Spring 2020 Exhibitions
A selection from our permanent collection in its refreshed Nissley Gallery. The museum’s
permanent collection gallery is named in honor of Thomas W. Nissley ’55 and his wife
Emily Baldwin Nissley, who generously provided funding for its care and programming.
The PMA has been selected to receive artwork from Crystal Bridges’s art loaning program,
Art Bridges. This loan program will be ongoing with
new rotations each semester. What a Wonderful World highlights four artists that address environmental concerns.
Binh Danh's daguerreotypes—part nostalgic vision, part environmental cry—document
the natural beauty of the currently protected land in Yosemite National Park. Rena
Detrixhe creates dirt rugs using Oklahoma soil, sifting the collective memories embedded
in the dust. Ryan Hoover’s tree forms are created by an algorithm that the artist
has written to simulate natural growth patterns. Marion Wilson's photographs and drawings
are often through the lens of ecology, where her attention has been drawn to the study
of stress-tolerant and overlooked plant species that live in microenvironments—particularly,
moss. Finding Freedom by American artist, Sonya Clark, considers Lancaster as a site along
the Underground Railroad and the use of the night sky, specifically the Big Dipper
constellation, to orient slaves seeking freedom. Sonya created cyanotype prints of
constellations that appear on chemically treated fabric using regional vegetable and
flower seeds. Visitors are invited to sit in stargazer chairs to view the night sky
canopy and find random versions of the Big Dipper while meditating on the same view
that slaves used to navigate their way to freedom.
Containing the Muse features 15 works from the Franklin & Marshall College Library,
Archives, and Special Collections. Artists' books are a form of creative expression,
providing an opportunity for political, environmental, social, and personal communication.
They range in size, shape, material and formats, altering the way people can manipulate
and interpret them. Exhibition and programming developed in partnership with the Franklin
& Marshall College Library.
Selections From the Permanent Collection & Art Bridges: Works On Loan
What a Wonderful World
Sonya Clark: Finding Freedom
Containing the Muse: Artists' Books as Expression & Form