Alf Foundation grantee Shelby Lorraine Lindsley Exhibits Thesis at Otis

Browsing the exhibition program at Dwelling In Between, Shelby Lorraine Lindsley’s MFA thesis exhibition at Otis College of Art and Design in Westchester, California.

Congratulations to 2023 Martha Alf Foundation Grantee and 2024 Otis College of Art and Design MFA Candidate Shelby Lorraine Lindsley on their heartfelt and deeply personal immersive thesis exhibition, Dwelling In Between at the Bolsky Gallery.

The opening of Shelby Lorraine Lindsley’s thesis exhibition Dwelling In Between

The Foundation is proud to  support talented artists like Lindsley as they work toward their MFA. Providing funding to our grantees enables them to focus on their work and realize their vision.

Visitors take a closer look at “How To Build A Dad”, crochet leg, crochet pattern fragment, and lamp (2023)

Dwelling In Between transformed the Bolsky Gallery into a coherent, immersive, and engaging exploration of home, family, and body. The installation, a culmination of the artist’s healing journey, represents a deepening critique of the nuclear family structure.

Gallery visitor examines “Pink Paper Leaves,” 168x122 inches, poem by artist printed on inkjet paper and framed in wallpaper (2023)

By venerating the maternal as a nurturing and protective force, the exhibition evaluates the heteronormative value of masculine protection. The exhibit’s audio and visual living room themes bring hospitality into an institutional space, thereby challenging the pretense of institutional safety.

Detail from “The Late Patriarch”, 29 inches x 14.5 inches x 13.5 inches, crochet, found table runner, and 38-year old tree stump (2024)

Ultimately, Dwelling In Between is a love letter to those who come from broken homes, acknowledging that although we cannot change the past, we can create a space for healing and moving forward to build the “perfect” home for ourselves.

Artist Shelby Lorraine Lindsley and her mother at the opening of Dwelling In Between