The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art announces Kirsten Stolle: Only You Can Prevent A Forest

An exhibition interrogating the global influence of chemical companies on our food supply

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston School of the Arts announces the upcoming exhibition, Kirsten Stolle: Only You Can Prevent A Forest for fall 2022. This exhibition will be on view at the Halsey Institute from Friday, August 26 to Saturday, December 10, 2022. An opening reception is set for Friday, August 26 from 6:30 – 8:00 PM. The Halsey Institute’s open hours are Monday – Saturday 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM and 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Thursdays, and the galleries are open to the public with free admission.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Using appropriation, wordplay, and humor, Kirsten Stolle co-opts advertising strategies used by agrichemical corporations to resurface and critique company history. For her exhibition, Stolle will create photo-based collages, visual poetry interventions, text-based sound animation, a neon wall piece, and her first site-responsive sculptural installation. Building upon her decade-long research into companies like Bayer/Monsanto and Dow Chemical, the work will forefront historical ties to chemical warfare and reveal persistent greenwashing. Stolle’s work interrogates the global influence of chemical companies on our food supply and their consistent efforts to downplay effects of their toxic products on our health and environment.

Kirsten Stolle: Only You Can Prevent A Forest is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the South Carolina Arts Commission, Charleston magazine, and Mindelle Seltzer and Robert Lovinger.

ABOUT KIRSTEN STOLLE

Kirsten Stolle is a visual artist working in collage, text-based images, and installation. Her research-based practice is grounded in the investigation of agribusiness propaganda, food politics and biotechnology. Stolle was born in Newton, MA in 1967, lived and worked in the San Francisco Bay Area for 19 years, and currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her work is included in the permanent collections of the San José Museum of Art, Crocker Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Her work has been published in The Atlantic, Photograph, Topic magazine, The Billboard Creative, TAZ Berlin, Le Monde diplomatique, Berlin Art Link, SLEEK magazine, Made in Mind magazine, Poetry magazine, The Creators Project, Widewalls, Spolia magazine, Burnaway, Vhcle magazine, DIALOGIST, SLICE magazine, New American Paintings, The Ignatian literary magazine, Eleven Eleven, Hayden’s Ferry Review, and Manifest’s International Drawing Annual.

She is a recipient of a Pollock-Krasner Foundation grant, a Dave Bown Projects award, as well as grants from the San Francisco Arts Commission, Artists’ Fellowship Inc., The Puffin Foundation, Change Inc., and the Creative Capacity Fund. She has been awarded residencies at the Ucross Foundation, Millay Colony, Blue Mountain Center, Marble House Project, Willapa Bay AiR, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Spiro Arts, The Anderson Center, and Ballinglen Arts Foundation.

Stolle received a BA in Visual Arts from Framingham State University, and completed studies at Richmond College
(London, England), and Massachusetts College of Art and Design.

Kirsten Stolle’s website is KirstenStolle.com

EVENTS DURING ONLY YOU CAN PREVENT A FOREST

Please visit our website at halsey.cofc.edu for the most up-to-date event information including access links for events with virtual participation options.
All events will occur in the galleries and are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.
M indicates a members-only event.
Free staff-led tours take place at 2:00 PM every Saturday during the exhibition unless superseded by a public program.

Opening Reception
Friday, August 26, 6:30 – 8:00 PM
Free admission for all Halsey Institute members, and the CofC community, $5 suggested donation for all non-members.
Join the Halsey Institute staff, Advisory Board, exhibiting artist, and interns in a celebration of our newest exhibition, Kirsten Stolle: Only You Can Prevent A Forest. All College of Charleston students, faculty, and staff, and current Halsey Institute members receive free admission to our opening receptions. Non-members will be asked for a $5 donation.

Artist talk with Kirsten Stolle
Saturday, August 27, 2:00 PM
Free admission for all.
Join the Halsey Institute for an artist talk featuring Kirsten Stolle in conversation with Halsey Institute director Katie Hirsch on the occasion of Stolle’s exhibition.

M Curator Coffee Club
Friday, September 16, 9:00 – 11:00 AM
Open to all Halsey Institute members.
Join the Halsey Institute staff in the galleries to chat about the Only You Can Prevent A Forest exhibition over coffee sponsored by Counter Culture Coffee. Learn more about the benefits of membership at halsey.cofc.edu/sustain

The Artist in the Archive: The Art-Science Discoveries of Kirsten Stolle
Tuesday, October 4, 7:00 PM
Free admission for all.
Join the Halsey Institute staff in the galleries with exhibition essayist Hannah Star Rogers for a lecture about different aspects of Kirsten Stolle’s artworks.

WGS Intersections: Kirsten Stolle
Wednesday, October 19, 5:00 PM
Free admission for all.
Simultaneous presentation in-person and online at halsey.cofc.edu/live
Join Halsey Institute staff for a panel discussion organized by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at the College of Charleston around themes explored in the Only You Can Prevent A Forest exhibition.

Sit a Spell: Center for Sustainable Development
Thursday, November 10, 12:00 PM
Free admission for all.
The Sit a Spell conversation series aims to encourage thoughtful conversation on a variety of topics and issues presented in our current exhibitions in an intimate setting within the galleries. Join our featured facilitators, students from the College of Charleston’s Center for Sustainable Development, in the exhibition space for free-form conversations during your lunch break.

Family Day!
Sunday, November 13, 1:00 – 5:00 PM
Free admission for Halsey Institute members, $5 suggested donation for all non-member family groups.
Join the Halsey Institute staff and tour guides for a fun-filled family-friendly celebration of Only You Can Prevent A Forest. Enjoy guided exhibition tours, crafting, activities with area organizations, and refreshments.

 

ABOUT THE HALSEY INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston provides a multidisciplinary laboratory for the production, presentation, interpretation, and dissemination of ideas by innovative visual artists from around the world. As a non-collecting museum, we create meaningful interactions between adventurous artists and diverse communities within a context that emphasizes the historical, social, and cultural importance of the art of our time.

Location: The Marion and Wayland H. Cato Jr. Center for the Arts, College of Charleston
161 Calhoun Street, 1st Floor (corner of St. Philip & Calhoun Streets), Charleston, SC 29401
Parking: Available at metered spaces on surrounding streets and in the St. Philip and George Street Garages
Gallery hours: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM on Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM on Thursdays. The galleries are closed on Sundays. FREE ADMISSION and OPEN to the public.
Tours: Free guided group tours are offered through the Halsey Institute’s Looking to See program.
Email [email protected] for inquiries. Free, staff-led guided tours are available at 2:00 PM every Saturday during exhibitions unless superseded by a program.
Social media accounts: Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
For more information: call (843) 953-4422, visit halsey.cofc.edu, or e-mail [email protected]