Current Exhibition

Allison Smith

SELECTED WORKS BY Allison Smith

Allison Smith
Hobby Horse

2006

Hand laminated and painted wooden hobby horse, leather saddle, horsehair mane and tail, brass tacks, glass eyes, ironwork hardware and handmade leather bridle

Dimensions variable

Originally commissioned by Artpace San Antonio. Photo credit Todd Johnson

Allison Smith
Hobby Horse Performance Props (uniform, flag, haversack, rifle, saber, blanket)

2006

Wool, canvas, linen, cotton, paint, wood, aluminum, leather, brass and mixed media

Originally commissioned by Artpace San Antonio. Photo credit Todd Johnson

Allison Smith
Song Sheet (What Are You Fighting For?)

2006

Lithograph with relief

Originally commissioned by Artpace San Antonio.Photo credit Kimberly Aubuchon

Allison Smith
Notion Nanny

2005

Mixed media

Notion Nanny was originally commissioned by London-based curatorial partnership B+B, Sarah Carrington and Sophie Hope. Supported by grants from Arts Council England and the Jerwood Charity

OTHER RESOURCES

artfacts.net
Additional information on Allison Smith

bellwethergallery.com
Additional information on Allison Smith including press releases, biographical information and image

bellwethergallery.com
Allison Smith’s objects and performances restage pivotal moments in American history to illuminate contemporary political issues. The myriad elements used in her projects, such as dolls, quilts, and uniforms, are handmade and labor intensive, foregrounding the role of craft in the construction of cultural identity.

Inspired by Civil War reenactments, recent performances have combined art and social activism to stage modern-day musters (rallies), asking uniformed participants, “What are you fighting for?” A related installation, Victory Hall (2005), included framed calligraphic war songs and a decorative wall pattern made of carved wooden rifles. Strewn upon a floor-painted compass rose were human-scaled porcelain dolls clothed as Zouaves, flamboyant male and female soldiers known for their eccentric uniforms and precision in battle. Smith navigates binary oppositions, like masculine and feminine, death and life, north and south, to both critique and celebrate.

nyfa.org
Without much doubt, Allison Smith’s The Muster is one of the most evocative, earnest, and ambitious public art projects to emerge over the last two years.

voltashow.com
Allison Smith is a sculptor and installation artist. Her body of work lies at the intersection of craft, history and queer culture.

artspace.org
Allison Smith’s objects and performances restage pivotal moments in American history to illuminate contemporary political issues. The myriad elements used in her projects, such as dolls, quilts, and uniforms, are handmade and labor intensive, foregrounding the role of craft in the construction of cultural identity.

notionnanny.net
ne of the most inspiring projects I came across during my time in California was that of Berkeley-based artist and former U.S. Marine Ehren Tool, who has made thousands of ceramic cups depicting images and scenes of war. I've copied below a riveting article on Tool from UC Berkeley News.

bampfa.berkeley.edu
The University of California, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAM/PFA) is pleased to announce Allison Smith: Notion Nanny,
an exhibition exploring traditional art and craft-making in the context
of our contemporary world. To prepare for the exhibition, New
York–based artist Allison Smith will work alongside a wide range of Bay
Area artisans, learning skills ranging from bookbinding to iron work,
and creating objects that will be featured in the exhibition at
BAM/PFA.

leisurecentre.org
Developed with B+B, the curatorial
collaboration between Sarah Carrington and Sophie Hope, Notion Nanny is Allison Smith’s first exhibition in the UK. This touring exhibition
has already travelled to the Lake District before it arrived here in London
at Studio Voltaire. Shropshire and the United States are the next stops
planned on the exhibition’s journey.

the-artists.org
Additional information.