HISTORIC FUTURES was the first preview of the 2022 exhibition season AND the A2AC’s brand-new street-facing gallery at 115 W. Liberty in the heart of Ann Arbor’s Creative District.

CURATORIAL STATEMENT:

Historic Futures is a multidisciplinary exhibition bringing together a group of artists who explore history, create commentary around current happenings, and dare to imagine a distinctly different future. When visualizing a future world, minds often shift between numerous manifestations of improvement and innovation. Perhaps what’s imagined is a world consisting of people and systems that are more just, kinder to the environment and each other, healthier, safer, more accepting of differences, and less polarizing. Yet, all of these ideas are subjective. How do we individually and collectively define these terms? What’s most significant when designing future societies? An exceedingly important question to explore when considering the future, is where have we been? What have we learned from our past and what lessons are continuing to guide us into the future?

Fluidity is a compelling idea when juxtaposing ideas are so adamantly different, that even imagining an intersection seems virtually impossible. Although some semblance of agreement may not be envisioned, one element that must not be forgotten is that change is constant. History has proven that if nothing else remains true across expanses of time, change is always dependable. It is an absolute necessity. To move forward, to progress, to make positive change happen, there must be a deliberate examination of the past. The artwork within Historic Futures acts as a guide, questioning the past and envisioning what’s to come, as life edges forward toward the future.