On View
Thomas Jackson, 'Chaotic Equilibrium'
Pennsylvania-based artist Thomas Jackson (b. 1971, Philadelphia) harnesses the wind to create ethereal works that blur the boundaries between landscape photography sculpture, and kinetic art. This fall, in his first presentation in Tennessee, Jackson will debut the live, fabric-based installation Chaotic Equilibrium comprised of chiffon in the museum’s rotunda. Animated by a network of computer-controlled fans, the piece will simulate the rhythmic movements of kelp forests swaying in ocean currents. Alternately expanding, contracting, breaking apart, and coming together again, the installation will exist in a state of constant transformation, a continuous search for equilibrium between order and chaos.
Thomas Jackson, Tulle no. 34_v2, Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, 2021. Courtesy of the artist.
Thomas Jackson, Tulle no. 52, Serenbe, GA, 2023. Courtesy of the artist.
Exhibition Programs
Artist Talk: Thomas Jackson
Join us on November 15 at 5p to hear Artist Thomas Jackson (b. 1971, Philadelphia) speak about his multidisciplinary practice that spans landscape photography, sculpture, and kinetic art.
Free with Admission
Artist
Curators
Artist + Curator
Thomas Jackson
Thomas Jackson was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Providence, RI. After earning a B.A. in History from the College of Wooster, he spent his early career in New York City working first in book publishing, then as an editor and writer at Forbes Life magazine. An interest in photography books eventually led him to pick up a camera, shooting street scenes, then landscapes, and finally the installation work he does today.Mostly self-taught as an artist, Jackson’s practice merges landscape photography, sculpture, and kinetic art. His work has been exhibited widely, including at The Photography Show (AIPAD) in New York and the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas, CA, and published in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Wired, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Jackson was named one of the Critical Mass Top 50 in 2012, won the “installation/still-life” category of PDN’s The Curator award in 2013 and earned second place in CENTER's Curator's Choice Award in 2014.
Thomas Jackson
Thomas Jackson was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Providence, RI. After earning a B.A. in History from the College of Wooster, he spent his early career in New York City working first in book publishing, then as an editor and writer at Forbes Life magazine. An interest in photography books eventually led him to pick up a camera, shooting street scenes, then landscapes, and finally the installation work he does today.Mostly self-taught as an artist, Jackson’s practice merges landscape photography, sculpture, and kinetic art. His work has been exhibited widely, including at The Photography Show (AIPAD) in New York and the Bolinas Museum in Bolinas, CA, and published in The New Yorker, Harper’s, Wired, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. Jackson was named one of the Critical Mass Top 50 in 2012, won the “installation/still-life” category of PDN’s The Curator award in 2013 and earned second place in CENTER's Curator's Choice Award in 2014.
Dr. Patricia Daigle
Patricia Lee Daigle is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. She previously served as Director of The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Memphis and Curatorial Assistant in Contemporary Art at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Daigle received her Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Dr. Patricia Daigle
Patricia Lee Daigle is the Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. She previously served as Director of The Martha and Robert Fogelman Galleries of Contemporary Art at the University of Memphis and Curatorial Assistant in Contemporary Art at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. Daigle received her Ph.D. in the History of Art and Architecture from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Program Recordings
Resources
The 901 Black American Portraits Soundtrack
Listen to a soundtrack of Memphis music that exemplifies Black Love, Power, and Joy. The 901 Black American Portraits Soundtrack celebrates the vibrant legacy and future of Black musicians in the city of Memphis. This playlist was curated by Jared “Jay B” Boyd, a Memphis-based multimedia artist, journalist, DJ, and on-air personality.
MCA Exhibition Questionnaire
Help us generate the fullest picture possible of the MCA experience.
Submitting a questionnaire, which includes a request for an image of an artwork, is essential to be considered for part of the exhibition.
Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?
The American art theorist Linda Nochlin (1931-2017) posed this question as the title of a pioneering article in 1971. This essay was considered one of the first major works of Feminist art history, it has become a set text for those who study art internationally, and it is influential in many other fields.