Interpreting with Living Artists at the MCA Chicago

Interpretation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago involves working almost exclusively with living artists. Those artists are at very different points in their careers. Each has a different level of experience and comfort preparing their work for display in a museum. Deciding how to contextualize and support engagement with their artwork is often something they’ve done alone, or exclusively through a curatorial liaison. It’s hard to trust others to tell the story. However, one of the great benefits of working with a museum is the many people who have diverse expertise.

Interpretation for exhibitions with living artists at the MCA is a collaborative process that begins with trust-building. We work directly with artists and curators together to build a shared understanding and alignment between the artist’s vision, the curatorial scholarship, and the visitor’s experience. It leads to positive ongoing relationships with artists and a stronger, more engaging exhibition. For Wafaa Bilal: Indulge Me, we worked in close collaboration with the artist and curator, Bana Kattan, from the outset to ensure his experimental, conceptual artworks were presented with clarity and intention. The exhibition is part of the museum's "ascendant artist" series, which presents the first major museum survey for artists with fully established careers.

This portion will walk through MCA’s interpretive planning process with special attention to components which build consensus between artists, curators, and interpretation. We’ll explain how the process was developed and implemented institutionally. It will include artist reflections on the process that elucidate the impact of working collaboratively with interpretation.