Donna Dennis' Houses and Hotels

Houses and Hotels

O’Flaherty’s, NYC, April 14th 2024

The gallery was dark. I wasn’t ready for that. And then I was there (somewhere), there. I didn’t think my eyes would adjust so well.

It was nice to just look at them, not to assume I knew what I was looking at, and just let my eyes adjust to the darkness that held us, and that feeling of being transported, to go with it.

It felt generalized in a nice way. Not an over-indexing on a demographic stereotype to render it as some kind of fact or universal, and not in a snarky way, or MAGA-style nostalgic way.

It was nice. It was weird, and it was nice. It felt like other people who took road trips would feel the familiarity. Even the strangeness. Maybe it would be the first time we’d talk about it.

Hotel Pacifica, 1972

Acrylic on Masonite, wood, cellulose compound, mirror, fluorescent light, sand, fabric, paper, metal, Approx. 5’8" x 5’8" x 1’2"


Two Stories with Porch (for Robert Cobuzio), 1979

Acrylic and enamel on wood and Masonite, with glass, wallpaper, cellulose compound, metal screen, plastic, neon and incandescent light, 10’6" x 4’7" x 5’



Donna Dennis: Tourist Cabin with Folded Bed, 1986

Mixed media, 6’6" x 4’6" x 6’


Tourist Cabin Porch (Maine), 1976

Acrylic and enamel on wood and Masonite, glass, metal screen, fabric, incandescent light, sound (summer night, crickets), 6’6” x 6’10” x 2’2”


Cataract Cabin, 1993–1994

Acrylic and enamel on wood and Masonite with glass, metal, grout, rope, pump, water, mirror, 12’ x 12’ x 12’


For more on Donna Dennis’ work Houses and Hotels

  • Donna Dennis Asks, When Is a House a Home?, ArtReview
  • Donna Dennis’s Newly Published Diaries Provide A Rare Glimpse Into A Heady Time of Change for Women Artists, ARTnews
  • A Heartland Godmother of Installation Art, No Longer in the Shadows: She is a trailblazer of the architectural sculpture movement, and her diaries rival Frida Kahlo’s. Are we ready for the unsettling clarity of Donna Dennis?, The New York Times

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