February 7 – May 9, 2010

Project Europa considers the relationship of art to democracy in Europe. In 1989, the expansion and unification of Europe was conceived as a vital and urgent social project to promote democracy and sustain cultural difference. Now in the 20th anniversary year of the fall of the Berlin Wall, artists in the exhibition question the promise and potential of Europe’s democratic dream. The works featured in the exhibition, which include large-scale wall paintings, photography and video by 20 artists from Turkey to the British Isles, explore the complex and subtle relationship between art and politics. At the same time, the reflection on Europe provides an opportunity for American audiences to re-consider and reinvigorate our understanding of democracy at home.

The exhibition is organized by the Harn Museum of Art and made possible by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the C. Frederick and Aase B. Thompson Foundation; Étant donnés, the French-American Fund for Contemporary Art, a program of the French American Cultural Exchange; the Harn Eminent Scholar Chair in Art History; the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere; the Center for European Studies; and the France Florida Research Institute; with additional support from the Sidney Knight Endowment and the Harn Program Endowment.

March 16 - September 26, 2009
This solo exhibition features a major gift to the Harn collection, a complete body of work by Bea Nettles, a University of Florida alumnae. Nettles is known for her innovative artist books and technical experimentation. The exhibition features a series of 46 photographs, mainly large-scale Polaroids created by Nettles for her 1990 book, “Life’s Lessons: A Mother’s Journal.” In this highly personal and often poignant series, the rewards, challenges and responsibilities of parenting are explored. The series incorporates portraiture and a wide range of artifacts from daily family life.

June 8 - September 5, 2010
America at Work addresses the theme of work, a topic that is especially relevant today as the national economy struggles to recover from a serious recession. The main focal point of the exhibition is a group of 30 work incentive posters on loan from a private local collection. These large posters with colorful designs, strong graphics and catchy phrases were produced between 1924 and 1925 by Mather and Company, a Chicago-based lithographer, for the purpose of motivating workers, addressing workplace behavior, and ultimately maximizing profits. Messages such as “Don’t make excuses, make good” and “Let’s play to win” were intended to mold the worker and influence his or her work patterns and allegiances. Overall, these messages promoted teamwork and solid American values.

Complementing the posters is a selection of about 20 prints created during the New Deal era of the 1930s and 40s. During this period, the Federal Art Project, a division of the Works Progress Administration, provided work relief and materials for unemployed artists. The selected WPA/FAP prints deal with themes of work as well as unemployment and homelessness. Together, the approximately 50 graphic works tell a story about labor issues and demographics, popular culture, immigration trends and national identity in America during the first half of the 20th century. These issues continue to dominate American culture in the 21st century.