The current traveling exhibition at the Wichita Art Museum is giving visitors a close-up look at some Iconic and significant works of American artists — like paintings of George Washington that you may have come across in history books.
The exhibition, “Making American Artists: Stories from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 1776-1976,” features a who’s who of American artists whose works have interpreted historical events, earned a place in American art history or influenced other artists during the two centuries after the U.S. gained its independence.
“So many of the greats, the heavy hitters of American art,” said WAM curator Tera Hedrick. “It’s just iconic work after iconic work.”
For example, Winslow Homer’s large oil on canvas painting “Fox Hunt” is considered one of the top works by one of America’s preeminent artists. A 19th century painter, Homer created powerful, evocative landscapes. “Fox Hunt” depicts a murder of crows ready to attack a lone fox that is in deep snow with little chance of escape.
Other works likely familiar to many visitors — because they are often reproduced in history books —include Gilbert Stuart’s “George Washington (Landsdowne portrait)” and Emanuel Leutze’s “Washington Crossing the Delaware.” (Due to a shipping delay, the Stuart painting won’t be displayed until mid-February.)
The exhibition was put together by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, America’s first museum and art school, which was founded in 1805 in Philadelphia.
“PAFA was the first American art school and in essence was staking a claim in the ground that we can have own art training and you didn’t need to go to Europe to learn,” Hedrick said.
The artists of the 74 works in the exhibition all have a connection to PAFA, whether as students, teachers or having had their works displayed at the museum, which has more than 16,000 works in its collection.
Some of the artists represented are considered trailblazers and pioneers, like Harriet Hosmer, the first professional woman sculptor of the 19th century, and Barkley L. Hendricks, a PAFA alum “who revolutionized Black portraiture,” according to Hedrick.
Hendricks’ “J. S. B. III,” an example of the life-sized portraits of Black Americans he was known for, is featured as the first piece visitors see when entering the galleries where “Making American Artists” is displayed.
To showcase what Hedrick calls “an expansive view of American artists and history,” the exhibition is divided into five themes: portraiture, history painting, still life, genre scenes and landscape. The idea behind such a format is that a visitor can see similar-themed works from different time periods.
“Within those categories, there are artists we know and then there’s some unexpected people we don’t,” Hedrick said, as she pointed to a painting of a mother and child by artist Cecilia Beaux. While her name isn’t as recognizable as some other female artists in the exhibition — like Georgia O’Keeffe and Mary Cassatt — Beaux was the first woman to teach at PAFA.
WAM is the first stop of the exhibition’s two-year tour, which includes five other museums.
“Making American Artists” will be at WAM through April 21. Admission to see the special exhibition is $12 and free to WAM members, college students with an ID and youth 18 and younger. The exhibit will be free for all visitors on Saturday, March 2, during WAM’s Family ArtVenture day.
Other events related to the exhibition include docent-led tours on Saturdays, Feb. 10, March 9 and April 13, and a free “Tera Talk” by Hedrick at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 1. A complete list of events can be found at wam.org/events.
‘MAKING AMERICAN ARTISTS’ EXHIBITION
What: a touring exhibition of some of America’s leading artists between 1776 and 1996
Where: Wichita Art Museum, 1400 Museum Blvd.
When: through April 21. WAM hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays, with extended hours until 9 p.m. on Fridays.
Admission: $12; free to WAM members, college students with an ID and youth under 18. The exhibit will be free for everyone Saturday, March. 2.
