Unparalleled in its monumental scale and ambitious technique, LaToya M. Hobbs’s Carving Out Time shows the Baltimore-based artist, wife, mother, and educator balancing her many priorities. Its five 8-by-12-foot scenes depict moments in a typical day for Hobbs, her husband Ariston Jacks, and their two children, ending with a self-portrait of Hobbs in her studio when she finally has time to create new work. Through this awe-inspiring glimpse into Hobbs’s routine, the series addresses universal themes of legacy, parenthood, and representation.

Hobbs originally created Carving Out Time as a set of carved wooden panels. Then, she printed the panels to produce a version of the series in woodcut. Currents 39 celebrates the Museum’s recent acquisition of the prints. It also marks the first occasion when the panels and prints will be exhibited together, offering the opportunity to marvel at Hobbs’s artistry in two forms.

Initiated in 1982, the Museum’s Currents exhibition series highlights new trends in contemporary art. Currents 39: LaToya M. Hobbs, Carving Out Time was curated by Nikki Otten, Associate Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Milwaukee Art Museum.