Contact:
Kristin Aguilera, Deputy Director
Museum of American Finance
212-908-4695, kaguilera@moaf.org
New York, NY – On Wednesday, April 1, the Museum of American Finance will open “Legal Tender,” an exhibition featuring the work of Philadelphia-based artist Emily Erb. The solo exhibition consists of large-scale flag paintings depicting US paper currency produced from 1862 through the present.
In 2012, Erb began to examine the subject of money through her painting practice. Pulling a dollar out of her pocket and photocopying the front and back at 18 times its original size, the artist then layered silk fabric over the enlarged photocopy and trace-painted the two sides of the giant bill. The result was an enlarged replica that the artist hung like a flag in various public spaces throughout Philadelphia.
In “Legal Tender,” Erb ironically offers up 12 representations of metaphorically counterfeit money as a luxurious creative medium of exchange in silk paintings installed from flagpoles. Conflating American currency with patriotic symbols of national identity, the artist initiates a dialogue on what constitutes the nation’s collective value system.
“Legal Tender” was curated by the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts’ Gretchen Hupfel Curator of Contemporary Art, Maiza Hixson. It will be on view at the Museum of American Finance from April 1 through August 31, 2015.
About the Museum of American Finance
The Museum of American Finance is the nation’s only independent museum dedicated to preserving, exhibiting and teaching about American finance and financial history. With its extensive collection of financial documents and objects, its seminars and educational programming, its publication and oral history program, the Museum portrays the breadth and richness of American financial history, achievement and practices. The Museum is located at 48 Wall Street, on the corner of William Street, and is open Tues–Sat, 10 am – 4 pm. For more information, visit www.moaf.org or connect with the Museum on Facebook or Twitter.
About the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts
The Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts is a non-collecting museum of contemporary art and a dynamic gathering place for the exploration of new ideas at the intersection of technology, art, and design. The DCCA's compelling exhibitions, innovative educational experiences and access to the artistic process inspire us to infuse creativity into our daily lives. The DCCA is located at 200 S. Madison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. Galleries are open to the public Tues, Thurs and Sat, 10 am – 5 pm, and Wed and Sun, noon – 5 pm. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.thedcca.org or www.facebook.com/thedccaorg.