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Welcome to the Wadsworth: A Museum Tour

A work made of color video, sound; 25 min. loop.
© 1991 Andrea Fraser

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  • A work made of color video, sound; 25 min. loop.

Date:

1991

Artist:

Andrea Fraser
American, born 1965

About this artwork

Andrea Fraser is a performance and video artist who has been regarded primarily as a pioneer of “institutional critique,” since she structures her work around existing museum practices and protocols such as gallery talks and welcome speeches. Although they often begin rationally, her performances progressively unravel, frequently devolving into discussion of eccentric topics or performances of taboo behaviors. Spanning more than a decade, the five works in the Art Institute’s collection are among Fraser’s earliest and most influential creations.
Welcome to the Wadsworth, which was commissioned by the Wadsworth Atheneum, documents a tour Fraser led there in April 1991. Rather than conducting visitors through the galleries, the artist takes them outside as she circles the perimeter of the museum campus, discussing the history of Hartford, Connecticut, as well as its fractured social and economic circumstances.
— Entry, Film, Video, New Media, Art Institute of Chicago Museum Studies 35 (1), pp. 98–99.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Andrea Fraser

Title

Welcome to the Wadsworth: A Museum Tour

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1991

Medium

Color video, sound; 25 min. loop

Credit Line

Contemporary Art Discretionary Fund; purchased with funds provided by James Cahn and Jeremiah Collatz

Reference Number

2008.84

Copyright

© 1991 Andrea Fraser

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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