www.gardnermuseum.org
Nari Ward
Episodes: Bus Park & Forevermore
October 16, 2002 – January 5, 2003
Artist Nari Ward uses commonplace objects to create evocative, materially dense environments in which everyday materials are transformed into imaginary landscapes, resonating with the themes of memory, faith, history and the collective experience. While in residency at the Gardner Museum, Ward became very interested in the sense community at the Museum and in the behind-the-scenes activities of the Conservation and Education departments, two of the pivotal cornerstones of the Museum. Episodes: Bus Park & Forevermore, is a two part exhibition. Forevermore can be seen in the Special Exhibition Gallery while Bus Park is located outdoors in the garden.
Episodes is comprised of two site-specific installations. Each suggests a different "episode" in the artist's response to the Museum collection and to Isabella Stewart Gardner's unusual requirement that the Museum galleries should be preserved exactly as she had arranged them "for the education and enjoyment of the public forever." Ward takes us on a metaphorical behind-the-scenes tour focusing on the objects as well as on the people who are the custodians of this unique and challenging enterprise.
