Wendy Woon—Niagara Falls: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

OCTOBER 21 – NOVEMBER 30, 2023 / FOOTNOTE PROJECT SPACE

Niagara Falls: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous is an installation by Wendy Woon that explores the historical complexities and dualities of Niagara Falls, where five generations of her family lived. The opening chapter of a twenty-year project, this installation considers themes of desire, power, balance, vision, and survival as it relates personal histories to this iconic landscape.

Materials used, including family textiles - tablecloths, handkerchiefs, doilies, aprons, and embroidery - explore the power and limitations of women’s roles, the duality of ingenuity and resourcefulness with materials, and the more cutting way women’s emotions have been diminished. Niagara histories are woven within: the daredevil Annie Taylor, the first woman to go over the falls in a barrel and live; Maria Spelterini, the only woman to cross over Niagara on a tightrope five times; The Maid of the Mist, the colonialist construct of indigenous stories. Also included are women who did not survive: Marilyn Monroe, star of the film noir Niagara, as well as the banished or those who “went to the river,” a local euphemism for women who returned to the river by choice. This first exploration includes drawings, mixed media, and installations.

About the Artist

Wendy Woon, artist, museum educator, and curator, draws inspiration from personal histories, archival materials, rituals, and responsiveness to places and landscapes where art, life, and death are inherently intertwined.  Originally from Niagara Falls, Canada, Woon holds an MFA in Sculpture from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, graduate courses at The Instituto Allende in San Miguel Allende, Mexico, and a BFA from Queens University in Canada. Her current interest is a twenty-year art research project focused on Niagara Falls as a cultural phenomenon. 

Woon serves on the faculty in museum education practice at New York University, Steinhardt Visual Arts Administration Program. She held leadership positions most recently as The Deputy Director for Education at MoMA (2006-2020), The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, The Art Gallery of Hamilton, and The Royal Ontario Museum. A noted international speaker, Woon initiated a collective, research-based experimental approach to museum education, highlighting the significance of art in our daily lives.