FRESNO — The Fresno Art Museum is pleased to host “A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes,” an exhibition exploring new femininity and storytelling in boundary-pushing fashion, opening to the public on July 30, 2022. Curated and designed by MUSEEA, “A Queen Within” is a large-scale exhibition produced and toured internationally by Barrett Barrera Projects.
The exhibition is presented by The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of the James B. McClatchy Foundation with major sponsorship from the Lamborn Family and JP Lamborn Co. “A Queen Within” investigates symbols of womanhood and challenges conventional notions of beauty with experimental gowns, headpieces, and jewelry by boundary-pushing fashion designers and artists including Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Chromat, Studio Roosegaarde, Gypsy Sport, Maïmouna Guerresi, and Iris van Herpen.
The exhibition features more than 100 articles of fashion, photography, and videos presented in a dramatic gallery design that explores seven archetypal personality types, including Mother Earth, Sage, Enchantress, Explorer, Heroine, Magician, and Thespian. Derived from recurring motifs in myths and fairy tales of world literature, these archetypes are used to help unpack our understanding of the visual symbolism of female identity.
“Fashion is art in motion that speaks to all generations and cultures,” Fresno Art Museum Executive Director Michele Ellis Pracy says. “”A Queen Within” is the type of high-impact, high-end exhibition that Fresno deserves.”
In a moment of critical reevaluation of women’s roles in culture, business, and society at large, “A Queen Within” presents a progressive, global exploration of female archetypes as seen through the eyes of an international cast of influential fashion and visual arts practitioners including: Adidas, Alexander McQueen, Anrealage/Kunihiko Morinaga, Antoine Peters, Ashish, Bea Szenfeld, Bourgeois Boheme, Carcel, Chanel, Chan Luu, Charlie le Mindu, Chromat, Comme des Garçons, David Lachapelle, Diana Scherer, Fantich & Young, Gianfranco Ferré, Gucci, Gypsy Sport, Hassan Hajjaj, Herdentier, Hideki Seo, Iris van Herpen, Jordan Askill, Keta Gutmane, Maja Gunn, Maiko Takeda, Maïmouna Guerresi, Michael Drummond, Minna Palmqvist, MuSkin, Pam Hogg, Prada, Reformation, Sandra Backlund, Serena Gili, Shaun Leane, Slow Factory, Studio Roosegaarde, Tabitha Osler, Tommy Hilfiger, and Vivienne Westwood.
The exhibit also includes specially commissioned headpieces by Charlie le Mindu.
“We are thrilled to present “A Queen Within” at the Fresno Art Museum,” says co-curator Sofia Hedman-Martynova of MUSEEA. “Living at the crossroads of several national parks, Fresnans are uniquely aware of the necessity of protecting our natural world. The featured designers in “A Queen Within” regularly incorporate themes of nature and sustainability into their practice and designs to promote a healthier and more beautiful future for all.”
The exhibition opens to the public on July 30, 2022 and will remain on view through January 8, 2023.
For more information, visit www.fresnoartmuseum.org.
About Barrett Barrera Projects
Barrett Barrera Projects is the originator of a new model, in which museum touring exhibitions, multiple gallery spaces, private client sales, art-centered event production, and consultancy services are offered from a single organization. The company manages the world’s largest private collection of Alexander McQueen’s work, a large portion of which is featured in the exhibition, alongside an equally expansive representation of significant contemporary designers and artists. Barrett Barrera Projects offers complex, multi-disciplinary exhibition experiences that challenge the traditional boundaries separating art, fashion, design, and performance.
About MUSEEA
MUSEEA is a multidisciplinary design and curatorial platform based in London, Stockholm, and Barcelona. Integral to their work is creating thought-provoking immersive environments that intrigue, inspire, and draw people together. MUSEEA’s projects are driven by a passion for stimulating collaborations, global inclusivity, and sustainable artistic practices.
About the Fresno Art Museum
Founded in 1949 by a group of local artists, the Fresno Art Museum has evolved from a local art center into a modern and contemporary art museum that exhibits the work of national and international artists. The Museum has a rich history of collecting, presenting, and interpreting diverse and meaningful works to be preserved for future generations, focusing on providing meaningful interactions with artists and the creative process.
A collecting institution, the Fresno Art Museum holds in its permanent collection nearly 4,000 objects, including a premier collection of works from ancient Mexico through the present era. The Museum has maintained continuous accreditation with the American Alliance of Museums since 1973 and proudly serves the greater Central California region. “A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes” at the Fresno Art Museum is made possible with presenting sponsorship from The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of The James B. McClatchy Foundation and major sponsorship from the Lamborn Family & JP Lamborn Co.
About McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment
The McClatchy Fresno Arts Endowment of The James B. McClatchy Foundation aspires to establish Fresno as a creative and cultural arts hub and elevate the region as an arts destination. Through the exhibition, the Foundation hopes that Central Valley women, especially women of color and from all walks of life, identify and see themselves reflected and embraced in the exhibit, and that the public who visits is enlightened, connected, and transformed by these powerful images of women from around the world.
