Muskegon Museum opens 'Material World: Ten Women'

The Muskegon Museum of Art will open “Material World: Ten Women” on Thursday, May 21, with an invitational exhibition that runs through Aug. 23, according to the museum’s event calendar. The show brings together 10 women artists whose work uses non-traditional materials or reworks traditional ones in unconventional ways. Museum materials describe the exhibition as one that treats material and technique as part of both the visual and conceptual structure of the work. The exhibition is scheduled in the museum’s galleries in downtown Muskegon. ### What is the museum saying visitors will see in the galleries? The Muskegon Museum of Art says “Material World: Ten Women” includes work made from found household objects and elements drawn from nature. In the museum’s description, painting, sculpture, weaving and assemblage appear together across the exhibition rather than as separate categories. (muskegonartmuseum.org) The exhibition listing gives several examples of those approaches. The museum says crocheted metal wire is shaped into organic forms, steel rod is welded into vessel and animal forms, paintings are cut apart and rewoven on a loom, birch bark is arranged in quilt-like geometric patterns, and quilts are transformed into soft sculptures and drawings. (muskegonartmuseum.org) ### Which artists are included in “Material World: Ten Women”? The museum lists 10 featured artists in the exhibition announcement. They are Marcelyn Bennett-Carpenter, Boisali Biswas, Elizabeth Brandt, Kristin Casaletto, Kim Cridler, Nanci LaBret Einstein, Hattie Lee Mendoza, Anne Mondro, Mary Stoppert and Susan Yamasaki. (muskegonartmuseum.org) The exhibition page describes the show as organized by the Muskegon Museum of Art. A regional tourism listing carrying the museum’s exhibition text also identifies the same roster of participating artists. ### How does this fit into the museum’s current exhibition schedule? May 21 is the start date listed for “Material World: Ten Women” on the museum’s exhibitions calendar. (muskegonartmuseum.org) The same calendar shows the exhibition overlapping with “Let’s Picnic: The Knop Collection of Herman Miller Posters,” which opened May 7 and runs through Sept. 13, and arriving ahead of “HerStory of Animation,” scheduled to open June 6. The museum’s broader events listings also place the exhibition within a busy late-May schedule. On May 21, the museum calendar shows both the exhibition reception and the 2026 Hackley Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities later that evening. ### When can people attend, and what will it cost? The Muskegon Museum of Art lists general admission at $12 for adults, $8 for seniors 65 and older, $6 for students 17 and older with identification, and free for children 16 and under and museum members. (muskegonartmuseum.org) The museum also says every Thursday offers free general admission, though select special exhibitions may require an additional ticket. (muskegonartmuseum.org) Museum hours listed on the visit page are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The museum is closed on Mondays, according to the same page. ### Is there an opening event tied to the exhibition? May 21 is also the date of the exhibition’s opening reception, which the museum lists from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (muskegonartmuseum.org) The event description says artists will be in the galleries to speak with guests, and the museum will offer a cash bar and snacks. Aug. 23 is the closing date currently listed for “Material World: Ten Women” on the museum’s exhibition page. Before then, visitors can see the show at the Muskegon Museum of Art at 296 W. Webster Ave. during regular museum hours and during the May 21 reception. (muskegonartmuseum.org 1) (muskegonartmuseum.org 2)