Mark’s Score 9.5
If art museums are important to you, the Delmarva is not on your short list for a visit. There are only a handful of art museums, and with the exception of the Ward Collection, none of these museums house an important world-class collection. And the one world-class collection we do have was tragically broken up by Salisbury University. Consequently, my expectations for local art museums were low. But then I visited the Academy Art Museum in Easton, and my perspective of local art museums was turned on its head.
The Academy Art Museum is the only accredited art museum on the Eastern Shore, and was founded in 1958 by six local residents, including sculptor Lee Lawrie. The first exhibits were held in a vacant church. In 1960 the museum purchased the former Easton School building (built in 1820) to house its collection and exhibits. The original permanent collection began modestly with only 11 works. The first curator wasn’t even hired until 1972. Twenty-five years later the museum purchased the Thomas-Hardcastle House next door. The two buildings were eventually connected by a glass atrium to create the current exhibit space. In 2020 the glass atrium section was redesigned to create a pleasant courtyard and grand entrance. Today their collection contains 1,700 prints, drawings and photographs from European and American artists, including; Goya, Cêzanne, Picasso, Miró, Cassatt, Adams, and Davis.
Currently there are five exhibits running through the summer. I am only going to write about two here. The first, Under the Mexican Sky showcases the photography of Ed Weston, Tina Modotti, Manuel Bravo, and Henri Cartier-Bresson. These artists moved to Mexico in the decades following the Mexican Revolution. Their work focused on Mexico’s culture, landscapes, and its ethereal light. Most of the photographs were done in sepia, which emphasized the light and the revolutionary vibrancy of Mexico in the early part of the twentieth century. There is a poignancy to these photographs that captures a bittersweet nostalgia of that era. I left that exhibit with an appreciation of the importance of that place and time.
The second, and my favorite, were portraits done by a locally based artist, Tawny Chatmon. Many of these paintings are from the private collection of the Chatmon and Haines families. The theme of the exhibit is a celebration of black life, beauty, and history through an artistic process that blends photography with painting, collage, and hand embellishments. Her work reminds me of the work of Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt. In fact, when I walked into the museum, I looked down the hall and asked the docent, “is that a Klimt?” The portrait hanging at the end of the hall was reminiscent of Klimt’s famous portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, which was the subject of the 2015 movie, Woman in Gold.
This is Easton, not New York or Paris. This museum may not be the Louvre or the Met, but it is a museum that punches well above the weight of a small rural town. It is expertly curated and well worth a visit.
What else is there to do in Easton?
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