Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) presents Moira Dryer: Yours for the Asking, on view January 18–April 18, 2020 at the gallery located at the Reston Town Center. The exhibition is curated by GRACE Executive Director and Curator Lily Siegel, and presented in conjunction with the major exhibition of Dryer’s early work at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, entitled Moira Dryer: Back in Business, also curated by Siegel. A Curator’s Talk (4pm) and Opening Reception (5−6pm) will be held on January 18, 2020. Both exhibitions serve to reposition Dryer as one of the most significant artists of her generation. Her work is exceptional for its sense of authenticity and humor established using pre-established approaches from the history of art.
GRACE will present a selection of twelve works by artist Moira Dryer (b. 1957, Toronto, Ontario; d. 1992, New York, New York), primarily known for her large abstract paintings on wood panel. This exhibition will provide an intimate look at the artist’s practice through works given as gifts to friends and family, many never previously shown publicly. For Jimmy incorporates a seed spreader found on Jimmy’s family farm; the green field of paint is punctuated by Dryer’s signature blotches referencing the seeding of the land and the artist’s growing cancer. Dryer’s final work still in the studio upon her death will also be included in the exhibition alongside ephemera from her studio. The title is taken from the artist’s archive in recognition of her generosity, confidence, and singular voice.
Despite Dryer’s premature death, she enjoyed a prolific career with solo exhibitions at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; and New York’s Museum of Modern Art, organized during her lifetime but mounted posthumously. In 2000, there was a major survey of her paintings dated from 1989 to 1992 that travelled to Forum for Contemporary Art, St. Louis, Missouri; Art Gallery of York University, Toronto; Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts; and The Contemporary Museum, Baltimore. Dryer’s work is included in the permanent collections of The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Museum of Modern Art, New York.
This exhibition is generously supported in part by ARTSFAIRFAX and Robert and Theresa Goudie. Additional support provided by the Exhibition Circle.
Public programs
Curator’s Talk and Opening Reception
January 18, 4−6pm
Curator’s Talk starts at 4pm
Free and open to the public
Creative Response
February 20 and March 19, 7pm
Sponsored by Reston Community Center
Free and open to the public
Family Day
March 14, 12–3pm
Sponsored by Reston Community Center
Free and open to the public
Gallery hours: Tues–Sat, 11am–5pm
For more information please visit RESTONARTS.ORG
The Greater Reston Arts Center (GRACE) serves 80,000 people annually, providing Virginia, Maryland, and DC’s diverse communities with abundant opportunities to experience and explore contemporary art through exhibitions, education programming, and the Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival. Greater Reston Arts Center strives to increase understanding of different cultures through art, brings diverse audiences together around a common interest, and ensures access and opportunity for engagement in the arts to all residents, regardless of age, race, ethnicity, or income. Admission to the GRACE gallery is always FREE, as are most programs.
GRACE gratefully acknowledges the leadership of its Board of Directors and the support of its sponsors, members, and patrons. GRACE is a Virginia Commission for the Arts “50 for 50 Arts Inspiration Award” winner in the category of Bedrock Institutions and is supported in part by ARTSFAIRFAX, Reston Community Center, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Pictured at top:
Detail of Moira Dryer, The Power of Suggestion, 1991
