Inaugural Exhibition
Pre-Renovation Potluck

May 15–June 30, 2021

MARCH is pleased to announce the inaugural exhibition of our new gallery space at 64 Avenue A in New York’s East Village with an installation of self-portraits by sixteen artists with whom we have worked over the years.

Pre-Renovation Potluck unites the works of Hawkins Bolden, Bruce Burris, Thornton Dial, Olive Hayes, Y. Malik Jalal, Leasho Johnson, Claudia Keep, Evelyn Massengill, Guy Mendes, Jiha Moon, Misleidys Francisca Castillo Pedroso, Dianna Settles, Aaron Michael Skolnick, Mary Tillman Smith, Lina Tharsing, and Mose Tolliver, around the metaphorical table of our new brick-and-mortar location before the architects and builders have their way… read more

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Press Release

Pre-Renovation Potluck

May 15–June 30, 2021

MARCH is pleased to announce the inaugural exhibition of our new gallery space at 64 Avenue A in New York’s East Village with an installation of self-portraits by sixteen artists with whom we have worked over the years. Pre-Renovation Potluck unites the works of Hawkins Bolden, Bruce Burris, Thornton Dial, Olive Hayes, Y. Malik Jalal, Leasho Johnson, Claudia Keep, Evelyn Massengill, Guy Mendes, Jiha Moon, Misleidys Francisca Castillo Pedroso, Dianna Settles, Aaron Michael Skolnick, Mary Tillman Smith, Lina Tharsing, and Mose Tolliver, around the metaphorical table of our new brick-and-mortar location before the architects and builders have their way.

American potlucks are notorious for their variety, and this one is no different; the familiar serves to welcome and comfort, the unfamiliar to entice and delight. For our purposes, self-portraits may have a similar effect. Some reveal complex personal histories while others disclose the adventurous spirit of their creator. Occasionally, such a work may convey universal truths using one’s appearance as a point of departure. In this exhibition, an iconic drawing by Thornton Dial, made the day of President Obama’s inauguration and simply titled January 20, 2009, hangs alongside the works of promising young Southern makers Y. Malik Jalal, Jiha Moon, and Dianna Settles. Claudia Keep and Bruce Burris have both chosen to render images of their hands—tools of the trade—while Pedroso’s split figure literally reveals an interior state. Ultimately, this gathering of unlike minds presents an agglomeration of not only people, but stories, experiences, and philosophies.

Pre-Renovation Potluck is a precursor to—and a precedent for—the exhibitions, conversations, publications, and debates to come. Here lie questions of culture, geography, and identity to be posed and pondered, themes that run parallel and concepts that clash. Beyond its sheer breadth, our program and its collaborators are defined by their curiosity, creativity, and passion for trying new things. May this potluck satiate your hunger for the beautiful, the original, and the free; may it remind you of your roots and of your dreams. And may you return, hungry and curious, to witness future projects as they assume form.

Long before the inception of MARCH, founder Phillip March Jones and a troupe of dedicated collaborators began launching projects that pushed the boundaries of traditional creation and curation. Strewn across the American South and expanded to urban and international platforms, these exhibitions connected makers, institutions, collectors, and viewers, united by a common passion for bold and authentic art. Unencumbered by orthodox notions of aesthetics, ability and identity, such projects have showcased pioneering works that expand the boundaries of what art can be. Today, MARCH remains dedicated to magnifying the voices of those remarkable creators.

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