AN ABOVE AVERAGE SUCCESS RATE: TRIENNIAL OF CHANGE AT DECORDOVA & FRUITLANDS

Switching their usual Biennial presentation gears due to pandemic impediments, the curators at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts decided instead to develop “New England Triennial 2022.” The result, on view through September 11, is a dual exhibition created in participation with Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, Massachusetts. These venues are under the umbrella of the Trustees of Reservations. According to deCordova Chief Curator Sarah Montross, they had been looking to partner on something and the Triennial was that opportunity.

They are roughly 20 minutes apart by car and upon arrival, visitors encounter stunning landscapes at both locations. Except for one individual artwork, the “New England Triennial 2022” unfolds inside the museums’ buildings where audiences encounter visual statements that explore diversity, environment and issues of identity.

This Triennial presents a bracket of time, an interpretation finessed by its team of curators, and relates a number of institutional influences. When I spoke with Montross for this article, we talked about the selection process behind the Triennial, which she said began with asking a network of colleagues across New England for recommendations on artists. A list of names was developed, then subsequently winnowed, using virtual studio visits with artists and Zoom conferencing between deCordova and Fruitlands curators.

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