About the Exhibition

Featuring new relief paintings and figurative furniture-sculpture by New York artist Ruby Sky Stiler (b. 1979), this exhibition is presented as part of the celebration of 50 years of women at Fairfield University. Stiler, who holds a BFA from RISD and an MFA from the Yale University School of Art, has been investigating images of women inspired by the techniques and language of classical antiquity for over a decade. Recently, Stiler’s art has expanded to include the subject of “father and child.” The dearth of art historical precedent for depictions of men displaying emotional intimacy, or being defined by their relationship to their children, is in stark contrast to the abundant impressions of “mother and child.”

Curated by Ian Berry, Dayton Director of the Tang Teaching Museum, this exhibition will also include contemporary interpretations of the traditional museum “viewing bench” as a form of utilitarian sculpture. The exhibition will invite viewers to sit and consider their own bodies in relation to the gallery space and the ideas in the artwork on the walls. The exhibition will open with a virtual conversation between Ruby Sky Stiler and curator Ian Berry on September 10, 2020. The exhibition will travel and will be on view at the Tang Teaching Museum at Skidmore College in 2022.

 

Virtual Tour

 

Browse Artwork

1 / 13
Blue Bather, 2020
2 / 13
Gold, Rust, and Swirl Swatches
3 / 13
Frontal Figure with Pot
4 / 13
Father and Boy
5 / 13
Cool Gemstones Bust
6 / 13
Warm Gemstones Bust
7 / 13
Pink and Peach Shapes
8 / 13
Seated Figure Facing Pot
9 / 13
Seated Woman in Rose
10 / 13
Father and Child in Turmeric
11 / 13
Pink Vase
12 / 13
Vase with Sienna Handles
13 / 13
Male Profile

 

<em>Blue Bather</em>, 2020, Baltic birch plywood, paint, and hardware.<br /> On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>No Title (Gold, Rust, and Swirl Swatches)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel.<br /> On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>No Title (Frontal Figure with Pot)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel.<br /> On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>No Title (Father and Boy)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel. <br />Lent by Deena & Gil Ottensoser, New Jersey
<em>No Title (Cool Gemstones Bust)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel.<br /> On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>No Title (Warm Gemstones Bust)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel. <br />Lent by Seymour Zises
<em>No Title (Pink and Peach Shapes)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel. <br />Fairfield University Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 2020
<em>No Title (Seated Figure Facing Pot)</em>, 2020, acrylic paint, acrylic resin, paper, glue, and graphite on panel. <br />Lent by Sheri Levine
<em>Seated Woman in Rose</em>, 2018, stained Baltic birch. <br />On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>Father and Child in Turmeric</em>, 2018, stained Baltic birch. <br />On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>Pink Vase</em>, 2018, stained Baltic birch. Lent by Tracey DeMatteis Serko
<em>Vase with Sienna Handles</em>, 2018, stained Baltic birch. <br />On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
<em>Male Profile</em>, 2016, stained Baltic birch.<br /> On loan from the artist and Nicelle Beauchene Gallery

View the Installation

Ruby Sky Stiler Installation

 

Learn

Opening Conversation – Ruby Sky Stiler Group Relief

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Lecture: Classical Influences in the Work of Ruby Stiler

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Opening Conversation: Ruby Sky Stiler: Group Relief

Thursday, September 10, 6 p.m.
Ruby Sky Stiler and Ian Berry, exhibition curator and Director of the Tang Teaching Museum, Skidmore College

 

Lecture: Classical Influences in the Work of Ruby Sky Stiler

Tuesday, September 22, 5 p.m.
Katherine A. Schwab, Professor, Art History & Visual Culture Program, Department of Visual & Performing Arts

Conversation: The Body Paramount: Gender, Tradition, and Design in the work of Ruby Sky Stiler

Thursday, November 5, 5 p.m.
Amy Smith-Stewart (Senior Curator, Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum) and Mellissa Huber (Assistant Curator, The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Part of the Edwin L. Weisl, Jr. Lectureships in Art History, funded by the Robert Lehman Foundation

 

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