Terry Adkins: Resounding

Over more than three decades, American artist Terry Adkins (1953-2014) created a pioneering body of work that blends sculpture, sound, performance, video, and printmaking. Combining deep interests in history, language, and music, he devoted his practice to upholding the legacies of larger-than-life figures, often from the canon of African American culture. Mining historical and industrial sites, archives, and his own neighborhood, Adkins would collect what others might consider detritus and carefully transform these materials into artworks of great ambition and imagination.

Now on view through February 7, 2021, Terry Adkins: Resounding brings together more than 40 works from across the artist’s career, from rarely-exhibited examples of Adkins’s early practice to some of his most celebrated works, with selections from several acclaimed installations on view for the first time since their original debuts. The exhibition also includes selections from the artist’s personal collection, including books, musical instruments, and objects from a diversity of artistic traditions, offering new insight into the breadth of Adkins’s literary, musical, and visual influences.

Pulitzer Director Cara Starke says, “Terry Adkins knew no limits. Rather, he erased traditional boundaries between disciplines, bringing the impermanence of music to sculpture and the solidity of sculpture to music. With Terry Adkins: Resounding, we hope to shed new light on the career of this influential artist, whose expansive, all-encompassing body of work is at once formally rigorous and deeply personal.”

Stephanie Weissberg adds, “Throughout his career, Terry Adkins combined an improvisational approach to artmaking with a deep interest in history and music. The result is a rich body of work that encompasses numerous disciplines, including sound, sculpture, video, performance, and printmaking. Through his devotion to the legacies of under-recognized figures, along with his roles as a mentor and teacher, Adkins made a lasting impact on contemporary sculpture and performance. We are excited to celebrate his legacy with this exhibition.”

Terry Adkins: Resounding is organized by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and curated by Stephanie Weissberg, Associate Curator, with Heather Alexis Smith, Curatorial Associate. The Pulitzer is the exhibition’s only venue. For the safety of our visitors and staff, reservations are required to visit the museum. Book your reservation at pulitzerarts.org or by calling T +1 314 754 1848.

About the Pulitzer Arts Foundation
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation is a museum that provides dynamic experiences with contemporary and historic art presented in dialogue with its celebrated building by Tadao Ando. Since its founding in 2001, the museum has organized a range of exhibitions featuring art from around the world, exploring a diverse array of ideas and inspiring new perspectives. Highlights have included the exhibitions Ruth Asawa: Life’s Work (2018-19); Blue Black, curated by artist Glenn Ligon (2017); Medardo Rosso: Experiments in Light and Form (2016-17); raumlaborberlin: 4562 Enright Avenue (2016); Reflections of the Buddha (2011-12); Urban Alchemy / Gordon Matta-Clark (2009-10); and Brancusi and Serra in Dialogue (2005). These exhibitions are complemented by programs that bring together leading figures from the fields of art, architecture, design, urban planning, and others. The Pulitzer is a place for contemplation and exchange that brings art and people together.

The Pulitzer campus is located in the Grand Center Arts District of St. Louis, Missouri, and includes the museum, the Park-Like garden, the tree grove, and the Spring Church (opening in 2021). The museum is open Thursday through Sunday between 10am–5pm, with evening hours until 8pm on Friday. Due to COVID-19 precautions, reservations are required. For more information, visit pulitzerarts.org

Pulitzer Arts Foundation media contacts
Ennis O’Brien
Betsy Ennis: betsy [​at​] ennisobrien.com / T 917 783 6553
Lucy O’Brien: lucy [​at​] ennisobrien.com / T 973 879 4037