Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection — Amarillo Museum of Art
Source: http://www.amoa.org/cultural-currency
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:17
Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection — Amarillo Museum of Art
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Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection
Ken Little: Fields of Green
AC + WT Student/Faculty Exhibition 2026
The Photography of Edward Keating
Price Collection
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Wall Street Burger
Marcella Lassen
,
Wall Street Burger
, 2020, mixed media, 9 x 13.5 x 14.5 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
This Is Definitely Not a Pipe
Ray Beldner
,
This Is Definitely Not a Pipe
from the Counterfeit series, 2004, sewn U.S. currency, 24.5 x 30.5 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
$10 LOVE
Oriane Stender
,
$10 LOVE
, 2001, paper and U.S. five dollar bills, 13 x 13 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
On view january 17 - March 22
Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection
presents the innovative ways artists use money as a conceptual idea and medium to explore notions of value and worth beyond declared denominations.
For centuries, the constant exchange of money for goods and services has been core to our daily lives. We rely on monetary transactions, a quintessential human act, to meet our needs and desires - from luxury purchases to essential items like food and shelter. Given this worldwide phenomenon, consumers rarely consider the aesthetic qualities of currency, which range in various colors and sizes, and designed by artists. As artist Ray Beldner aptly points out, U.S. currency is "the world's biggest ongoing print edition. Every bill is unique, and it's numbered uniquely. It's signed by the person that caused it to be made, the Secretary of the Treasury. It's made from archival materials. It's 100 percent cotton. It's beautifully done." In its most basic form, money is art!
Like Beldner, who noted that money is often overlooked for its creative qualities, the artists of
Cultural Currency
used money as inspiration or a medium by repurposing bills and coins into exquisite artworks. The resulting works address various issues, including race, capitalism, politics, national and cultural identities, and much more. However, it is the psychological toll brought on by monetary rule that is shared by all artists in the show – from humor to desire to desperation – the emotional impact is palpable as money seems to be an abstract, illusive object for many.
Oakland, California-based investment advisers Davis Riemer and Louise Rothman-Riemer know well the personal impact influenced by money, having served as guidance counselors to many throughout their careers. In 1995 they began collecting currency-themed contemporary art inspired by some of the stories they had been told with the goal of encouraging new attitudes toward money’s intrinsic value. As Davis Riemer states,
"The point of it all is to provoke thought about why people want and use money and why they want more. Our hope is that people will see these works of art and walk away with questions about themselves and money
.
"
Louise Rothman-Reimer reminds us that money is just paper and coin and that humans instate value, turning it into the ultimate form of conceptual art. Rothman-Reimer states,
"Money is not money. It is what people want. It is power, security, the ability to do the things that they want, need, or would like to do. Money is very fungible, and it becomes what people bring to it."
Universally relevant, visually stunning, and at times critical,
Cultural Currency
asks us to consider how the definition of currency can be reshaped into a multifaceted object steeped in meaning and intrigue.
Cultural Currency
is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA. For a list of participating venues, please visit
www.bedfordgallery.org/exhibitions/traveling
.
Exhibition sponsored in part by AC Foundation
Cart
0
History + Mission
Visit
What we do...
Our Collection
AMoA Staff and Board of Trustees
Contact Us
Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection
Ken Little: Fields of Green
AC + WT Student/Faculty Exhibition 2026
The Photography of Edward Keating
Price Collection
Outdoor Sculpture
Past Exhibitions
Education
2026 Summer Art Camps
2026 Spring Museum School Classes
Museum in Residence Program
Tours + Outreach
Young@ART for Seniors
ARTrips
Upcoming Events
Art After Dark
Christmas Roundup
Donation
MEMBERSHIP
VOLUNTEER
AMoA Alliance
Community Partners
Wall Street Burger
Marcella Lassen
,
Wall Street Burger
, 2020, mixed media, 9 x 13.5 x 14.5 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
This Is Definitely Not a Pipe
Ray Beldner
,
This Is Definitely Not a Pipe
from the Counterfeit series, 2004, sewn U.S. currency, 24.5 x 30.5 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
$10 LOVE
Oriane Stender
,
$10 LOVE
, 2001, paper and U.S. five dollar bills, 13 x 13 inches; photo by Shaun Roberts
On view january 17 - March 22
Cultural Currency: Contemporary Art from the Riemer Collection
presents the innovative ways artists use money as a conceptual idea and medium to explore notions of value and worth beyond declared denominations.
For centuries, the constant exchange of money for goods and services has been core to our daily lives. We rely on monetary transactions, a quintessential human act, to meet our needs and desires - from luxury purchases to essential items like food and shelter. Given this worldwide phenomenon, consumers rarely consider the aesthetic qualities of currency, which range in various colors and sizes, and designed by artists. As artist Ray Beldner aptly points out, U.S. currency is "the world's biggest ongoing print edition. Every bill is unique, and it's numbered uniquely. It's signed by the person that caused it to be made, the Secretary of the Treasury. It's made from archival materials. It's 100 percent cotton. It's beautifully done." In its most basic form, money is art!
Like Beldner, who noted that money is often overlooked for its creative qualities, the artists of
Cultural Currency
used money as inspiration or a medium by repurposing bills and coins into exquisite artworks. The resulting works address various issues, including race, capitalism, politics, national and cultural identities, and much more. However, it is the psychological toll brought on by monetary rule that is shared by all artists in the show – from humor to desire to desperation – the emotional impact is palpable as money seems to be an abstract, illusive object for many.
Oakland, California-based investment advisers Davis Riemer and Louise Rothman-Riemer know well the personal impact influenced by money, having served as guidance counselors to many throughout their careers. In 1995 they began collecting currency-themed contemporary art inspired by some of the stories they had been told with the goal of encouraging new attitudes toward money’s intrinsic value. As Davis Riemer states,
"The point of it all is to provoke thought about why people want and use money and why they want more. Our hope is that people will see these works of art and walk away with questions about themselves and money
.
"
Louise Rothman-Reimer reminds us that money is just paper and coin and that humans instate value, turning it into the ultimate form of conceptual art. Rothman-Reimer states,
"Money is not money. It is what people want. It is power, security, the ability to do the things that they want, need, or would like to do. Money is very fungible, and it becomes what people bring to it."
Universally relevant, visually stunning, and at times critical,
Cultural Currency
asks us to consider how the definition of currency can be reshaped into a multifaceted object steeped in meaning and intrigue.
Cultural Currency
is a nationally traveling exhibition organized by Bedford Gallery at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, CA. For a list of participating venues, please visit
www.bedfordgallery.org/exhibitions/traveling
.
Exhibition sponsored in part by AC Foundation