Collecting and Connecting: Recent Acquisitions, 2010-2020 will be on view through September 12.
DelArt visitors have a last chance to satisfy their curiosity about the 1,000+ objects the Museum has acquired in the past decade. A selection of these artworks is showcased in the exhibition Collecting and Connecting: Recent Acquisitions, 2010-2020, on view just through September 12.
The Museum’s recent acquisitions spanning centuries, styles, cultures, and mediums now call the Delaware Art Museum home. The exhibition gives a behind-the-scenes look at how and why the museum collects.
Throughout the exhibition’s run, visitors have made connections between works of art across the Museum’s five collections (American Illustration, British Pre-Raphaelites, American Art to 1960, Contemporary Art, and the Helen Farr Sloan Library and Archives). The new acquisitions have also expanded the stories the Museum tells with art, adding depth and diversity through significant acquisitions by Black and women artists.
“Adding to collections allows the Museum to continue to tell engaging, complex stories – many that have been historically marginalized – through the works of art in the galleries. By collecting, we write and preserve history through artwork so that future generations will be able re-examine and re-contextualize it as well,” writes Margaretta Frederick, Annette Woolard-Provine Curator of the Bancroft Pre-Raphaelite Collection.
“What happens when you place two unrelated works of art from different continents, centuries, movements, and artistic backgrounds next to one another on a gallery wall? Something magical,” says Caroline Giddis, 2020 Delaware Art Museum Appel Curatorial Fellow who co-curated the exhibition with Frederick. Giddis will encourage visitors to draw their own connections during gallery talks over the exhibition’s closing weekend.
Gallery talks: Friday, September 10, Noon and Saturday, September 11, 1 pm. Registration and info at delart.org.
Additional recent acquisitions are installed and highlighted throughout the Museum and will remain on view, including in the reimagined first floor galleries which have reopened throughout the summer.
Acknowledgement of Support
This exhibition was organized by the Delaware Art Museum and is made possible by the Hallie Tybout Exhibit Fund. This organization is supported is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.
Please contact Amelia Wiggins, Director of Communications and Engagement, at awiggins@delart.org or 302-351-8503.
About the Delaware Art Museum
For over 100 years, the Museum has served as a primary arts and cultural institution in Delaware. It is alive with experiences, discoveries, and activities to connect people with art and with each other. Originally created in 1912 to honor the renowned illustrator and Wilmington native, Howard Pyle, the Museum’s collection has grown to over 12,000 works of art in our building and sculpture garden. Also recognized for British Pre-Raphaelite art, the Museum is home to the most comprehensive collection of Pre-Raphaelite art on display outside of the United Kingdom and a growing collection of significant contemporary art.
Under the leadership of our Board of Trustees, the Delaware Art Museum is implementing a comprehensive approach to community and civic engagement. This exciting new strategic direction requires that we increase our value and relevance to all audiences. Visit delart.org for the latest exhibitions, programs, and performances or connect with us via social media.
Image: Dream, 2010. Gretchen Moyer (1956–2015). Pastel and acrylic on paper, 22 × 29 inches. Delaware Art Museum, Gift of David Moyer, 2016. © Estate of the artist.