Join Artist-in-Residence Yu-Wen Wu in conversation with Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Archivist Shana McKenna and Erika Rumbley, Stanley P. Kozak Director of Horticulture, as they discuss the collaborative development process for Yu-Wen Wu: Reigning Beauty, 2025, currently on view at the Anne H. Fitzpatrick Façade and is part of Boston's Public Art Triennial. Part of the Isabella Stewart Gardner’s Free First Thursday.

Yu-Wen Wu (Taipei, Taiwan) is an artist who delves into the interplay between art, science, the natural world, and social and cultural issues. Her diverse body of work includes large-scale drawings, site-specific video installations, community-engaged practices, and public art. Yu-Wen’s artistic practice powerfully reflects her journey as an immigrant, delving into the complexities of migration, the nuances of identity, and global discourse. She invites audiences to reflect on their relationship with the environment and each other, creating immersive experiences that challenge conventional boundaries. Her durational works invite audiences to experience art as a process and enhance the cultural fabric of the communities involved.

Yu-Wen Wu’s work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.; Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece; Xippas Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland; Tufts University Art Galleries, Medford, MA; Godwin-Ternbach Museum, Queens College, NY; the Nielsen Library, Smith College, Northampton, MA; SITE, Santa Fe, NM; Perlman Teaching Museum at Carleton College, Northfield, MN; Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis MN; ICA MECA, Portland, ME; Rosecliff Mansion, Newport, RI; Center for Border Studies, Cucuta, Colombia; and the Praise Shadows Art Gallery, Brookline, MA.

She has received numerous awards, including the inaugural Prilla Smith Brackett Award (Davis Museum, Wellesley, MA), a national grant from the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Brother Thomas Fellowship. In 2023. She was awarded the James and Audrey Foster Prize with a solo exhibition at Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art.

Tickets

Advance registration is encouraged for free timed entry tickets for Museum general admission. 

Registration opens two weeks before the event for the general public and four weeks in advance for members. Reserve your tickets online by clicking the button above. 

Limited tickets will be available in-person at the Museum’s main entrance, starting at 3 pm, the day of the event. Please note that day-of tickets are not guaranteed.