The unique installation, aided by some of the artists in the show, presents the work in a cohesive collection, although the pieces come from nine female artists.

"They are testing the limits of the materials they are using, manipulating it to the point of nonrecognition," Wainwright said of the work utilizing textiles, oil paints, cast bronze, porcelain and other materials.

"It's interesting. Originally these are nine very unique artists who come to a very similar visual language. They all have very different prerogatives yet there is an incredible visual thread that connects the work."

The exhibition, presented last year at the Craig Krull Gallery in Santa Monica, includes work from Los Angeles-based artists Lavialle Campbell, Syndey Croskery, Pamela Smith Hudson, Taylor Kibby, Christy Matson, Blue McRight, Brittany Mojo, Claudia Parducci and Diane Silver.

Its name is inspired by Greek poet Sappho, who strove to “write words more naked than flesh, stronger than bone, more resilient than sinew, sensitive than nerve" and a reworking of a line — "... Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes ..." — from Shakespeare's "The Tempest." 

Wainwright said she found the show while researching an upcoming solo exhibition and was taken by the collective force of the artists, none of whom had collaborated in any way to create the often complementary pieces.

"As I've worked with these artists over the last 18 months, there's a curiosity that I feel when I think I've found a thread that connects the work that is completely different."

"It (the exhibition) oscillates between understanding and the mystical. It makes walking through the space interesting.

"It’s intriguing, it's thought-provoking, it’s curious."

The show's 44 pieces are arranged not by artists but through visual connections of color and motifs.

Wainwright said, "As soon as I got the work in the space, I saw how powerful it was to make connections and reorganized it once we got it here."

Many of the artists will attend the opening, but they will all be back on Nov. 11 for an artists' lecture.

And starting Oct. 19, the museum will hold Instagram Live events (@thebmoa) on Wednesdays at noon each highlighting a different artist from the show.

Along with "Of Rope," the fall exhibition will include the new collection “Celebrating BMoA’s Summer Art Camp," which features 20 objects from some of Kern County’s youngest artists (ages 2 to 17) who participated in BMoA's art sessions this summer.

“We selected some of the work from the art camp that shows the breadth of the lessons," Wainwright said.

"We look at what inspires the children's work, if this was in reference to this object or exhibition. We worked with students or the student's parents to find what motivated the students. And, along with all the project workups from the instructors, we put together the story."

In addition to the two new collections, the museum will also display the ongoing exhibitions "Under the Kern County Sky: Prapat Sirinavarat," a whimsical collection from the Thai-born, Bakersfield-based artist, and "Exploring the Figure: Selections from BMoA’s Permanent Collection," a mixed media collection using the figure as a form of communication.