The Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance (RCD) is thrilled to be returning to the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum on May 19, 2024, at 3:00 pm for an afternoon of dance inspired by the art of exhibiting artist, Loie Hollowell “Space Between, A Survey of Ten Years”.
Years ago, former Artistic Director of the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, James Robey, began a lasting and cherished collaboration with the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. “This partnership involved students drawing inspiration from artists showcased during Aldrich’s Draw On! festivals. The project quickly became a favorite among our dancers, offering a unique opportunity for artistic exploration. Despite a pause due to the pandemic, our dancers are excited to be back. This year, they draw inspiration from the work of Loie Hollowell,” explained Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance Executive Director Amy Piantaggini.
The exhibition tracks the development of Hollowell’s visual language over ten years; a vocabulary that bridges abstraction with figuration, autobiography with art history, and biology with emotion. Orbiting two centuries of pioneering women artists that span generations and movements from Abstraction to Surrealism to 1960s Light and Space art, including Hilma af Klint, Agnes Pelton, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Judy Chicago, Hollowell also cites Neo-Tantric painting as an important influence. Hollowell’s approach always begins with her own body as a guide to appraise seismic issues from sexual freedom to feminism, and reproductive rights and motherhood.
Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance Educational Director Polly Kingsbury says, “RCD is committed to giving our dancers opportunities to use their learned skills and training. Collaboration with the Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is the perfect forum to expand our dancers educational experiences.
In preparation for the upcoming performance, dancers visited the museum to study the artwork. With the guidance of Museum Educator Dayne Encarnacion, they formed small groups and were provided with rehearsal time, space, and guidance by Piantaggini, along with feedback from RCD faculty Marlon Mayers, during a 2-month rehearsal process. Each group selected music that they believed captured the imagery or message of their chosen painting.
Piantaggini says “I am so thrilled to have the opportunity again to expose our dancers to internationally renowned artists working in a range of media, giving our students the chance to work in an interdisciplinary collaborative process. Hollowell’s work speaks to women’s bodies, and as dancers we are deeply invested in our relationship with our physical instrument. The works invoke conversation that has been exciting for our group of young women as “mindful, thinking artists” which is such an important part of our mission statement as a nonprofit dance school.”
You won’t want to miss the special afternoon of outstanding dance and art on Sunday, May 19 at 2 PM!
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is located at 258 Main Street in downtown Ridgefield. Learn more https://thealdrich.org/
Learn more about RCD https://www.ridgefielddance.org/
Questions? Email information@ridgefielddance.org
