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Terence Hammonds, b. 1976. Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

It’s no cake-walk to install 227 works of art. However, for the past several weeks, that’s exactly what Crystal Bridges’ preparation and curatorial team have been doing–getting ready for the opening of State of the Art on September 13. Trucks are arriving with crated artwork, artists are visiting to oversee the installation of their work, and the installation team is finding creative solutions for challenges that range from how to provide electricity to an artwork located in the Lower Pond to how to suspend a full-scale Chevy Impala piñata from the gallery ceiling.

Terence Hammonds, b. 1976. Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio.

One of the works that was installed last week was: You’ve Got To Get Up To Get Down, by Terence Hammonds, an artist based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Hammonds has created an interactive work that includes wallpaper, printed dance floors, a HiFi set, and about two dozen Motown records. The wallpaper features images of 1970s soul artists, and the dance floors are printed with images from the Civil Rights conflicts of the 1960s. Viewers are invited to select a record, put it on the HiFi set, and dance. The music, movement, and imagery together bring the work to life, and underscore the connections between the social movements of an era and the power of the culture of that era.

Hammonds said of the work: “[The dance floors] are activated by the viewer. The music is here, so the invitation is there for you to enjoy.”

So… when Curator Chad Alligood, Preparator Trisha Parker, and Assistant Registrar Victoria Perdomo unpacked Hammonds’s work, they took advantage of the opportunity to activate the artwork, and blow off a little steam.

Category: Behind the Scenes, State of the Art, installation, Terence Hammonds