Alison Pebworth

Alison Pebworth
Born1964 (age 61–62)
Huntsville, Texas
Education
Known for
  • Installation art
  • social practice
  • mapping
  • participatory projects
Notable work
  • Beautiful Possibility
  • Cultural Apothecary
  • Reconnecting to Home
  • Unofficial Department of Handshakes
AwardsLouis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Award (2015); MacDowell Fellow (2021)
Websitealisonpebworth.com

Alison Pebworth is an American artist whose work incorporates painting, installation, itinerant exhibition formats, and public participation in an ongoing examination American cultural narratives. Her projects — often produced through long-duration travel, site-responsive construction, and conversational or survey-based participation — have been presented at institutions including MASS MoCA, Southern Exposure, The New Children’s Museum in San Diego, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, and SPACES in Cleveland. Pebworth has also exhibited across a network of artist-run and non-profit spaces in Canada and the United States through the multi-year touring project Beautiful Possibility.

In 2024, after many years of itinerant touring, Pebworth relocated to the Berkshires and began developing new work in North Adams, marking a shift from mobile presentation toward site-based construction. Her 2025–26 project Cultural Apothecary at MASS MoCA extended these methods into a large-scale installation with structured public programming and broadcast coverage.

Early life and education

Pebworth grew up in Texas and later settled in San Francisco. She studied at the University of Texas (BFA) and the University of Kansas (MFA). She is the daughter of sculptor Charles Pebworth.

Selected exhibitions

Honors and residencies

Publications and collaborations

References

  1. ↑ Kaye, Marjorie (2024-01-04). "A Much Less Tortuous Path: Pebworth Installs New Environments in North Adams". Artscope Magazine. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  2. 1 2 "Alison Pebworth". The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  3. ↑ ArchivesStaff. "Charles A. Pebworth Collection – Finding Aid". Thomason Special Collections, Sam Houston State University. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  4. 1 2 "Alison Pebworth: Cultural Apothecary". MASS MoCA. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  5. ↑ "Artist Talk with Alison Pebworth". San Francisco Arts Commission. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  6. ↑ "Moon to Solstice 2017 with Alison Pebworth". www.667shotwell.com. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  7. ↑ "Reconnecting to Home". The New Children’s Museum. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  8. ↑ "Beautiful Possibility Tour". SPACES. 2012-06-01. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  9. ↑ Kany, Daniel (2012-09-16). "Art Review: 'Beautiful Possibility' show entertains, provokes thought". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  10. ↑ Foundation, The Helene Wurlitzer. "The Helene Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico". The Wurlitzer Foundation of New Mexico. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  11. ↑ "Alison Pebworth". MacDowell. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  12. 1 2 "Beautiful Possibility (catalog, 16-page PDF excerpt)". Southern Exposure. Retrieved 2025-10-29.
  13. ↑ "The Neighborhood Sign Club". Southern Exposure. 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2025-11-06.
  14. ↑ "19 | New American Paintings". www.newamericanpaintings.com. Retrieved 2025-11-09.
  15. ↑ "Infinite Cities: A Trilogy of Atlases is the Winner of 2020 Alice Award". University of California Press Blog. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2025-10-29.