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Chicago-based Gladys Nilsson paints mostly female figures captured in states of unabashed reverie, their obstreperous bodies portrayed half-way between physical solidity and ectoplasmic ecstasy. Are they grotesque? They are certainly that, but not in any way we might normally think of when considering the term.

“Objects USA” showcases the work of 61 artists working in the craft tradition, expanding and updating a historic exhibition staged under the same title in 1969 at the Smithsonian. The new show argues for a coherence between successive generations of artists drawing a line that tells us “things changed after this happened.”

In Shaghayegh Cyrous’ multimedia installation “Breathe the Sun” a vivid cast of characters perform ritualized movements in a wall-length video projection. This is an immersive, ritualistic space that acknowledges and bridges the physical and cultural distance between North America and her native Iran.

Is it possible to be nostalgic about nostalgia itself? This question is explored by Stefan Kürten and Sarah M. Newton, both haunted by the forlornness of the now, thus undercutting if not outright mocking any aspiration for a utopian future.

“Poetics of Memory” gradually reveals stories from Mildred Howard’s life as seen through her art, while leaving room for us to construct narratives of our own. The work has a specific personal and historical references.