Town and Country: Modern Life in America

January 18 - May 29, 2005
Fairchild Gallery

Drawing from the Mead's rich holdings of American art, this exhibition will look at life in America between 1900 and 1950. An installation of over 75 paintings, drawings, watercolors, prints, and photographs will demonstrate that even while the nation was immersed in two world wars and the general population was suffering from harrowing economic conditions, a sense of optimism and integrity prevailed. As American artists reacted to new European aesthetic movements, their work reflected the pace and character of both city and countryside, as well as the everyday experience of mainstream America. Artists in the exhibition include: Berenice Abbott, George Bellows, Thomas Hart Benton, Paul Cadmus, Ralston Crawford, Charles Demuth, Theodore Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss), William Glackens, Childe Hassam, Robert Henri, Edward Hopper, Blanche Lazzell, George Luks, John Marin, Reginald Marsh, Maurice Prendergast, Aaron Siskind, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, and Grant Wood. Related programs include a lecture by Dr. Kathleen Spies on Reginald Marsh, gallery talks by Carol Clark (Professor of Fine Arts and American Studies), Betsey Garand (Visiting Assistant Professor of Fine Arts), and exhibition curator Trinkett Clark (Curator of American Art), and a film series. The exhibition and related programs are supported in part by the Hall and Kate Peterson Fund and the Department of Fine Arts.

Events:

Thursday, March 3, 4:30 p.m.
Lecture, Opening Reception
Kathleen Spies, Assistant Professor of Art History at Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Alabama, will present a lecture entitled Reginald Marsh and the Urban Spectacle about Reginald Marsh, the burlesque, and women in society. Stirn Auditorium. Reception to follow in the museum. Lecture co-sponsored by the Department of Fine Arts.