Caroline Burton: The Back of the Moon

In Conversation

*The Back of the Moon*, Caroline Burton, view 2, on view at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in the Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall in Lubbock, TX, photo courtesy of Taylor Ernst

What does it take to move an exhibition from one institution to another, and how does it change along the way? Caroline Burton’s The Back of the Moon began at The Clara M. Eagle Gallery at Murray State University, where curator T. Michael Martin first organized the presentation. Recognizing both the impact of Burton’s large-scale works and the practicality of transporting them rolled in tubes, Martin developed opportunities for the exhibition to travel. This led to a partnership with the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) in Lubbock, Texas, where curator Taylor Ernst re-envisioned the show for the Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall. With each venue offering its own curatorial approach and installation design, The Back of the Moon continues to evolve as it moves between sites. In the following conversation, curators T. Michael Martin and Taylor Ernst discuss the process of shaping this traveling exhibition.

Michael and Taylor, I am curious to learn about the process of turning The Back of the Moon into a traveling exhibition from Murray State in Kentucky to the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in Texas. Let’s start with you, Michael, tell us about the first presentation you curated at Murray State University. How did it evolve into a traveling show?

T. Michael Martin: While working with Caroline Burton on the selection of artworks for The Back of the Moon to be presented at The Clara M. Eagle Gallery at Murray State, I realized that this work should be seen by a larger audience and could travel easily in manageable containers. Normally large paintings at this scale require big trucks, rigid crates, and art handlers to transport, but these large works can be rolled and transported in tubes that are much more compact and when unpacked expand into the large confrontational works that really dominate a wall.

I have worked with other artists and have been fortunate enough to travel a few of those exhibitions to other institutions that I curated and originated while working as Director of University Galleries at Murray State. With Caroline’s show, I sent several emails and made a few calls to venues I had previously worked with as well as submitting a proposal to travel the show to new venues to try to grow a network and make new connections. I submitted a proposal to Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts and it caught Taylor’s attention.

That is where traveling the show to Lubbock, TX began. The current version of the show is on view at Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts and the exhibition contains a different arrangement and curated exhibition design by Taylor Ernst which differs to fit her space best and differs slightly from the original exhibit at The Clara M. Eagle Gallery.

Caroline Burton, The Back of the Moon at Murray State University Gallery

Taylor, what can you tell us more about the process involved in this traveling show?

Taylor Ernst: Each year the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts holds an open call for artists to propose an exhibition in one of our four gallery spaces. T. Michael Martin applied on behalf of Caroline and we immediately knew that her larger than life works would look great in our main gallery, the Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall. After accepting the proposal I have been in contact with T. Michael to arrange the delivery of the artwork. Once the artwork was delivered my exhibition assistant and I unpacked the artwork and I selected the works that would hang for the exhibition and installed them. LHUCA is thrilled to have this rendition of the Back of the Moon for two months! We are hopeful that another gallery or museum space will pick it up soon.

Tell us about the work in this show—what is the artist’s process, and what will we see the exhibition?

Taylor Ernst: I was extremely lucky to have Caroline come into Lubbock for the opening night! We got to spend a few days together talking about her artwork, her history, and her process for making the artwork. Caroline’s process for making the artwork is unique, she sources afghan blankets from thrift stores and other people. She then soaks them in paint so they can absorb to then transfer the pattern onto a large piece of canvas. The colors she uses are muted, often using dark tones against a solid background, but a few that are featured in Back of the Moon at LHUCA include colors such as green and a light pink. At LHUCA you will see 14 hand selected pieces from Back of the Moon in our main gallery, the Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall, full of natural light that gives you an opportunity to see the artworks in a new light every time you view them.

*The Back of the Moon,* Caroline Burton, view 1, on view at the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts in the Christine DeVitt Exhibition Hall in Lubbock, TX, photo courtesy of Taylor Ernst

Michael, could you give us some background on the University Galleries at Murray State University?

