Future Past Perfect consists of seven simultaneously presented solo exhibitions of South Florida artists, for whom this will be their first solo museum show. The presentation will consider the ways in which these emerging artists’ careers were impacted by the COVID pandemic. As those who were beginning to establish their professional presence were sidetracked, others were affected as students, made to navigate building an art practice in isolation. Museums and art galleries shuttered for months (sometimes years), leaving these artists with few opportunities other than the internet for sharing their work with the public and little or no personal contact with other artists and professionals. In these moments, artists entered their studios with a distinct focus afforded by this uninterrupted time. Through their work, they grappled with their fears of the unknown, the tragic suffering caused by the pandemic, the vagaries of politics, migration, global warming and social justice. In the aftermath of this period, a renaissance has emerged within the South Florida art community that includes a burst of emerging talented artists who have yet to receive widespread recognition.

As Bonnie Clearwater notes, “Future Past Perfect is presented in the spirit of the Museum of Modern Art’s Americans series of exhibitions from the early 1940s to early 1960s, which introduced groups of emerging artists, each with their own dedicated gallery space. Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Clyfford Still, Grace Hartigan, Louise Nevelson, and Frank Stella were among the artists legendary MoMA curator Dorothy Miller introduced to the larger public through these shows.” Miller said of these exhibitions, “What you try to achieve are climaxes—introduction, surprise, going around the corner and seeing something unexpected.”

The seven artists selected for Future Past Perfect are representative of South Florida’s diverse population. Each has a distinct practice that was honed and influenced by their isolation during the pandemic. These artists experienced exponential growth, maturity, and mastery of their work due to the concentrated time they spent in their studios, which is ripe to share with the wider public. The artists were chosen by Bonnie Clearwater, the museum’s director and chief curator, who is noted for her track record of identifying and showcasing emerging and local artists, and the museum’s Bryant-Taylor Curator Ariella Wolens, who similarly is dedicated to this focus. Both curators make frequent studio visits and attend exhibitions throughout the region, and are jurists for local artist grant competitions along with artist residency programs. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale has a long history of showcasing regional artists starting with the Annual Hortt Competition exhibitions (1964-1999). The museum additionally supports South Florida artists through the acquisition of their art to the permanent collection, as demonstrated by recent purchases of works by Susan Kim Alvarez and Zoe Schweiger that will be featured in their forthcoming solo exhibitions at the museum.

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