Jessica Frelinghuysen: Conversation Domes is organized by the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University as part of the MSU Federal Credit Union Artist Studio Series, a program that invites artists to interact with the community through site-specific installations and educational encounters that offers insight into artists’ creative processes. Generous support is provided by MSU Federal Credit Union.
About the Exhibition
Detroit-based artist Jessica Frelinghuysen has long held an interest in social spaces. In Conversation Domes, an installation that encapsulates both sound and vision, she invites us to step inside one such space and to inhabit the complex pathways of communication. In bringing attention to roadblocks that compete with our attempts to listen, find meaning, and be understood, Frelinghuysen disarms the viewer and opens a space for discovery, realization, and conversation. In the artist’s words: “This piece reflects just how hard it is to actually communicate… but in the end, something gets through.”
About the Artist
Jessica Frelinghuysen (b. 1980) engages a variety of media to produce projects that highlight the social dynamics of everyday life. Often exploring barriers—such as humorous helmets, uniforms, and rolling room dividers—Frelinghuysen’s work illuminates interpersonal tensions and prompts communal action.
Frelinghuysen received a Master of Architecture degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a BFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been shown at a number of venues, including the International Print Center in New York; the Mattress Factory in Pittsburg; Public Pool in Hamtramck; ‘CAVE Gallery in Detroit; and the Bĕhal Fejér Institute in Prague. She has also participated in artist residencies at the Headlands Center for the Arts in Sausalito, California; SĺM Residency Reykjavik in Iceland; Sculpture Space in New York; Anderson Ranch in Colorado; Vermont Studio Center; and the Philadelphia Art Hotel. Frelinghuysen’s work has been reviewed in publications ranging from Artforum to Wired UK. She is currently an adjunct professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art and Design at the University of Michigan.