As the inaugural iteration of our new research residency program, called R+D, interdisciplinary artist Wilmer Wilson IV is investigating the eastern gray squirrel-first introduced into public parks in the mid-nineteenth century right here in Philadelphia-as a central figure in American ecologies, histories, and cultural identities.

Working across archives, local sites, and in collaborative research, Wilson will present new works refracted through everything squirrel. From their Labubu-like popularity as pets in wealthy colonial families, to their deliberate introduction into urban parks as part of a broader effort to produce orderly, leisure-oriented civic environments, squirrels form an unlikely lens through which to glimpse shifting ideals of American behavior and belonging. Wilson will follow the squirrel across a range of overlooked cultural and political histories- such as Benjamin Franklin’s rodent diplomat Mungo to the recent viral controversies of TikTok star Peanut- and in doing so will interrogate how categories such as “pet,” “pest,” and “wildlife” produce hierarchies of care, visibility, and disposability that map onto the very same frameworks through which human life is valued.

SKIRL! will feature a site-specific installation, sculptures, performances, and works on paper.

SKIRL! is the inaugural presentation of R+D, ICA Philadelphia’s new research residency program, which supports artists in developing new work through sustained, interdisciplinary inquiry. R+D, embedded within the University of Pennsylvania and the city of Philadelphia, activates the museum as a live laboratory, championing intellectual risk-taking and collaborative inquiry over traditional exhibition.

SUPPORT

ICA’s inaugural R+D research residency, Wilmer Wilson IV: SKIRL!, was made possible by the Buddy Taub Foundation. Additional support has been provided by the Edna W. Andrade Fund of the Philadelphia Foundation, and The Study at University City.