Park McArthur
(American, b. 1984, Davidson College Class of 2006)
Overlook Park Series, 2017
Chromogenic print
14.25 x 18.25 in.
Gallery Purchase with the support of Charlotte and Alan Artus
Park McArthur’s work often depicts spaces that are inaccessible to disabled bodies, including her own. Overlook Park 1-5 depicts a picnic table in a public space that is not compliant with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Circling the table in her wheelchair, McArthur illuminates the utter inaccessibility to her of a space meant for congregation and public use. The punning title conflates the site of the photographic series with the artist’s name to highlight her personal feelings of disregard or neglect. The uninhabited picnic table in an empty Queens park takes on new meaning when viewed through the lens of shelter-in-place orders and other physical distancing measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Sequence of Good Intentions
2007
Digital Video
Gallery Purchase
Positioned before a mirror, the artist uses her own voice, along with props and minor vocal or body adjustments, to give voice to sixteen different friends, family members, and strangers. She speaks about herself, to herself, picking apart various aspects of her identity, from illness to sexuality. Sequence of Good Intentions works as both an internal monologue and external dialogue; McArthur sifts through the noise and critique in an effort to explore fundamental questions around who we are and how our identities are shaped by others.
Biography
McArthur is a multidisciplinary visual artist working predominantly in sculpture, installation, text, and sound. McArthur graduated from Davidson College (2006) before earning her MFA from the University of Miami, Miami, FL (2009). She has taken part in solo and group exhibitions across the United States and Europe, including at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY; Foundation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France; Jewish Museum, New York, NY; and the 2017 Whitney Biennial; New York, NY. Overlook Park 1-5 was purchased for the college after inclusion in the Van Every/Smith Galleries' 2019 alumni exhibition, Homecoming.
McArthur has been the recipient of several notable awards and honors, including the Artadia Award, the Wynn Newhouse Award, and an Art Matters Grant. She has also been selected for numerous prestigious residencies across the Unites States, including the Rauschenberg Residency, Captiva Island, FL; Arbons Art Center Residency, New York, NY; and Recess Residency with Yve Laris Cohen, New York, NY. She is currently represented by ESSEX STREET, New York, where she resides.
