The Hunter Museum’s upcoming exhibition – “The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability – Works from the Bank of America Collection” – traces the history and impact of the environmental movement through art.
The public is invited to the exhibition’s opening reception Jan. 30 at 6 p.m.
Bank of America’s global arts, culture and heritage executive Brian Siegel says the themes of “The Long View” never lose relevance.
“We’re pleased to showcase this exhibition at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga – a city long known for its ties to the land.”
The show includes 88 photographs, paintings, works on paper and sculptures categorized into four thematic sections.
“The Beginnings of Conservation” features artists from the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose works influenced the environmental movement. Included are John James Audubon, whose prints of birds and other wildlife inspired the founding of the Audubon Society, and photographer Carleton Watkins, whose vistas of Yosemite gave rise to the founding of the National Park Service.
“Push and Pull – Industry and Environment” features works from the first half of the 20th century, including iconic images by photojournalists Dorothea Lange and Arthur Rothstein of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression, when unsustainable farming practices worsened the effect of an extreme draught.
“The Emergence of Conservation Activism” focuses on postwar works and the ecology movement of the late 1960s and 1970s.
In “Working Towards a Sustainable Vision,” contemporary artists such as Richard Misrach, David Maisel, Terry Evans and Aurora Robson focus on ways humanity has transformed the planet and how it must protect it.
March 6 artist presentation
Robson, a multimedia artist and Toronto native now living in the Hudson Valley, will share her creative process and how she utilizes plastic debris to create her works during an Art Wise talk at the Hunter Thursday, March 6 at 6 p.m. The talk will be free and open to the public thanks to the support of Martha Mackey and the Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All Program.
The Hunter will offer a number of other public programs, including interactive workshops and nature expeditions, during “The Long View” exhibition, which will run until May 4.
Bank of America created “The Long View” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The exhibition is on loan from the company’s Art in our Communities program.