Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is on view at Bellevue Arts Museum March 25 – August 20, 2023.

Bellevue, WA— Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) presents Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation, an exhibition featuring contemporary artworks which explore the relationships and boundaries between bodies and the environment. This exhibition is curated by Dr. Rachel Nelson, Director, Institute of the Arts and Sciences, UC Santa Cruz and Professor Jennifer González, History of Art and Visual Culture, UC Santa Cruz, with assistance of Madison Treece for the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Arts and Science. Strange Weather was organized in partnership with the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Arts and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation and opens at BAM on March 25, 2023.

The artworks in Strange Weather span five decades, from 1970-2020, and include works by some of the most influential artists in the United States today, including Lorna Simpson, Edgar Heap of Birds, Kehinde Wiley, Carlos Amorales, Kiki Smith, Hung Liu, Julie Mehretu, Leonardo Drew, Joe Feddersen, Wendy Red Star, and Alison Saar.

Strange Weather also features a capsule exhibition of works by artist Glenn Ligon from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation. The exhibit highlights Ligon’s influential artworks exploring how constructions of blackness in the U.S. infuse popular culture, literature, and history, from slave narratives to children’s coloring books.

“For Strange Weather, we selected artworks from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation with climate change weighing heavily on our minds.” Dr. Nelson explains. “While this is certainly not a didactic exhibition, living through wildfires and drought motivated us to explore the impressive collections of over 20,000 objects for the different aesthetic approaches artists use to illuminate the histories, experiences, and socio-political contexts that lead to this moment.”

“I have often said, artists are chroniclers of our time,” said Schnitzer. “This exhibition by many of the most important artists of our time references that statement. The voice of art has the power to inspire us! While we are challenged by the themes in this exhibition, it is an exhibition of hope.”

E Michael Whittington, Executive Director, BAM added “to have an exhibition of this scale with representation of many of our most noteworthy contemporary artists is a once in a lifetime exhibition. I’m deeply appreciative of Jordan Schnitzer and His Family Foundation for making this collection available to the Bellevue Arts Museum and our community.”

Strange Weather: From the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation is curated by Dr. Rachel Nelson, Director, Institute of the Arts and Sciences, UC Santa Cruz and Professor Jennifer González, History of Art and Visual Culture, UC Santa Cruz, with assistance of Madison Treece for the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Arts and Science. The exhibition was organized in partnership with the UC Santa Cruz Institute of Arts and the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.

Presented by Jordan Schnitzer and The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation. Sponsored by Microsoft, Rebecca A. Lyman in honor of her mother Eloise B. Armen, 4Culture, Laura Dillaway, ArtsWA, City of Bellevue, Cathay Bank, and ArtsFund. Media Partners: The Seattle Times, The Stranger, 425Magazine, KCTS 9, KNKX.

Bellevue Arts Museum is generously supported by its donors and members.

ABOUT JORDAN D. SCHNITZER AND HIS FAMILY FOUNDATION

At age 14, Jordan D. Schnitzer bought his first work of art from his mother’s Portland, Oregon, contemporary art gallery, evolving into a lifelong avocation as collector. He began collecting contemporary prints and multiples in earnest in 1988. Today, the collection exceeds 20,000 works and includes many of today’s most important contemporary artists. It has grown to be one of the country’s largest private print collections. He generously lends work from his collection to qualified institutions. The Foundation has organized over 120 exhibitions and has had art exhibited at over 160 museums. Schnitzer is also president of Schnitzer Properties, a privately owned real estate investment company based in Portland. For more information about the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation, please visit jordanschnitzer.org.

ABOUT BELLEVUE ARTS MUSEUM

The mission of the Bellevue Arts Museum is Engaging people in the power of art, craft and design. bellevuearts.org

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Artwork: Kehinde Wiley (American b. 1977) The World Stage: Brazil: Marechal Floriano Peixoto II, 2012; Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation. Image: © Kehinde Wiley.  Alison Saar (American b. 1956), Grow'd, 2019; Collection of Jordan D.Schnitzer. Image: © Alison Saar. Courtesy of L.A. Louver, Venice, CA.  Nicola Lopez (American b. 1975), Half-Life no. 13, 2009; Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer. Image: Courtesy of the artist. Wendy Red Star (Native American, Crow b. 1981), Four Seasons: Spring, edition 12/15, 2006; Collection of Jordan D. Schnitzer. Image: Strode Photographic.