Whatever Home Is reception

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Rachael Hunter

Artwork depicting a large cat and tiny person sitting by a big window.

“cuddle puddle,” Rachael Hunter, 2024.

media release: From February 1 through April 13, 2025, the James Watrous Gallery will feature twenty-six artists in a new group exhibition, Wherever Home Is, guest curated by Amal Azzam and Nayfa Naji who work under the moniker Fanana Banana. Wherever Home Is explores the multifaceted concept of home, a feeling that transcends physical spaces and material possessions. It invites reflection on what it means to truly feel at home whether in a person, a place, an object, or a memory. Through the deeply personal works of artists, this exhibition captures the universal search for belonging, highlighting that home is not just a place, but an evolving journey shaped by memories, culture, and self-discovery.  The exhibition showcases artworks that blend intricate patterns, flowing Arabic calligraphy, paintings, film, photography, and powerful depictions of distant homelands, creating a conversation between the inner self and the external world. These pieces explore the challenges, joys, and emotional complexities of discovering home, both within oneself and in the larger world. A featured interactive element invites visitors to share their personal reflections on what home means to them, offering an opportunity to engage directly with the theme. This component transforms the gallery into a space of communal sharing, where individual stories come together to form a collective understanding of home. By showcasing diverse voices, this exhibition fosters a deeper connection to the people, places, and experiences that ground us.

Guest curators Amal Azzam and Nayfa Naji have been collaborating since 2019 as Fanana Banana, creating art and community events to raise awareness of the issues faced by American Muslim and MENA (Middle Eastern and North African) communities, and how first and second-generation immigrants and their families cope with finding a home in a new land and bridging communities while maintaining their cultural identity. Amal and Naji themselves are Palestinian Americans from Milwaukee.  Their projects investigate how having “an identity within an identity” affects mental health, body image, and political outlook, and the emotional toll exacted by facing racial, ethnic, and religious prejudice.  This exhibition is supported by a project grant from Dane Arts with additional funds from the Frautschi and Rowland Foundations, Diane Ballweg, and the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation.

Admission is free and the public is welcome. The James Watrous Gallery is located on the third floor of Overture Center for the Arts in downtown Madison. 

Gallery Hours: Thursday - Sunday 12:00 - 5:00pm.

The James Watrous Gallery is dedicated to celebrating Wisconsin artists. A program of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, the Watrous Gallery focuses on solo exhibits by contemporary Wisconsin artists and curated shows that draw connections between art, other disciplines, and critical issues.