​Instruments of Change (as signs of freedom) shows the work of artists, architects and publishers who see art as a chance to create new instruments, new contracts, that  support our sense of freedom by allowing us to consider artworks as we would a contract, an explanation of trust, and then decide if we want to voluntarily assent to the work’s promise.  Whether through publishing scandalous work that was either too sexual in nature or too radical a restructuring of architecture to stunning works showing our world as it stands today in the twenties of the 21st Century, Instruments of Change shows the signs we know mean freedom.  Or as Immanuel Kant wrote, freedom is like "thinking for yourself."

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Represented are works from

 

Temple of Flora:  New Illustrations of the Sexual System of Carolus von Linnaeus published by Dr. Robert John Thornton in 1803 creating scandal with women being told to not garden because of the sexual nature of flowers.

 

Oscar Howe, whose recent exhibit “Dakota Modern” places this mid-20th Century artist as a path finder for contemporary artists while staying true to his Native American heritage.

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A System of Architectural Ornament According with a Philosophy of Man's Powers by architect Louis Sullivan which is still not fully understood as his statement, “With our powers.... We can create a sane and beautiful world.” Sullivan sought to show the mystical and visionary aspects of architecture by visualizing 28 of those powers we all share.

 

Erin Shalk’s sculptural pieces which move easily through architectural blueprints of the future and topographic maps made real.

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And other artists whose work speaks of freedom and how our considered and voluntary agreements strengthen our ownership of self.

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Galaudet Gallery sees this exhibit as an opportunity to engage each person in the visionary work of what we want our lives to be. We are not only exhibiting the results of creative expression but also the processes and larger stakes--creative, social, economic, environmental, ethical--in a world that demands radical change.

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