Did you know that the聽New York City鈥檚 Department of Sanitation (DSNY)聽had an artist in residence for 40 years?聽Mierle Laderman Ukeles: Maintenance Art,聽the newest exhibition at the聽Queens Museum of Art聽is a celebration of Ukele鈥檚 tenure there documenting the seemingly mundane work of maintenance workers in provocative ways.
Halfway through the media preview tour,聽a woman trailing behind jokingly quipped about how much there was to see. Eyeing the sheer size of the exhibition, it鈥檚聽understandable聽why someone would need more than a couple of聽minutes in each room.
Within the space, a survey of Ukeles鈥� 50-year long career is displayed: photographs are hung on the walls in a grid-like fashion; historic documents are kept behind glass display boxes and eye-catching sculptures stand center-stage. It is the first show that utilizes all the temporary exhibition space inside the聽Queens Museum of Art, and the most significant presentation of Ukeles鈥� work ever assembled in one location.
Prior to the start of the media preview, Ukeles, during a short, yet profound speech, pointed to a sanitation truck parked right in front of the entrance to the museum. It is fitted for the exhibition with mirrors and behind it, the world-famous Unisphere from the聽1964 World鈥檚 Fair can be seen, spraying jets of water into the air.
It allows people 鈥� and most importantly, sanitation workers 鈥� to see the work they are doing; it suggests openness and inclusion. With her arms extended outwards, almost as if to embrace the press, Ukeles explained these themes and her intentions as an artist while standing behind a podium.
Since the 1960s,聽Mierle聽Laderman聽Ukeles鈥� artwork has addressed some of the most complex societal issues today, including聽feminism, environmental justice and聽cultures of work and labor. Not only does it encourage people to think critically and creatively, it also serves as a 鈥済uidestar鈥� for the next generation of artists to work in a socially engaged way.
Openness as a theme聽can easily be felt throughout her pieces, as well as the physical space itself. Upon entering the Queens Museum of Art, visitors will walk into a wide expanse, lit up, in part, by natural sunlight flooding in from skylights on the ceiling 鈥� architectural elements part of the $68 million renovation, completed in 2013.
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