MITCHELL GALLERY 2019–20

PAST EXHIBITIONS AND PROGRAMS

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM: TREASURES FROM THE DAYWOOD COLLECTION

August 29–October 27, 2019

THE LIFE AND ART OF MARY PETTY

November 5–December 15, 2019

RETOOLED: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HECHINGER COLLECTION

January 9–February 23, 2020

AMERICAN INDIAN ART FROM THE FENIMORE ART MUSEUM: THE THAW COLLECTION

March 6–April 26, 2020

AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM: TREASURES FROM THE DAYWOOD COLLECTION

AUGUST 29–OCTOBER 27, 2019

Robert Henri, Kathleen, 1924, oil on board. Huntington Museum of Art, Photo credit: John Spurlock.

American art changed significantly between the late 19th and early 20th centuries when artists moved from European-style landscapes and monumental portraits to intimate subjects of the American countryside and portraits of those around them. This exhibition of over 40 works highlights this shift through the vision of artists Arthur Bowen Davies, Henry Ward Ranger, George Inness, Ernest Lawson, Willard Metcalf, Edward Redfield, Charles Hawthorne, Georg Luks, and John Sloan. Also included in the exhibition are “The American Ten,” a group founded by John Henry Twachtman, J. Alden Weir, and Childe Hassam, who were dissatisfied with the conservatism of the American art establishment, and “The Eight,” a group of urban realists led Robert Henri.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Rex and Katharine Pingle with additional support provided by James W. Cheevers.

“American Impressionism: Treasures from the Daywood Collection” is organized by the Huntington Museum of Art and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington DC.

IN THE NEWS

American Impressionists in Annapolis: WBJC’s Judith Krummeck interviews Lucinda Edinberg about the “American Impressionism” exhibition at the Mitchell Gallery.

ALSO FEATURED IN THE AMERICAN IMPRESSIONISM EXHIBITION

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

September 11 Art Express Lunchtime Tour. Join Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg for a tour from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.

September 19 Book Club, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Join members of the Mitchell Gallery Book Club for a docent tour followed by a discussion of The Collector’s Apprentice by B.A. Shapiro, led by artist Janet Rogers. Registration for this book club event is required.

October 1 Lecture, 5:30 p.m. Amanda C. Burdan, curator at the Brandywine River Museum of Art, will lecture on “American Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution.” Free and open to the public. Registration for this lecture is required.

October 8, 15, 22 Tuesday Try-It Trio Workshop, 1 to 3 p.m. What is the magic of oil paint? Explore the translucency and layering the Impressionists employed to create their works through this three-session workshop. Impressionist artist Abigail McBride will guide participants through theory and process to create two landscape paintings. Members: $100, Non-members: $150. Adults 16 years and up. No experience necessary. All materials provided.

October 27 Sunday Afternoon Lecture, 3 p.m. Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg will lead a tour of the exhibition.

Abigail McBride

Amanda C. Burdan

George Inness, Early Autumn, c. 1861, oil on board. Huntington Museum of Art, Photo credit: John Spurlock.

Charles H. Davis, A Clearing in June, oil on canvas. Huntington Museum of Art, Photo credit: John Spurlock.

Irving Couse, The Eagle Plague, oil on board. Huntington Museum of Art, Photo credit: John Spurlock.

THE LIFE AND ART OF MARY PETTY

NOVEMBER 5–DECEMBER 15, 2019

Mary Petty, Thanksgiving Dinner, The New Yorker Magazine, cover illustration, November 25, 1944. Watercolor and ink on paper.

Cartoonist Mary Petty (1899–1976) is known for the witty and pointed cartoons of the upper class of early 20th century America that appeared in The New Yorker for 39 years. Some of Petty’s earliest illustrations featured independent, free-thinking women, while her later works concentrated on the lifestyles and attitudes of inherited wealth and her invented Peabody family. Petty was married to fellow New Yorker cartoonist Alan Dunn, whose works are also included in the exhibition. Dunn’s works, which comment on architecture, politics, and social issues, complement Petty’s observations on modern life. The spirit of their independent compositions, unified by a shared sense of humor, is timeless.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Patrick F. Crossman in memory of Elizabeth D. Crossman, with support from Peggy Sue Atterbury and Joan Vinson.

