otherwise
Alisha B. Wormsley, Death (The Boat Lady), 2022. Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Events
Opening
Opening Reception: otherwise
5:00 – 8:00 PMICA at MECA&D
Performance
DATADATAPASSIVEDATADATADEADLIVEDATA performance by Pap Souleye Fall
6:00 PMICA at MECA&D
Visiting Artist Talk
Visiting Artist Talk with Ayana V. Jackson
12:00 – 1:00 PMOsher Hall, MECA&D Campus
Conversation
otherwise curator conversation with Darby Miller MFA '26, Cynthia Nathan MFA '25, and JiaAn Waterman '26
12:00 – 1:00 PMOsher Hall, MECA&D Campus
Visiting Artist Talk
Visiting Artist Talk with Alisha B. Wormsley
12:00 – 1:00 PMOsher Hall, MECA&D Campus
About the exhibition
Storytelling has long been a way for people to make sense of the world and to find agency in the face of significant adversity. In otherwise, exhibiting artists utilize elements of fiction in their work, transforming real-life issues into something otherworldly and innovative. Some artists in the exhibition draw inspiration from specific sources such as science fiction, oral traditions, and mythologies, while others craft intricate narratives inspired by real-world histories. Collectively, the artists in otherwise explore the potential of fictional storytelling to reimagine and reclaim historical and contemporary oppressions, paving the way for bold new futures.
“The title ‘otherwise’ carries an intentional ambiguity,” states Assistant Curator Cynthia Nathan, MFA ’25. “In language, it is a pivot—a turn from one idea toward another, an opening to possibility. Casual yet subversive, otherwise invites us to imagine the world differently.”
otherwise is the first of Getaway!, a multi-year series of exhibitions that explores the power and pitfalls of escapism as a reaction to the question, “What do we do in response to our current crises?” These group and solo exhibitions will explore various topics within the broader theme of escapism, examining the complex impulses that drive us to move away from challenging circumstances and the destinations and activities we pursue when we do. Through diverse research and artistic practices, this series aims to provide a space for imagination, enabling us to equip our communities, both within and beyond the College, with new tools to create the worlds they envision.
Exhibiting Artists: Felipe Baeza, David Bayus, Pap Souleye Fall, Alex Jackson, Ayana V. Jackson, Cassandra Klos, Cannupa Hanska Luger, Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, Mauricio Muñoz and Andrew Roberts, Tourmaline, Samantha Yun Wall, Alisha B. Wormsley
otherwise is organized by Director of Exhibitions Iris Williamson and Curatorial Assistants Darby Miller MFA '26, Cynthia Nathan MFA '25, and JiaAn Waterman '26. Production management by Exhibitions Manager Sarah Sawtelle '19 and Exhibitions Assistant Caroline Kouba '22. Design by Omnivore.
Reading Guide
This collection of book lists highlights genres, movements, and frameworks that reimagine possible futures across a range of artistic forms.
Press
Publications
Gallery
Alisha B. Wormsley, Remnants of an Advanced Technology, 2021–23.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Alisha B. Wormsley, Death (The Boat Lady), 2022.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Felipe Baeza, Unruly Forms II, 2023.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
otherwise, installation view with works by Tourmaline, Pap Souleye Fall, Ayana V. Jackson, and Alex Jackson.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Alex Jackson, Earthgrazer, 2023.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Alex Jackson, Daesen, 2023, Untitled (Sun Spot), 2023, The Eyes of Tephra, 2023 (left to right).Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Alex Jackson, The Landing of E (Asteroidea), 2023.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Tourmaline, Violet Copper, 2020–21.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Mauricio Muñoz and Andrew Roberts, The Harvest, 2021, installation view.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Mauricio Muñoz and Andrew Roberts, The Harvest, 2021, installation view.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
David Bayus, Thank You, Saint Anthony, 2022.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
otherwise, installation view with works by Pap Souleye Fall, Ayana V. Jackson, Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, and Cannupa Hanska Luger.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Ayana V. Jackson, Consider the Sky and the Sea, 2019 (left), I Summon the Voice from the Deep, 2019 (right).Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Ruben Ulises Rodriguez Montoya, Man-of-war / Physalia physalis, 2022.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
otherwise, installation view with works by Felipe Baeza, Samantha Yun Wall, and Pap Souleye Fall.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Samantha Yun Wall, Wild Seeds No. 1, 2024, Wild Seeds No. 3, 2024, Wild Seeds No. 4, 2024 (left to right).Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Pap Souleye Fall, NIT, NITAAY GARABAM (arc 2), 2025.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
Cannupa Hanska Luger, Avarice, 2023.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.
otherwise, installation view with works by Cassandra Klos.Photography by Joel Tsui '16, Salt '17, MFA '19, image courtesy of the ICA at MECA&D.