Passages: Identity, Memory, and Transformation features a diverse group of contemporary artists who embrace themes of journey and transformation in their art. Whether exploring ancestral memory or reinvigorating cultural traditions, Passages artists translate their experience into compelling narratives through material investigation and creative process. Some artists claim agency as they assert personal and social identity; others create work that rejects the rigidity of societal constructs and expectations. 

In large-scale murals emphasizing messages of hope, resilience, and Afghan identity, global art collective ArtLords harnesses the transformative power of art dedicated to women’s rights and social justice. As a multiracial woman, Leyla Faye investigates the balance between identity, performance, and societal belonging in her dollhouse series. Stephen Hamilton integrates Western painting with West African traditions such as indigo dyeing and weaving to perform ritualized acts of reclamation of ancestral knowledge. Employing the vessel as a metaphor, Michelle Im’s colorful ceramics address themes of displacement that emerge from her Korean-American identity. Drawing on her familial ties to Palestine, Michelle Samour’s drawings and installations examine the relationship between identity and homeland, considering how borders, boundaries, and essential resources shape culture and sovereignty.

Passages challenges viewers to consider the multifaceted aspects of self, as well as how race, culture, and history shape individual and collective identity.

Featured image: Michelle Im, ceramic earthenware, 2024, dims variable

The 2024 exhibition year is presented by Mascoma Bank. Fall exhibitions are supported in part by the Maslow Family Foundation. Hospitality sponsor, Lake Champlain Chocolates. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.