Flowers in the Sidewalk

A flower that grows in a sidewalk proudly exists despite the world’s best efforts to delineate separate spaces. It represents a failure to contain and control “nature.” The obstinate flower symbolizes the resilience, survival, and agency of those who resist conformity.

Flowers in the Sidewalk is a group exhibition celebrating individuals who have persevered through unique circumstances, and recognizes those who have lost their agency within the confines of larger societal systems. Each exhibiting artist tells their story, balancing aspects of shared humanity with forces like institutionalization, immigration, and globalization.

As comedian George Carlin famously observed:

People are just wonderful as individuals. You see the whole universe in their eyes if you look carefully. But as soon as they begin to group […] they begin to change. They sacrifice the beauty of the individual for the sake of the group.

Artists: Erika NJ Allen, Paul Grilli, Bob Hanneman, Michael Kearns, Anissa Lewis, Matt Steffen, Nick Swartsell