West by Midwest: Geographies of Art and Kinship

West by Midwest: Geographies of Art and Kinship tells a story about how contemporary art spreads and develops through the collaboration, competition, and friendship among artists. Anchored by works in the MCA’s collection, the exhibition focuses on artists with ties to the American Midwest, many of whom moved to the West Coast to pursue their careers from the late 1940s to the 2000s. Artists who were able to migrate brought friends with them, attended art schools together, shared studio spaces, showed in the same galleries, collaborated on projects, and formed bonds with other artists who relocated from the Midwest. Out of these connections emerged important social networks, profoundly shaping contemporary artistic practices and art history.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.