Pluralism

November 3 - January 21, 2023

For too long, we have valued 'the individual' as one of the strongest drivers of our cultural, social, economic and political systems. As that power begins to feel more and more limited, it is through aggregation that we see the greatest opportunities for transformation and growth.

For the 2022-23 Curated Members’ Exhibition, we asked artists to respond with their own explorations of contemporary pluralism. Submissions examined notions of pluralism through the themes of nature, technology, politics, health and well-being, identity and community.

Together, their works aggregated to form a unified expression of contemporary pluralism. Composed of 26 pieces, this installation highlights the works of 16 CoCA Artist Members.

Exhibition Opening: November 3, 2022 at 5pm

Art Walks: November 3, December 1 and January 5, 2023 5pm-8pm

Featured Artist

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

JOAN BEARD

Joan Beard is a photographer and visual artist who uses portraits of people and nature to inspire a sense of connection with the environment. She employs images, words, and public engagement to reflect her interests in conservation, education, and healing our fractured culture.

"When I/we observe the world through the lens of clean water, it becomes clear that everything is constantly changing, shifting, kaleidoscoping, creating many prisms to understand what we are looking at.

The notion of identity that was fixed: “the fact of being who or what a person or thing is.” *Oxford. is being questioned and shattered in ways that are political, social, and spiritual. I/we view the world in awe, with both fear and wonder. There is so much I/we don’t know, cannot know. With this unknowing I/we become more fluid. This work is about change.

The images evolved in unexpected ways flowing and transforming in front of the camera, bursting through both sides of the lens. The photos are glimmerings captured along the way, sequences, slices, capturing pieces of a movement, a moment in time.

Pluralism, the 2022 Curated Members’ Show, is made possible with support from the NEA, ArtsWA, Seattle’s Office of Arts & Culture, Edwards Mother Earth Foundation, and 4Culture.