Additional support is provided by Anonymous, Tara Balfe Clifford/Cliftara Bed ‘n Breakfast, George and Madeleine Hughes, Pamela McKee, Thea B. Pinsky, and Eric and JanElaine Smith.

“The Life and Art of Mary Petty” is organized by the Syracuse University Art Galleries.

MORE WORKS BY MARY PETTY

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

November 10 Lecture, 3 p.m. Bob Mankoff, American cartoonist, author, and former cartoon editor of The New Yorker, will lecture on “This Petty Place: Mary Petty of The New Yorker.” Free event, registration required. Immediately followed by Mitchell Gallery Members Libations and Conversations.

November 20 Art Express Lunchtime Tour. Join Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg for a tour from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m.

December 4 Book Club, 2:30 to 4 p.m. Join members of the Mitchell Gallery Book Club for a docent tour followed by a discussion of Bob Mankoff’s How About Never—Is Never Good for You?: My Life in Cartoons, led by cartoonist Eric Smith. Free event, registration required.

December 8 Sunday Afternoon Lecture, 3 p.m. Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg will lead a tour of the exhibition.

FUNDING AND SUPPORT

Bob Mankoff

Mary Petty, Fay Modeling Ermine Cape, The New Yorker Magazine, cover illustration, January 10, 1953. Watercolor and ink on paper.

Mary Petty, Fay Replacing Bulb in Chandelier, The New Yorker Magazine, cover illustration, September 24, 1955. Watercolor and ink on paper.

Mary Petty, Fay Trying Archery, The New Yorker Magazine, cover illustration, July 15, 1950. Watercolor and ink on paper.

RETOOLED: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE HECHINGER COLLECTION

JANUARY 9–FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Hans Godo Frabel, Hammers and Nails, 1980, glass. Photo courtesy of Edward Owens.

This exhibition of thoughtful and whimsical interpretations of tools as objects of beauty, or instruments of satire, features more than 40 imaginative works in sculpture, painting, photography, and works on paper. Berenice Abbott, William Eggleston, Jim Dine, Claes Oldenburg, James Rosenquist, Arman, Richard Estes, Red Grooms, Fernand Léger, and Roger Shimomura are among the 28 artists represented. These creations serve as reminders that tools embody the “can-do” spirit and may be an extension of oneself. The works on view are part of a massive collection originally belonging to hardware-industry pioneer John Hechinger.

This exhibition is made possible through a leadership gift from the Helena Foundation and is generously sponsored by PNC Bank and Anne S. Potter. Additional support is provided by David and Laura Watt, Richard and Carole Falk, and Katie Blyth + Gary Brown + Brogan Brown.

“Retooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection” was organized by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC. Gift of John and June Hechinger.

IN THE NEWS

ReTooled—Tools as Art at the Mitchell Gallery: WBJC’s Judith Krummeck interviews Lucinda Edinberg about the “ReTooled” exhibition at the Mitchell Gallery.

Robert’s Picks: This article in Annapolis Home magazine highlights “ReTooled” as an exhibit definitely worth seeing.

Tools of the Trade: This story in the Bay Weekly takes a look at the “ReTooled” exhibition.

ALSO FEATURED IN THE RETOOLED EXHIBITION

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

Art Express Lunchtime Tour: January 15, 12:15–12:45 p.m.

Lecture: January 26, 3 p.m.

Try-It Workshop: February 4, 2:30–4:30 p.m.

Book Club: February 6, 2:30–4 p.m.

Lecture: February 23, 3 p.m.

Hugh R. Butt, The Long Road to Usefulness, 1989, painted steel and hardware. Photo courtesy of Joel Breger.

Lee A. Schuette, Cross Cut Saw, 1982, wood. Photo courtesy of Edward Owens.

