(OFF)BALANCE: Art in the Age of Human Impact

(OFF)BALANCE: Art in the Age of Human Impact invites viewers to explore the intricate ways we interact with, interpret, and shape our environment—both internal and external. The exhibition challenges audiences to reflect on themes of transformation, human intervention, and the tension between destruction and conservation. The ensemble of works highlight how human involvement in the environment is both essential and disruptive shaping our Anthropocene era — an era marked by human activities that have significantly impacted the Earth's geology and ecosystems. Many of the featured artists in the exhibition critically engage with the built environment and social landscape they inhabit, and through a range of media including drawing, lithography, painting, photography, and installation, these artists abstract, render, intervene, and respond to a world with which they maintain a reciprocal relationship.  

This exhibition is co-curated by Adeyemi Adebayo, MFA studio arts candidate; Eva Barajas, MA art education candidate; and Bo Kim, MFA studio arts candidate.  

The University Museum of Contemporary Art’s annual Graduate Curatorial Exhibition is the culmination of a year-long independent project, conducted by students from key graduate programs including history of art and architecture, studio arts, Afro-American studies, and art education. The program was initiated by the museum in 2006 and it has been supported by the Eva Fierst Student Curatorial Exhibition Fund since 2021. 

Featuring works pulled primarily from the museum’s permanent collection, the exhibition demonstrates the strength and diversity of more than 3,800 works of art held by UMass. Students apply each spring, and a team of two to three students is selected. Throughout the program, the students have the opportunity to work on all aspects of creating an exhibition. They research objects, devise a thematic framework, write all exhibition texts including a central essay, design the exhibition layout, assist with installation, and produce an opening reception and related public event.  

The University Museum of Contemporary Art is grateful to the Eva Fierst Curatorial Exhibition Fund for supporting this annual museum project.