Resight opening on March 6, 2020
On March 6, 2020, Resight, a group show, opened at El Rincon Social in Houston. Resight included works from eight multidisciplinary lens-based artists and educators from Parsons School of Design, New York, and was organized with the support of Houston curator Theresa Escobedo. See a few of the installations from Resight below.
After the show opened, many of the artists featured in it were planning to head back to New York and their studios. However, the COVID-19 pandemic grew, and within weeks many artists around the US found themselves sheltering in place.
The artists of Resight then created the Instagram-based platform called The Pandemic Archive (@the.pandemic.archive). Artists Steven Baboun, Jesse Egner, Tere Garcia, Miguel Gonzalez, Janiuci Güntzel, Amanda Johnson, Anjelic Owens, and Adrian White — a collective — came up with the idea while on a Zoom call. They discussed the challenges that might arise during the outbreak; but one thing they knew for certain was that they themselves wouldn’t stop creating while confined in their homes, and neither would other artists around the world. From varied backgrounds, they decided to use their extensive reach and technology to connect with artists all over the world.
Shannon Finnell: “Touching Photographically” made on March 27, 2020, Brooklyn.
Chloe Dickinson: “Best By” made on March 27, 2020, France.
Adrian White, an educator at California Baptist University, writes about all of the work that has been popping up because of the pandemic:
“I see their work. And it’s beautiful and it’s thoughtful and so amazing. You know I sit here and think and I understand that we all have one thing in common right now. We are all home. It’s a great time to capitalize on that. When I reach out it feels like I’m extending a hand. We are in this together.”
Still from performance by artist Sarah Sudhoff: “60 Pounds of Pressure” made on March 26, 2020, Houston.
Rachel Linnemann: “Friendstance” made on March 29, 2020, Cincinnati.
Image by artist Mashael in collaboration with Eda and Christine Oh, made on March 14, 2020, New York.
The collective hasn’t slowed down because of the pandemic. They create, and they network in spite of movement restrictions, and they consistently look for artists from all over the world. The collective’s current mission statement reads:
Building a virtual archive of artists around the world as they make work in quarantine. All artforms welcomed.
They have an ongoing open call. Learn how to submit here.
From left Anjelic Owens, Tere Garcia, Miguel Gonzalez, Amanda Johnson, Adrian White, Steven Baboun, Janiuci Güntzel and Jesse Egner pose at an abandoned house in Houston. The collective created The Pandemic Archive after news of government restrictions began nationwide (Photograph by Adrian White).
