Erin Fletcher and Ashley Biser 
Residency:
January 1 – 30, 2019

Erin Fletcher and Ashley Biser are curators based out of the Midwest who work at Ohio Wesleyan University, a nationally recognized liberal arts college that emphasizes public service, community involvement, and global citizenship. Currently serving as the Director for the Richard M. Ross Art Museum at the university, Fletcher’s current research interests center on the aesthetics of organizing. Currently an Associate Professor in Politics and Government and Associate Dean of Curriculum, Biser’s current research project focuses on the relationship between socially engaged art and political action in the work of Hannah Arendt.

Over the course of their residency at 18th Street Arts Center, they will work to create a digital catalog for their co-curated exhibit, What We Make. This exhibit asked audiences to both confront the exclusions that undermine the legitimacy of American democracy as well as imagine new political and social structures that respect our common humanity.  Comprised of works from more than twenty-one artists, including Tomashi Jackson, Bethany Collins, Ana Fernandez, and Robby Herbst, the exhibit presented a vibrant array of contemporary artistic practice ranging from traditional artistic objects, digital media, and archival materials, to objects activated through community workshops and socially-engaged performances.

Fletcher received an M.A in Curatorial Practice from the California College of Arts. Biser received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota (Twin Cities).