The Reverse Ark: In the Wake

Explores Baltimore’s Industrial and Environmental History
Contemporary becomes forum for learning and artistic production beginning March 26

Thursday, March 26 through Saturday, August 22, 2009
opening March 26, 2009

The Contemporary Museum will be transformed into an evolving laboratory when the Futurefarmers art collective creates The Reverse Ark: In the Wake. The exhibition will explore the social, historical, and environmental history of Baltimore's mills and textile industry through installations and experiences created throughout the run of the show.

Using the concept of an “ark” as a place of preservation and exploration, the San Francisco-based collective Futurefarmers will work with students from the Maryland Institute College of Art and community residents to create a multidisciplinary exhibition that is both art installation and educational forum exploring culture, science, and the environment. Futurefarmers will use locally-sourced waste or surplus materials including fallen trees, hundreds of floorboards from abandoned Baltimore row homes, cast-off paper, and surplus clothing and textiles, to create an installation filling the museum that will illustrate the city’s industrial past.

The Reverse Ark will take shape during a series of public workshops beginning Saturday, March 21.

Contemporary Museum
100 West Centre Street
Baltimore, MD 21201