Founding Narratives presents artworks produced in the United States between 1800 and today that offer opportunities to consider the role of art in creating, reinforcing, and challenging stories about national identity. Drawn entirely from the Mead Art Museum’s extensive collection of American art, the exhibition raises questions about representation and the absence of representation in national narratives and in the establishment of a national art, about the significance of “firsts,” and about the interpretative frameworks that museums offer about artists and artworks.
The exhibition provides a foundation for public engagement with historical and contemporary US art. An online version of the show will be created and more information will be added to the Mead’s website during the run of the exhibition. We welcome collaboration with students, faculty, and community members.
Featured artists are Andrea Carlson, Thomas Cole, Deborah Dancy, Robert S. Duncanson, June Edmonds, Lee Norman Friedlander, Martin Johnson Heade, Edward Hicks, Orra White Hitchcock, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gilbert Stuart, and Richard Yarde.