Exhibitions
THE LONG VIEW: FROM CONSERVATION TO SUSTAINABILITY / WORKS FROM THE BANK OF AMERICA COLLECTION
Hunter Museum of American Art / 10 Bluff View January 30 - May 4th
The Hunter Museum is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability / Works from the Bank of America Collection, which traces the history and impact of the environmental movement through art. The public is invited to the exhibition’s opening reception taking place January 30 at 6pm (free to members and youth 17 & under; not-yet-members: $20).
The Long View’s themes never lose relevance, notes Bank of America Global Arts, Culture & Heritage Executive Brian Siegel, “and we are 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 comprises 88 photographs, paintings, works on paper and sculpture categorized into four thematic sections:
The Beginnings of Conservation features artists from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries whose works influenced the environmental movement. Included are John James Audubon, whose painstaking 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 twentieth 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, a disaster of both natural and human origin.
The Emergence of Conservation Activism focuses on postwar works and the ecology movement of the late 1960s and 1970s. When the first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, millions of Americans celebrated this movement dedicated to protecting our world, brought to life in Robert Rauschenberg’s Earth Day poster from the same year. Land artist Michael Heizer’s dialogue with the Earth, reversing geological history by leaving a human imprint, is seen in his Scrap Metal series, 1978, composed of aluminum and zinc waste recycled from California’s aeronautical industry.
In Working Towards a Sustainable Vision, contemporary artists including Richard Misrach, David Maisel, Terry Evans, and Aurora Robson focus our attention on ways humanity has radically transformed the planet, and how we must protect it. 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 meditative artworks during an Art Wise talk at the Hunter on Thursday, March 6 at 6pm. The talk will be free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of Martha Mackey and Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All Program.
In addition to Robson’s talk, the Hunter will offer a number of other public programs, including interactive workshops and nature expeditions, during The Long View exhibition, which runs until May 4, 2025. To learn more about all upcoming exhibition-related programs and to buy tickets, visit huntermuseum.org. Stay up to date on all Hunter Museum happenings by following @HunterMuseum on Instagram and Facebook.
Originally created to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day, The Long View affirms Bank of America’s dedication to the environment and aligns with the Hunter Museum’s own commitment to sustainability. The exhibition’s appearance at the Hunter is made possible by the generous support of Bank of America.
