textiles. This exhibition takes a deeper look at Cutler’s use of material culture as a subtle narrative device, and focuses particularly on her embrace of elaborate costuming and fabric patterns as a means to express her characters’ psychologies and to reinforce the narrative backstory of her compositions.

Friday, April 30  •  5:30 pm  • Facebook Live: Please join us for a conversation with artist Amy Cutler, whose exhibition, A Narrative Thread, is now on view at MMoCA. Cutler, of Brooklyn, NY, creates highly detailed compositions of austere but immaculately attired women who engage in curious activities—from sewing stripes onto tigers to delivering elixirs while wearing boot-shaped wooden stilts. This free, virtual talk will be moderated by MMoCA Curator of Exhibitions Leah Kolb, and will include a Q&A session. We hope to see you there!

To date, support for Amy Cutler: A Narrative Thread has come from The David and Paula Kraemer Fund; Gina and Michael Carter; The Steinhauer Charitable Trust; and Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.

March update: MMoCA is pleased to announce that its galleries are reopening to the public at noon on Friday, March 12. The Museum will have limited hours: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, noon-6 PM.

Reservations are not needed to visit, but guests will be required to wear a mask, in accordance with Dane County’s most recent public health order. In addition, capacity in the galleries will be capped to maintain adequate social distancing. Other measures, such as hand sanitation stations and additional cleaning protocols, are in place. Guests may be asked to wait in the lobby or visit another MMoCA gallery to ensure proper social distancing.

Fresco, the Museum’s rooftop restaurant, is closed for the season. Guests will be able to access the Rooftop Sculpture Garden, which includes a recently added bronze work, Untitled, (1982-85) by artist Joel Shapiro. The work is part of the Full Circle: Acquisitions and Exhibitions show, which is now on view.

Please check mmoca.org/welcome-back for more details on safety precautions, and on our social media channels for information on new and upcoming exhibitions, educational programming, and wellness activities this spring. We look forward to welcoming you back!

There are just a few guidelines that we are asking every visitor to follow, and some enhanced sanitation measures that our staff will take to ensure everyone’s health and well-being. We ask that all guests agree to the following policies, which are based on local public health guidelines, prior to visiting the galleries:

• Masks or cloth face coverings required for all guests over the age of 5
• Maintain social distancing of 6 feet or more
• Wash your hands, or use hand sanitizer, often

MMoCA galleries will have floor markings and signage to aid in social distancing efforts, and hand sanitizer and tissues will be located at key points throughout public spaces. Guest capacity also will be limited based on local public health guidelines. MMoCA will implement a number of other important safety measures. Please check our website frequently in case policies and preventative measures change.