Sick and Tired at the Met

Wide-angle install photo of ninety-nine five by seven inch inch ink drawings of different museum object at the Metropolitan Art Museum drawn on handmade paper, along with one coloring book containing copies of each. Hung in a five row, twenty column grid at the corner of the white-walled, concrete floor gallery. The book sits on a small white ledge in the bottom left of the grid, accompanied by one red, yellow and blue colored pencils.Detail photo of the Sick and Tired at the Met installation. Eighteen of the ninety-nine five by seven contour ink drawings of different "sick" and "tired" objects in the Metropolitan Museum's collection that compose the installation are present in the photo, hung in a grid with five inches of separation between each drawing.Detail photo of the five by seven inch, clear spiral bound "Sick and Tired at the Met" coloring book resting atop a small white ledge alongside red, blue, yellow colored pencils. Off-white cover with serif font spelling out the book's title and author.Black ink contour line drawing of an ornate octagonal lidded box.Black ink contour line drawing of a painting in which a man with a saintly halo is being held down and strapped to a table by four surrounding men.Black ink contour line drawing of an intricate, footed shell-like object with scalloped edges.Black ink contour drawing of a vertically oriented zoomorphic figure with a hooked upper form, held up by a thin metal hoop.Black ink contour line drawing of a figure playing a violin, while a dancer poses on a ballet barre in the background. Originally a 5x7 inch drawing.Photo of an off-white coloring book laying on a plush sap-green surface. Iridescent blue serif font reads "Sick and Tired at the Met." "Ryan Woodring" spelled out smaller below.Photo of an off-white coloring book laying open at a slight angle on a plush sap-green surface. Page right includes a black ink contour line drawing of a still life with dead (hare and chicken) and living (cat) animals amongst fruits and tableware.Coloring book lays open on a velvety green surface. Black ink contour line drawing of an ornately decorated, vertically-oriented placard on a stand. In the middle, a framed out circle filled with text-like squiggles.Photo of an off-white coloring book laying open at a slight angle on a plush sap-green surface. Page right includes a black ink contour line drawing of two Torah finials on either side of a Torah crown.

Sick and Tired at the Met
2025. 99-drawing coloring book (5″x7″), installation (16’x 4.5′).

A 99-drawing installation and coloring book (2025 Irrelevant Press) emanating from a multi-day on site performance in which Woodring drew every object defined by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s search engine as either “sick” or “tired” for 17 minutes each- the average amount of time an American spends with their doctor per visit.

Exhibitions + Publications

  • Face in Clouds, invisible ink. Rochester Art Center. Rochester, MN. Curated by Zoe Cinel.
  • Printed Matter Book Fair. Irrelevant Press booth. MoMA PS1. Astoria, NY.

Project updates here.