Professor to Discuss Historical Arkansas Photographs
August 25, 2009 – 2:20 pm
BENTONVILLE, Ark., August 25, 2009 –Currently on display at Crystal Bridges at the Massey, Harry Miller’s Vision of Arkansas, 1900 – 1910 offers a fascinating glimpse of early 20th century life in north central Arkansas, from picnics and courtship scenes to the construction of railroads and dams. Jeannie Whayne, a professor of history at the University of Arkansas and adjunct curator of American history at Crystal Bridges, will discuss the historical images in ArtBuzz: Northeast Arkansas Revealed by Harry Miller, a gallery talk from 11 a.m – noon Thursday, August 27. The program will take place at the Massey, Crystal Bridges’ temporary gallery space located at 125 West Central Ave. in downtown Bentonville.
Whayne notes that Miller captured a part of the past that is typically hard to find.
“Most historic photos from this era show well-to-do, upper-middle-class people who are posing in a studio or their homes. Most of Miller’s photos were taken outside – you get a sense not only of people but of place,” she said. Whayne will discuss the economic conditions that Miller recorded as well as the frequently harsh conditions that make the photos of gaily dressed subjects all the more poignant.
“Death and disease were facts of daily life. We will discuss what it was like for families, how people persevered despite difficult circumstances,” she said.
Raised in northeastern Arkansas during the 1950s and 1960s, Jeannie Whayne witnessed a transformation that prompted her lifelong absorption in the history of twentieth-century plantation agriculture and race relations. She is currently finishing a book on a 60-thousand acre Arkansas plantation and launching research on an environmental study of the lower Mississippi River Valley. Whayne’s gallery talk is the first of three ArtBuzz presentations planned in conjunction with the Harry Miller exhibition. Also coming up:
- ArtBuzz: Looking Through the Lens, 11 a.m. – noon Friday, Sept. 4. Aaron Jones, Crystal Bridges’ public tour program coordinator, will lead an exploratory conversation on the natural landscapes, industrial construction and people in Miller’s photographs.ArtBuzz: Drawing Parallels, 11 a.m. – noon Thursday, Oct. 15. Ben Edwards, exhibitions coordinator at Crystal Bridges, will draw parallels between present day Bentonville and Batesville in the early 1900s with a look at immigration issues, financial climate, social implications and the banking field.
- ArtBuzz offers free, drop-in gallery talks for adults and teens that focus on a wide variety of topics related to current exhibitions. ArtBuzz is a popular series developed by Crystal Bridges to spark curiosity and a sense of discovery about American art, history, architecture and the natural environment. Most Learning Experiences programs offered to the general public are free with no advance registration required. For more information about Crystal Bridges at the Massey, including a full schedule of educational programs, go to www.massey.crystalbridges.org or call 479-418-5721.
Harry Miller’s Vision of Arkansas, 1900 – 1910 will be on display through October 25.
