Online Series

Unpacking Our Stories, Episode 3: Chris Burden

November 23, 2021
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Chris Burden photographed during the opening reception of his show L.A.P.D. Uniforms and America’s Darker Moments at The Fabric Workshop and Museum, 1994. Photo: Courtesy of The Fabric Workshop and Museum.

Pre-Recorded Conversation

Speakers Yayoi Shionoiri, Sandy Rodriguez, Mary Anne Friel, and Karen Patterson share their insights together to honor the six-decade long career of internationally acclaimed artist, Chris Burden. With a focus on Burden’s L.A.P.D. Uniforms, the speakers examine his residency at FWM, the socio-political influence of his artwork, and the impact he had on contemporary artist and historian Sandy Rodriguez. This series of pre-recorded conversations examines past Artist-in-Residence projects in the collection of The Fabric Workshop and Museum to re-tell the story of their residency. Led by FWM Curator Karen Patterson, the Unpacking Our Stories series connects with scholars, artists, and past project coordinators to find compelling themes that resonate within our contemporary culture and contextualize the framework of their artistic practice. Special thanks to the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Art Museum Futures Fund for supporting this series.

This conversation was recorded on Zoom on Friday, September 17, 2021; video premiere on FWM’s YouTube channel and Facebook page on 11/23 at 12pm.

Event Information

November 23, 2021
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Online Premiere

Support

Unpacking Our Stories, Episode 3  is supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Art Museum Futures Fund.

About the Artist: Chris Burden

American, 1946–2015.

Raised in California, Chris Burden earned his BFA in 1969 at Pomona College in Claremont, California, before completing his MFA in 1971 at the University of California in Irvine. During the 1970s, Burden created performances of simple, yet often extreme, acts that challenged the cultural preconceptions of the day and transformed the stage of Contemporary art making practice: no longer were artists limited to the realm of painting and sculpture. These performances—among them Five Day Locker Piece, Shoot, and Doorway to Heaven—form the artist’s early career, while he later went on to produce significant sculptural and installation projects. Among the venues for his numerous solo exhibitions are the Orange County Museum of Art (2000), the MAK-Austrian Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna (1996), and the Brooklyn Museum of Art (1991). He has also been included in significant group shows such as Sunshine and Noir (organized by the Louisiana Museum, Denmark, 1997) and Helter Skelter (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1991). READ MORE