Beverly McIver: Full Circle was a a survey exhibit of more than 50 works demonstrating the diversity of the artist’s thematic approach to painting over 25 years. From early self-portraits in clown makeup to more recent works featuring portraits of others and her own reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition illuminated the arc of McIver’s artistic career while also touching on her personal journey. Her self-portraits explored expressions of individuality, stereotypes, and ways of masking identity, while portraits of family members provided glimpses of intimate moments, in good times as well as in illness and death. The exhibition included McIver’s portraits of other artists and notable figures, work resulting from a year in Rome with American Academy’s Rome Prize, and newer work in which McIver explored the juxtaposition of color, pattern, and the human figure.
Full Circle also featured artworks that reflected on McIver’s collaborations with artists, as well as her impact on the next generation. A complementary exhibition, In Good Company, included artists who have mentored McIver, such as Faith Ringgold and Richard Mayhew, as well as those who have studied under her, including Melissa Button, Claudio Dicochea, Michael Dixon, Carrie Hott, Mary Porterfield, Chris Santa Maria, Damian Stamer, and Lamar Whidbee.
Beverly McIver: Full Circle was organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and guest curated by Kim Boganey, formerly the director of Scottsdale Public Art. The exhibit subsequently traveled to the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, WInston-Salem, North Carolina, and the Gibbes Museum, Charleston, South Carolina.
Produced in conjunction with the exhibition was an 132-page hard-cover exhibition catalogue, published by University of California Press. In addition to full color images of the artworks included in the exhibit are essays by Richard Powell, Phd and Michele Wallace, and a conversation between the artist and the curator.
Sponsors included Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, and Craven Allen Gallery.