Why Art Matters

June 17 - August 12, 2017

Gallery One & Dark Room

Why Art Matters! is Torrance Art Museum's response to the potential defunding of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Museum has invited leading curators from across Southern California to nominate artists that reflect upon the project. 

Participating curators include: Dan Cameron, Emily Gonzalez-Jarrett, Kio Griffith, Nancy Meyer, Kristina Newhouse, Max Presneill, Paul Schimmel, Tyler Stallings, and Catherine Taft. 

Artists include: Chaz Bojorquez, Beatriz Cortez & Rafa Esparza, Finishing School, Arshia Haq, Kenyatta A C Hinkle, Linda Pollack, Henry Taylor, Glen Wilson, and Liat Yossifor.

Participating Artists

Chaz Bojorquez

Beatriz Cortez & Rafa Esparza

Arshia Haq

Kenyatta AC Hinkle

Finishing School

Linda Pollack

Henry Taylor

Glen Wilson

Liat Yossifor

Participating Curators

Dan Cameron

Tyler Stalling

Nancy Meyer

Kio Griffith

Max Presneill

Kristina Newhouse

Paul Schimmel

Emily Gonzalez-Jarrett

TAM invited some of the leading curators in Southern California to each select an artist/artists group that they feel meaningfully reflect upon the projects title, Why Art Matters. These curators have shown a commitment to the value of art and culture, and the artists they selected have shown, via their myriad practices, some of the engaged and often profound reasons that art has been an essential ingredient to the building of civilizations throughout history. Culture is important, and visual art is a cornerstone of culture. With current threats to the National Endowment for the Arts, and arts funding in general, we see a need to restate the power and vitality of contemporary art. It mirrors our humanity, our concerns and interests, and it is the greatest example, alongside science, of the curiosity that has helped humanity achieve its finest moments.