Cara Benedetto

Dear Nicole,

When you asked me to have a show, I immediately thought of an exercise I do with my seniors at VCU each semester. They get into groups and reinvent the idea of ‘art show’ based on the idea that ‘to show’ is ‘to give permission’. To think about how space can create an opening of the mind that moves the viewer and artist to a place that feels like communication through consent, a blessing, or empowerment. This is what I'm trying to do.

Back then I was (and continue to be) overwhelmed with the violence present in US public schools. It felt as though violence in schools was making it impossible for people to learn or feel safe. I decided to appropriate the shooters target – one of the scariest ‘plans’ I could think of, and reproduce it softer, with precarious lines that waver, and a sense of fragility highlighted through the use of stone lithography.

Stone lithography, a nearly obsolete process, is slow and full of poetry. During the printing process the stone broke. There was too much pressure, and none of the surfaces were level. An un-level surface also led to imperfect prints, wrinkled paper, and areas that didn’t print at all. After a long break I realized that all of these imperfections were metaphors for the fragility students and teachers feel today.

I don’t know if this read is coming through for you, I decided to create a list of keywords and terms to define so that you’ll feel more comfortable talking about the work. We can add to it together.

With love, Cara

Items in the show and keywords and terms

Targets –

Lithographs –

Frames –

Photo of office –

Lock box –

Hostage note –

Wrinkles –

Vulnerability –

Fragility –

School violence –

Media pathologizing school violence –

Cara Benedetto (b.1979) currently lives and works in Richmond, VA. In 2009, she received a MFA from Columbia University. Benedetto’s work has been exhibited at the ICA Philadelphia; Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw; The Jewish Museum, New York; MOCA Cleveland; Night Gallery, Los Angeles; Simone Subal Gallery, New York; Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart; Metro Pictures, New York; and Gavin Brown Enterprise, New York.