Every individual has a different definition pertaining to the word “miracle.” Exploring the miraculous is a concept resident artists Julianne Swartz and Ken Landauer are working on in their upcoming ASU Art Museum exhibition “Miracle Report.”
Independently-working artists Landauer and Swartz, a married couple, have had their work featured in various exhibitions around the country. They are part of ASU Art Museum’s eighth Social Studies project, an initiative that encourages artists to create actual relationships through artistic practice and make the interaction relevant in the creative process.
“We started thinking about it because of our daughter. She’s our miracle,” Landauer said. “We get a lot of different responses. Some don’t believe in miracles at all while others do.”
So far, they have come across countless stories of miracles stemming from misfortunes and interesting events.
“One interesting thing is (that) our research brings up tragedies, but most stories have happy, amazing, mysterious or magical endings,” Landauer said.
The artists are hoping to come across a broad range of opinions from both skeptics and believers in their research and exhibit.
“The challenges (are that) we are trying to define something so slippery (and) get material together in the short time we are here,” Landauer said.
They are interviewing school children, ASU students and community members of all ages and backgrounds in order to cover a wide array of definitions, viewpoints and life experiences.
Many of those Landauer and Swartz have spoken with have mentioned miracles in health and relationships.
Landauer said a lot of the momentum for the project has come from the community and the ASU Art Museum. They have received 100 student projects from Tesseract School and Academy with Community Partners that answer the artists’ questions in detailed stories.
The exhibit will feature recordings with the participating individuals’ identities obscured and represented in vignettes.
“Miracle Report” will be on display from Jan. 21 until June 2 at the ASU Art Museum. The opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. on Jan. 20.
Reach the reporter at newlin.tillotson@asu.edu
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