Of the many art movements that took place in the United States during the latter part of the 20th century, few have consistently lacked critical and historical reassessment to the extent experienced by the Pattern and Decoration (P&D) movement that took the New York art world by storm from the mid 1970s until the early 1980s. During its heyday, such stars of the P&D movement as Robert Kushner, Kim MacConnell, Joyce Kozloff, and Robert Zakanitch promoted a freeform, sensual use of patterned motifs in their work, fusing abstraction and representation in a distinctively pleasure-based aesthetic that was embraced as a significant departure from the more conceptualized approach of Post-Minimal art and Earthworks. Unbeknownst to most casual observers, two Louisiana artists-Tina Girouard and Robert Gordy-played a formative role in the P&D movement, and as part of its 35th Birthday program, the CAC presents Patterns and Prototypes, an exhibition focused on early works by these two pioneering figures.

Curated by Dan Cameron