Speaking Parts: Conversations between Works in the Collection

How do museums decide what artworks to choose for the permanent collection? The process is complex, but at its most basic, the works in the collection need to relate to each other in a variety of ways. Speaking Parts explores this concept through a selection of works from the museum's collection organized around a mixed-media construction by Northwest artist Dennis Evans. All other artworks in the gallery relate to this work in at least one way. They are grouped under three broad topics: What is a Painting? Materials and Process, and Texts and Symbols. Visitors are encouraged to look for other connections within and between the groups, exploring how artworks can play different roles depending on the context in which they are placed. A notebook in the gallery offers visitors the opportunity to create their own written "conversations" between the works on view.