Who We Are. Who We May Be.

from the Three Dot Collection, curated by Tamara White, Ph.D.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still, I’ll rise.

Maya Angelou reminds us that no matter our past, we rise.
Rising like the wondrously clear daybreak, head held high,
And welcoming the tide that is sometimes meant to break us.
We rise.

As we close out 2023, let us consider identity. Who have we been? Who do we strive to become?
These pieces from our permanent collection exhibit private moments, distinctiveness, and vulnerability
born out of an authentic life. Life exists. We exist, and through it all, in all of our uniqueness, we rise.

Bader+Simon wishes you a wonderful welcoming of the New Year.
Be your best self and celebrate your uniqueness. Rise!

Rinella Alfonso. Braids for Church.

We know what we are, but know not what we may be.
— William Shakespeare

Braxton Garneau. Processioner 5.

Peter Hujar. René Ricard, 1978.

Betye Saar. Black Mask with White Fan.

Devin B. Johnson. To Be a Man is to Blossom.

Barbara Kruger, special project for Artforum, 2016.

Penny Slinger. The Armory Show, 1969/2021.

Paul Sepuya. Figure Ground Study (_2000769), 2017.

Michelle Doll. Couple.

Sara Bennett. LINDA, 70, in the rec room for the medically unemployed at Taconic Correctional Facility (2019). Sentence: 30 years to life. Incarcerated at the age of 43 in 1992.

Cosima von Bonin. Axe 152.

Janice Guy. Untitled, 1976.

Clifford Prince King, Untitled, 2017.

Barbara Alper. Marsha P Johnson, Christopher St., 1982.

Rene Matić. A Doll Named Dan, UK.

If I wait for someone else to validate my existence,
it will mean that I’m shortchanging myself.

-Zanele Muholi

Mark Armijo McKnight. Untitled.

Carolee Schneemann. Eye Body #2, 1963/2005.

Ricardo Nagaoka. Cowboy (Wanjie), 2021.

Penny Slinger. Under Lock and Key, 1970/2013.

Ernest C. Withers. Sanitation Workers Strike, Memphis, TN, 1968

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Bader + Simon is a national arts organization based in Cincinnati that inspires conversations about the world through the art of underrepresented artists.

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South Asian Contemporary Art in America and Beyond

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Fragile Horizons: art focused on the climate crisis.