Star Signs in the People’s Collection: Water Signs

In the leadup to Art in Bloom, presented by PNC, the NCMA has partnered with local cultural and scientific institutions to organize a series of astronomically appealing events related to the elements of the zodiac—this year’s Art in Bloom theme. That means multiple opportunities to celebrate the cosmically determined peculiarities of yourself and the ones you love.

Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces), the time has come to dust off your “empath” cap for a day of meaningful interactions with creatures of all shapes and sizes. On February 27 join the NCMA at the North Carolina Zoo and Botanical Gardens in Asheboro to enjoy an interactive floral installation (on view until March 1) created by Blossom Betty’s Floral Co., based in Greensboro. The North Carolina Zoo maintains one of the largest public art collections in the state, making it the perfect destination for a collaborative event of this kind.

After taking your turn feeding the giraffes, come see the interactive floral installation inside the polar bear ice cave, where we’ll be celebrating International Polar Bear Day! What better way to commemorate water signs than with some of the most majestic swimming mammals in the world?

Keep reading for an art-historical examination of the works selected to illustrate the calm and nurturing nature of water signs.

Cancer: June 21–July 22

John James Audubon, The Birds of America, Plate #273: “Cayenne Tern,” 1827–1838

The crab in this hand-colored print seems to have the loyalty of a Cancer, sticking by their bird buddy’s side as they get their portraits executed. All conjecture aside, this work is part of the NCMA’s collection of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America, one of only 134 known complete double-elephant folio sets that exist today. The Birds of America was the culmination of Audubon’s 18-year quest to depict every existing bird species in North America. The illustration’s central figure, a Sandwich tern, is often found in marine environments, specifically along the American gulf coast. Named after the town of Sandwich in Kent, England, these terns feed by plunge-diving into the sea for small fish. The tern’s crustacean companion is most likely meant to signal the bird’s coastal habitat and migratory pattern. To encounter more of Audubon’s studies, plan a trip to the Audubon Gallery in West Building.

Scorpio: October 23–November 21

Ze’ev Raban, Bezalel Workshop, Ceramic Tile Panel with Signs of the Zodiac (detail), 1924

Highlighting a new addition to the Judaic Art Gallery, we have selected an explicitly zodiac-related artwork to depict Scorpios within the People’s Collection. A detail from a six-and-a-half-foot-tall tile panel decorated with all 12 zodiac signs, this scorpion is denoted with the Hebrew word Cheshvan—the second month of the Jewish lunar calendar. Originally created for the Tel Aviv home of the Kabalkin family in 1924, the larger work speaks to Jewish thinkers’ reinterpretation of zodiac imagery within a monotheistic framework, often aligning the 12 signs with the 12 tribes of Israel or the 12 months of the Hebrew calendar. Blending European styles with influences from the Jewish cultures of North Africa and the Middle East, designer Ze’ev Raban, in collaboration with the ceramics workshop of the Jerusalem Bezalel School of the Arts and Crafts, created a breathtaking architectural detail that resonates deeply with Jewish spiritual and cultural traditions.

Pisces: February 19–March 20

Susan Unterberg, Goldfish, 1995

Susan Unterberg’s Goldfish indirectly addresses the negative space between dreams and reality—one often occupied by whimsical and excessively romantic Pisces. Although its title tells us exactly what we’re looking at, this chromogenic print seems to contradict fact, morphing its subjects into glimmering abstractions of light and color that are superimposed with warped visions of treetops. Coincidentally, Unterberg has also created a photo series entitled “Pisces.” Outside of her practice, Unterberg is best known as the (previously) anonymous founder and funder of Anonymous Was a Woman, a project that has provided unrestricted grant funding to over 400 female artists over the age of 40 since its establishment in 1996.

For all the earth, fire, and air signs reading, keep an eye on Circa to find out which works of art have been selected to represent your core traits.