Renée Stout
The Oracle Said, “Be Still.”
October 7–October 29, 2023

“During the height of Covid, I created a print that featured a disembodied head (the ‘oracle’), in which it suggested in a speech bubble that we should ‘be still.’ In that stillness I had hoped that we would all take the time to care for ourselves, reassess our lives and re-focus on the things that are most important.” — Renée Stout

Following the premonition of the “oracle,” Stout chose not to place importance on showcasing the featured artists’ most recent works. Instead, she selected works by the artists that collectively evoke a variety of thoughts, moods, and feelings that can be articulated with words like reflective, wistful, introspective, pensive, playful, forlorn, spiritual, and joyful.

Pondering the works, Stout experienced moments of reverie, solace, escape, and a deep sense of longing for something undefinable. In many instances, the titles of the works offer portals into their own narratives and trajectories. It’s that quiet, undefinable, and elusive thing, simultaneously serendipitous and melancholy, to the point of bittersweetness that Stout was aiming to present to the viewer to muse upon in their own way, to hopefully find some peace within the stillness.

Featured Artists:

Cheryl Edwards
Sharon Farmer
Cianne Fragione
Adrienne Gaither
Elaine Qiu
Ellyn Weiss
Joyce Wellman
Trevor Young

About the curator:

Renée Stout received her BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in 1980. Based in Washington, DC, she is the recipient of awards from several institutions, including the Joan Mitchell Foundation, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, and was awarded the Driskell Prize by the High Museum of Art. She was a 2018 recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Women’s Caucus for Art. Stout has shown throughout the US, and her work is in several national and international museums and private collections. She is an avid roller skater and perfume collector with over 300 bottles of contemporary and vintage scents.