Richard Estes, Nass Linoleum, 1972, screen print. Photo courtesy of Edward Owens.

AMERICAN INDIAN ART FROM THE FENIMORE ART MUSEUM: THE THAW COLLECTION

MARCH 6–APRIL 26, 2020

Club, ca. 1800–1830, Coast Tsimshian, northern British Columbia mainland islands, caribou or elk antler, L: 16 ½ in x W: 5 in x D: 1 in. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Collection, T0171.

Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC.

The aesthetic traditions of North America’s native peoples are represented through sculptures, paintings, drawings, basketry, textiles, ceramics, and other media. The 40 works on view provide insight into the artistry of these spiritual and utilitarian objects.

Featured in this exhibition is a mid-13th century Busycon conch shell gorget elegantly carved by a Caddoan sculptor. Also on view is a late-19th century war record painted on animal hide by two Lakota artists, and a split buffalo horn Blackfeet headdress embellished with ermine fur, porcupine quills, glass beads, silk ribbon, cotton binding, and other fibers.

“American Indian Art from the Fenimore Art Museum: The Thaw Collection” is made possible through the generosity of the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust. Organized by the Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, in collaboration with the Mitchell Gallery.

Annapolis Subaru and Keith and Katherine Dunleavy are proud sponsors of this exhibition.

Additional support is provided by Melvin and Judy Bender, Joy Chambers and Peter Bungay, Deborah Bowerman Coons and Jana Bowerman Sample, and Anna E. Greenberg.

ALSO FEATURED IN THE AMERICAN INDIAN ART EXHIBITION

PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

March 8 Lecture, 3 p.m. Eva Fognell, curator of the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art at the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, NY, will lecture on From Old Masters to Native American Masters: The Thaw Collection American Indian Art.

The Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art—consisting of more than 875 objects spanning 20 centuries from throughout North America—is the most significant American Indian Art collection donated to the American public since the depression era, and was stunningly and quickly formed by Eugene and Clare Thaw over the course of a few short years.

At the collection’s core is an unwavering philosophy; that in any culture a small percentage of things stand out as masterpieces by virtue of their superb craftsmanship, visual power, historical association, and cultural meanings. Gene Thaw put it this way: “I want to stress that I look at Indian material culture as art,” he states. “To me, it is co-equal to any of my own highest experiences in pursuing the arts of many nations both as dealer and collector. It stands rightfully with ancient art, with masterpieces of Asia and Europe, as their equivalent, and I wish it would be looked at this way.”

Registration required.

March 11 Art Express, 12:15–12:45 p.m. Lunchtime tour with Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg.

March 27 Try-It Workshop, 2:30–4:30 p.m. Basket making led by Kathi Beauchesne, president of the Center for Research in Basketry, will lead a workshop to create a simple basket. For adults 16 years and up. $15 for members, $25 for non-members. Registration required. Event cancelled.

April 2 Book Club, 2:30–4 p.m. Author Lucia St. Clair Robson will lead a discussion on her book, Ride the Wind. Free. Registration required. Event cancelled.

April 26 Lecture, 3 p.m. Art Educator Lucinda Edinberg will lead a tour of the exhibition. Virtual tours available on Facebook and Instagram.

Comb, ca. 1670–1687, Seneca (Haudenosaunee), Boughton Hill site, Victor, New York, moose or elk antler, H: 4 ¼ x W: 2 7/8 in. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Collection,T0024. Photograph by JohnBigelow Taylor, NYC.

Mask, ca. 1850, Central Yup’ik, Bristol Bay, Alaska, cedar wood & bark, duck feathers, snowy owl feathers, sandhill crane feathers, caribou fur, white clay & black pigment, H: 21.5 x W: 30 x D: 4.5 in., Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Collection, T0600. Photograph by John Bigelow Taylor, NYC.

Gorget, ca. 1200–1350, probably Caddoan, Spiro area, Oklahoma, whelk shell, H: 4 x W: 4 ¼ x D: ¾ in. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York, Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Collection,T0001. Photograph by JohnBigelow Taylor, NYC.

Eva Fognell