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Emily Quandahl
Silent Monitor
(On View Fall 2026)
The New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is pleased to present Silent Monitor: a temporary public art project by artist Emily Quandahl. On view from August 25–November 30, 2026, this public art installation unites past and present by utilizing form, color and light to recall a unique artifact tied to the historic Owen–Maclure community. This group of educators and scientists settled in present-day New Harmony from 1825–27, and a suite of programming celebrating its impact is currently taking place, led by Historic New Harmony, from now through Summer 2027.
(More information at the website: https://www.owenmaclure200.com/ )
During the Owen–Maclure experiment, community founder and thought leader Robert Owen (1771–1858) pioneered the silent monitor: a small, four-sided object that functioned as a silent system tracking factory worker productivity. This monitor was easily hung at a worker’s station with a different color on each side–blue, black, white, yellow–and turned in order to reflect a worker’s productivity that day. Quandahl’s public art installation reflects on this historic artifact, expanding on its original meaning for a contemporary audience. Visitors to Silent Monitor can stand in colorful panel ‘sides’ of the monitor art installation and survey the colorful reflections of these sunlit panels from within. Walking past and through the panels immerses the visitor into the art installation itself, giving the participant a close-up view of the light mosaic created by overlapping color patterns and textures. Colorful light reflections also extend across a central mosaic placed beneath the visitor, with the shape of this feature mimicking a silent monitor when viewed from above. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art Curator, Audra Verona Lambert, reflects on the impact of Quandahl’s installation. “This work serves to highlight New Harmony’s past within the framework of a public art piece firmly rooted in the present moment. Visitors to the work can reclaim the act of observation from the original silent monitor, turning a tool for measurement into a joyful installation teeming with color.”
Quandahl’s art installation allows us, as participant-observers, to reconsider how we look at the world around us by encouraging us to lead with curiosity rather than judgment. Quandahl observes, “Owen’s system reduced a person to a single color on a given day. But people aren’t blue or white, good or bad. We’re made up of a lot of things at once, and I wanted the light itself to prove that: it’s never just one hue, it’s all of them, layered and moving together.” Visitors to Silent Monitor will be able to encounter a fresh take on Robert Owen’s innovative silent monitor, reimagined here as an immersive contemporary art experience. Historic New Harmony Director, Diane Sanders, notes of the installation: “As we commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Owen-Maclure community, Silent Monitor offers visitors an opportunity to encounter an important piece of New Harmony’s history through the lens of contemporary art. By encouraging participation and curiosity, Emily Quandahl’s installation creates a space where the past and present meet, inviting visitors to explore both the legacy of Robert Owen’s ideas and their relevance in our own time.”
Silent Monitor remains on view at Maclure Square in New Harmony, IN, across Main street (at Church St/Hwy 66) near the New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art from August 25–November 30, 2026. The site will be activated by events throughout Fall 2026. Information will be made available at: https://www.usi.edu/new-harmony-gallery-of-contemporary-art/programs/events
All public-facing events are free and open to the public. Information on the public artwork will be available on outdoor signage placed at the installation during gallery operating hours between 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday.
Emily Quandahl is a multi-disciplinary artist from the rural Midwest living and working in Minneapolis. Her compositions utilize bold palettes and textures that are built up in layers, pulling inspiration from folk craft and quilting traditions. She also creates from her surroundings by noticing and adapting textures, shapes, and colors into her forms. Her work deconstructs the expected. Quandahl has exhibited in Minnesota, Mexico, and across the United States.
Image credit: Emily Quandahl (Detail of Silent Monitor installation in New Harmony, IN. 2026.)
New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art at University of Southern Indiana promotes discourse about and access to contemporary art in the southern Indiana region. New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art is a proud outreach partner of the University of Southern Indiana.
This public art installation is made possible by the Efroymson Family Fund.
