ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, POPSICLE

February 8 – June 7, 2025

The naturalist Carl Linnaeus' published his Systema naturae in 1735, presenting a classification system for what were then considered the three kingdoms of nature: animal, vegetable, and mineral. Though this system has since been further refined, the original "animal, vegetable, mineral" model still echoes in culture today. In games like 20 Questions, we might ask, Is it an animal, vegetable, or mineral; a celebrity, a cat, a tree, a rock, a telephone?  

With this group exhibition, Art Enables offers a playful twist on the question, asking, Is it animal, vegetable, or popsicle? Subject matter in all three categories is on offer. In "Animal": human beings, dogs, bears, and the like. "Vegetable" covers actual vegetables, flowers, and other plant life. And "Popsicle" ushers in everything sweet: ice cream, cake, and, of course, popsicles as the third major group.  In this exhibition, each work falls into at least one category and sometimes all three. How would you categorize Jacqueline Coleman's nostalgic Minnie Mouse popsicle or Kaya Davis' plush knitted gummi bears? We suggest that even some of the seemingly clear-cut subjects - dog, woman, flower - are given a certain popsicle je ne sais quoi by the artists. They harness the qualities of pictures on the side of an ice cream truck: iconic in vivid colors, declaring whimsical takes on old favorites. Surprising, organic outlines distill complex creatures into new, flirtatious shapes.

The lines of actual popsicle sticks punctuate the works on the wall like scientific labels or citations. Referencing kids jokes on popsicles, the extra-large sticks are stained with color as though from frozen treats since consumed, revealing punchlines to jokes handwritten by Art Enables artists. "Animal, Vegetable, Popsicle" might not sort the natural world with scientific precision, but we offer it as a lens for playful viewing in honor of some of the Art Enables artists' most beloved subjects.

For this group exhibition, Art Enables is pleased to include work by visiting artists from around the country alongside our resident artists, including some from other progressive studios: 

Maurice Barnes (Art Enables), Antonio Benjamin (Creativity Explored), Marti Clark (Art Enables), Jacqueline Coleman (Art Enables), Kaya Davis (NIAD Art Center), Dave Eassa, Josephine Finnell (Art Enables), Kate Fleming, Rachel Hayden, Charmaine Jones (Art Enables), Noël Kassewitz, Eric Kendrick (Art Enables), Helen Lewis (Art Enables), Keith Lewis (Art Enables), Paul Lewis (Art Enables), Vanessa Monroe (Art Enables), Nami Oshiro, Gillian Patterson (Art Enables), Irene Rivas (Creativity Explored), Eileen Schofield (Art Enables), A.T. (Art Enables), Nonja Tiller (Art Enables), Imani Turner (Art Enables)