McMillans at yearlong MASS MoCA exhibition

The title of MASS MOCA’s exhibition from May 2016-April 2017, “Explode Every Day: An Inquiry into the Phenomena of Wonder,” co-curated by Denise Markonish and Sean Foley, is inspired by novelist Ray Bradbury’s idea “…you remain invested in your inner child by exploding every day. You don’t worry about the future, you don’t worry about the past—you just explode.” The exhibition includes new and existing works by 23 international artists, including RWU’s Murray McMillan, Associate Professor of Art, and his wife Megan, who teaches at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Their work, “In What Distant Sky” is featured on MASS MoCA’s website. This exhibition is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and a grant from the Artist’s Resource Trust, with additional support from the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Barr Foundation, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. ​ Reviews include “The exhibition is at times exuberant, other times contemplative, as artists approach different ways of experiencing wonder, taking viewers along with them.” Accompanying the exhibition will be a comprehensive catalog that will, for the first time, gather contributors from diverse fields to investigate this elusive topic and unite them through contemporary art. The book will consist of essays on the history of wonder; wonder and psychology; and literature, science, and unusual natural and paranormal phenomena; as well as in-depth artist interviews and special artist projects.