Massachusetts Design Art and Technology Institute (DATMA), the non-collecting contemporary art institute, and its partners will kick-off a city-wide, collaborative venture in New Bedford, MA, called “SHELTER 2022–23.”

Part of the first of two seasons of exhibitions in the series, SHELTER: Flexible Fibers + Sustainable Solutions will be on view free and open to the public June 16 through September 12, outdoors throughout the day and evening and indoors daily from 10am to 6pm.

DATMA’s three exhibitions, robust programmatic outreach, and educational workshops will examine the history, economy, and culture of the SouthCoast region which is rooted in the value of ‘shelter’ and will cover a range of topics including today’s housing crisis, the Underground Railroad that harbored African Americans from slavery, the 9,100-foot-long hurricane barrier that protects the harbor of the nation’s most lucrative fishing port in the United States, and more.

This exhibition presents modern approaches to the concept of ‘shelter’ from Seoul, South Korea; Los Angeles, California; and Jordan. Each work explores the fabrication of dwellings through the making of and engagement with unique materials that have resulted in striking architectural productions, community-based collaborations, and developments in new structural fabrics and spatial design. The exhibition features Do Ho Suh’s ‘fabric architecture’ sculpture exploring identity, migration, and memory; one of the largest bio-plastic 3D-printed structures to date from Rael San Fratello; and Abeer Seikaly’s photography of her structural fabrics system inspired by traditional Bedouin textiles. These works, and the creative processes behind them, demonstrate how new technologies weave unique materials and innovations to advance the viewers vision of home while reacting to the housing crisis in a humanitarian way. Featured artworks include:

Do Ho Suh, Hub-1, Entrance, 260-7, Sungbook-Dong, Sungboo-Ku

Abeer Seikaly, A series of photo renderings from her structure design: Weaving a Home 2020

Rael San Fratello, Star Lounge