IUPUI

March 10 – April 24, 2010

Eleanor Prest Reese and Robert B. Berkshire Galleries

ARTIST TALK & RECEPTION: March 10, 5:30 – 8:30pm

Ed McGowin began “Name Change” in 1970 to explore his theory about the way in which art history would evolve in the future. Instead of looking at an artists’ career as a series of linear events and logical developments, he proposed a trajectory that was more comprehensive in which the artist simultaneously explores multiple paths of artistic exploration. To test this theory, McGowin legally changed his name 12 times in the District of Columbia court system. For each name, he also created an artistic persona and completed artworks in their particular style and exhibited them at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 1972. For almost 40 years, McGowin has continued to create works for each of the 12 names. “Name Change” explores the work of these 12 artists.