Meet the Artist—The Genesis Facade Commission: Jeffrey Gibson, The Animal That Therefore I Am

Step into the artistic journey of Jeffrey Gibson’s creation of four large-scale figurative sculptures for The Met’s 2025 Genesis Facade Commission. Drawing on Indigenous worldviews and the rich history of bronze sculpture, Gibson explores the interconnectedness of all living beings and the environment in this powerful installation on The Met Fifth Avenue’s iconic facade.

An interdisciplinary artist who grew up in the United States, Germany, and Korea, Gibson is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and is of Cherokee descent. His expansive body of work ranges from hard-edged abstract paintings to performance and filmmaking and also includes significant contributions as a convener and curator. Gibson’s practice consistently reveals new possibilities. Drawing on a broad range of recurring sources, materials, and imagery, he often critiques the reductive ways Indigenous culture has been historically flattened and misappropriated. Gibson’s project for The Met’s Fifth Avenue facade is the sixth in a series of commissions for the historic exterior.


Contributors

Director, Managing Producer: Kate Farrell
Senior Producer: Melissa Bell
Video Editor: Lucas Groth
Associate Producer: Lela Jenkins
Production Assistant: Hayley Theisen
Director of Photography: Jeffrey Johnson
2nd Camera: Lucas Groth
Audio Recording: Matthew Modula, Evan Manners
Jib Camera: Mike Kirsic, Anthony Carabe
Music Composition: Austin Fisher
Photo Studio Time Lapse: Wilson Santiago, Heather Johnson
Exhibition Project Manager: Zoe Tippl
Web Coordinator: Ashliy Sabb
Curator: Jane Panetta

Special Thanks: Jeffrey Gibson Studio: Brian Barlow, Studio Manager, Jenny Ghetti, Production Manager, Alex Malmude, Amanda Lees, Andy Overton, Anna Svoboda-Stel, Beth Harring, Chrissy Rivera, Christine Pfister, Danielle Norris, George Liu, Immanuel J. Williams, Jamaica Gilmore, Leah Morris, Louise Smith, Miranda Nichols, Paige Simpson, Timothy Wehrle. UAP | Urban Art Projects, Newburgh, New York.


A green, yellow, and pink parrot's head, with a hinge at the base of its neck.
A closer look at the British enamels industry surfaces complex questions around consumerism, exploitation, and nationalism that continue to reverberate today.
Ella Mints
July 18
Porcelain figurine depicting an 18th-century scene with a servant holding a tray of cups and a seated aristocratic woman in floral attire, against a blue background.
How did eighteenth-century European art subtly obscure Black labor and promote subjection?
Adrienne L. Childs
July 1
Four mannequins display vibrant fashion in a showroom. Outfits include red satin, yellow silk, blue sequins, and green sequined pants, creating a bold and stylish atmosphere.
Video
Monica L. Miller and Andrew Bolton
May 22
More in:On View