Isn't It Great to be an Artist?

Isn’t it Great to be an Artst? at the Cincinnati Art Museum was an exhibition of more than 150 paintings, sculptures, and drawings spanning the 1960s to the present featuring works by self-taught artists and those seeking alternatives to convention—all selected from the collection of Robert Lewis. The display was conceived as a literal taking over of a conventional gallery space. The rigid existing layout was built upon with a “graphic architecture” of rough natural materials, simple construction methods, and bold colors to create an active and vibrant space to match the energy of the eclectic artwork. This additive architecture provided necessary hanging space, and, by its nature, introduced a unique visual vocabulary to the exhibition.

Large-scale plywood structures in brightly stained colors with bold cut-out typography served as entry portals to the multi-gallery display area. Cutting the title directly from this simple building material introduced the notion of inseparability of meaning and media—instructing the viewer to take notice of this practice throughout the exhibition.