At the North Carolina Museum of Art, we are surrounded not only by extraordinary works of art but also by extremely talented colleagues. On view through February 13, 2022, Talent Within: The NCMA Staff Art Exhibition features 24 works by staff members in departments as wide-ranging as security, exhibition design, and programming and in practices as diverse as drawing, photography, and sculpture. Three participating artist-staff members spoke to Circa about their contributions to the show.
Christopher Ciccone:
Working in a museum and spending a lot of time with art is a joy and a privilege. For a picture maker, it can also be both inspiring and daunting. I don’t have much formal training in art, but I have been around it and in it for most of my life. For a while after I had read On Photography by Susan Sontag for the first time, I kept thinking, “That’s it; no one can make photographs anymore! It’s all over, it’s all purely semiotics and artifice.”
But then I just had to keep doing it for whatever reason. My father, whom I didn’t know, was a fashion photographer, so there’s probably some murky Freudian-flavored goings-on somewhere in my subconscious. I just try to make pictures that aren’t embarrassing.
Talent Within: Julia Caston
In her fascinating art installation featured in Talent Within, artist and NCMA staffer Julia Caston explores the connection between mental health challenges and community.
Talent Within: Michael Klauke
Artists on staff at the NCMA are featured in Talent Within, the first show of its kind at the Museum. Here they share their inspirations and love of the permanent collection with Circa readers.