What was the starting point for RESPECTFULLY?

RESPECTFULLY started from something we’ve believed for a long time at Bishop: you don’t have to wait for permission to create space for yourself or for the artists you believe in. Discovery happens before consensus. Often, artists are doing important work long before the larger art world decides to validate it.

The exhibition puts that philosophy into practice. Rather than waiting to be invited into a particular room, we created our own room, on our own terms.

There’s also some tension in the title. “Respectfully” is polite, but deliberate. It’s almost like saying, “With all due respect, we’re going to do this our way.”

The exhibition brings together artists working across different materials and approaches, including Lex Marie, Vingt Sept, Traci Johnson, and Destiny Branay.