T. Michael Martin: The mission of the Murray State University Galleries, in all of its activities, is to serve the students and scholars of the Murray State University community by curating and hosting diverse, dynamic thought- provoking exhibitions. The University Galleries seeks to foster the advancement of cultural knowledge; a laboratory for creative experimentation and expression; and a forum in which students and scholars may engage in creative and intellectual discourse with regional, national, and international contemporary artists. There are three multi-level exhibition spaces that rotate through a variety of exhibitions each semester. The main exhibition space, The Clara M. Eagle Gallery, is 3000 square feet, then there is The Eagle Upper Gallery around 1700 square feet and The Mary Ed Mecoy Hall Gallery around 1000 square feet. All University Galleries events and exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Taylor, tell us a bit about the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts.

Taylor Ernst: LHUCA has an almost 30 year rich history with celebrating the arts of all kinds! Our namesake, Louise Hopkins Underwood helped transform the Lubbock downtown area to make it a lively art scene. We have a variety of programming including Ballroom Dance, Figure Drawing, Un(wine)d With the Arts, Flatland Film Festival, and our most attended event monthly, the First Friday Art Trail which draws in over 5,000 people monthly to our galleries and spaces. We have four galleries that we rotate every two months, holding roughly 28 contemporary art exhibitions each year! Our galleries are always free and we are open Tuesday through Saturday 11-5pm.

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About Taylor Ernst: Taylor Ernst is the Curator of the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, located in Lubbock, Texas since spring of 2023. Ernst curates and coordinates over 26 exhibitions each year. She received her BFA in Visual Studies in 2011 and her MA in Heritage and Museum Sciences in 2017, both from Texas Tech University. Ernst enjoys watching the ever changing field of contemporary art, while observing trends and themes that emerge. She is active in several service organizations both locally and regionally. She is a West Texas native that lives in Lubbock with her husband, Matt, and two fur babies, Maeby and Harry.

About T. Michael Martin: T. Michael Martin is a Professor of Art & Design and Curator/Director of the University Galleries at Murray State University, where he has been since 2015. He received his BFA in painting and drawing from the University of Tennessee and his MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. He founded Basement Gallery in Knoxville, TN in 2006 and later became a partner in Three Flights Up Gallery, also in Knoxville. He spent several years at the Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville before coming to Murray State. His research and curatorial interests include Contemporary Art, Painting, Drawing, Installation Art, Performative Art, Collaborative, Interactive, Experimental, Interdisciplinary, and New Media Art. Martin is also an active artist and has exhibited his creative work across the United States and his work is held in many public and private collections.

About the artist: Caroline Burton (b. Detroit, Michigan) is an artist based in Jersey City, NJ. She holds an MFA from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers, and a BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. Burton has presented solo exhibitions at the New Jersey State Museum, NJ; PDX Contemporary Art, OR; Accola Griefen Fine Art, NY; and Johnson State College, VT, among others. Her work has been featured in museum exhibitions including New Directions in Fiber Art at the Montclair Art Museum; The Feminine Mystique at the Jersey City Museum; and Pencil Pushed at the Ewing Gallery of Art and Architecture, University of Tennessee. She has received grants and fellowships from the Pollock-Krasner Foundation, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and others. Her work is held in the collections of the Montclair Art Museum, Morris Museum, Zimmerli Art Museum, Noyes Museum, and Museo de Art Moderno, Dominican Republic

Caroline Burton: The Back of the Moon
Through September 27, 2025
Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts
511 Ave K, Lubbock, TX 79401

About the writer: Etty Yaniv is a Brooklyn-based artist, writer, curator, and founder of Art Spiel. She works in installation, painting, and mixed media, and has shown her art in exhibitions across the United States and abroad. Since 2018 she has published interviews and reviews through Art Spiel, often focusing on underrecognized voices and smaller venues. The publication also serves as a platform for writers, supporting new voices in writing about art. Yaniv’s studio practice is central to her work, and she is also active in the ongoing conversation around contemporary art. More about her art can be found at ettyyanivstudio.com and on Instagram @etty.yaniv