Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art presents Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment on view May 25 to September 9, 2019 and Color Field on view June 1 to September 30, 2019.
Summer exhibitions tickets include Nature’s Nation and Color Field and are $16 between June 1 and September 9. Nature’s Nation tickets will be $12 from May 25-31, and Color Field tickets will be $12 from September 11-30. Both exhibitions are free for members, youth ages 18 and under, and veterans. Visit the Summer at Crystal Bridges page to see the complete list of summer offerings.
Nature’s Nation
May 25 to September 9, 2019
Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment is a new exhibition developed by Princeton University Art Museum that examines American artists’ impact on shaping environmental understanding. The exhibition was co-curated by Karl Kusserow, John Wilmerding Curator of American Art at the Princeton University of Art Museum, and Alan C. Braddock, Ralph H. Wark Associate Professor of Art History & American Studies, William & Mary. Featuring 100 artworks from 70 eminent US collections, and including masterworks of American art, this exhibition traces 300 years of evolving ideas about the natural world and our place within it. The paintings, photographs, sculptures, video, and Indigenous art in this exhibition compel us to consider our relationship to the environment and the human impact on the planet.
“Artists can truly help us reimagine our understanding of nature. Artists have long been inspired by nature and have used their art as a platform to call for preservation and bring awareness to environmental conditions,” said Mindy Besaw, curator at Crystal Bridges. “This exhibition is timely. Given the current global environmental challenges facing our planet, artists prompt us to consider what comes next. We hope that visitors will walk away with a deeper understanding of their relationship with nature and a desire to be stewards of our world.”
The exhibition is organized into three sections, unfolds in chronological order, and reflects changing attitudes toward the environment:
Artists featured in this exhibition include Albert Bierstadt, Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Willson Peale, Thomas Moran, Dorothea Lange, John James Audubon, Ansel Adams, Alexis Rockman, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Valerie Hegarty, Walton Ford, Ana Mendieta, Postcommodity, and more. Several Indigenous artists who were featured in Crystal Bridges’ 2018 exhibition Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s toNow are also featured in Nature’s Nation, including Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Kent Monkman, and Cannupa Hanska Luger.
Nature’s Nation was on view at Princeton University Art Museum from October 13, 2018-January 6, 2019. It then traveled to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA (from February 2-May 5, 2019) and will conclude its tour at Crystal Bridges.
Color Field
June 1 to September 30, 2019
Color Field is an outdoor sculpture exhibition developed by Crystal Bridges associate curator of contemporary art Allison Glenn, featuring artists that employ lush colors and enlarged forms against the backdrop of the museum’s North Forest and select locations in the museum. Artists featured in the exhibition include Claire Helen Ashley, Sarah Braman, Jeffie Brewer, Assaf Evron, Sam Falls, Spencer Finch, TYPOE, Odili Donald Odita, Amanda Ross-Ho, and Jessica Stockholder.
Color Field invites visitors to interact with several of the sculptures. Sam Falls’s Untitled (Wind Chimes) consists of large, colorful chimes that visitors can move to activate sound. Odili Donald Odita is debuting a new work created specifically for this exhibition, called Negative Space, which consists of an installation of 13 flags on 20-foot flag poles, installed over a path so that visitors can walk underneath them. The design of the flags includes colors of the American flag, juxtaposed with the complementary colors of green, orange, and black.
In addition to the North Forest, Color Field artworks will be found in other locations around the museum. Assaf Evron’s Untitled (Backdrop for the Neubauer Collegium) will greet museum visitors in the main lobby courtyard. Claire Helen Ashley’s large, inflatable sculptures that invite viewers to gently touch them will be located in the Contemporary Art Gallery Courtyard and a corresponding corridor.
The exhibition’s title is a reference to color field painting, a mid-twentieth century form of abstraction that relies heavily on color and surfaces devoid of representation. There are several examples of this painting style that can be found in Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection including artworks by Helen Frankenthaler, Morris Louis, Mark Rothko, Alma Thomas, James Turrell, Donald Judd, and more.
“Color Field embraces the intersection of art, architecture, and nature, inviting visitors to engage with outdoor sculpture in a new and exciting ways,” said Allison Glenn, Crystal Bridges associate curator of contemporary art. “This exhibition will also connect with works in our permanent collection, allowing visitors to dynamically learn about color field painting and color theory across the museum campus.”
The museum also offers exhibition elements, resources, and activities designed to provide access to engaging art experiences.
Nature’s Nation:
Color Field:
Exhibition Programs
The opening week includes the Nature’s Nation member preview on Friday, May 24. Throughout the duration of the exhibition, Crystal Bridges is offering a full roster of programs inspired by both shows, including several Spotlight Talks and panel discussions with artists from both shows. The exhibition programs for Nature’s Nation include:
The exhibition programs for Color Field include:
Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment has been organized by the Princeton University Art Museum. Leadership support has been provided by Shelly and Tony Malkin; Annette Merle-Smith; Henry Luce Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Arts. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
Nature’s Nation is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Cox Communications, NWA Democrat-Gazette, Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc., The Harrison and Rhonda French Family, Jim and Susan von Gremp, Galen, Debi, and Alice Havner, Highland, Adam D. Stolpen, and James and Emily Bost.
Color Field is sponsored by Airway’s Freight, Avis Bailey, and Charles and Shannon Holley.
To learn more about Nature’s Nation and Color Field, visit the Crystal Bridges website. For news updates, follow Crystal Bridges on the Blog,Facebook or Twitter #CBNaturesNation #CBColorField.