Mar 10, 2024 — Sep 22, 2024
Discover how American history is illuminated in visual art. This exhibition invites viewers to consider a variety of viewpoints about such defining events as the Indian Removal Act, the Civil War, World War I, and the Civil Rights Movement. Featured artists include: George Bellows, George de Forest Brush, Robert Gwathmey, Carl Hirschberg, Henry Inman, William Henry Johnson, Thomas Noble, Luther Terry, and William Aiken Walker.
Visual art often acts as a gateway to the past that written text alone cannot provide. Art engages people of diverse backgrounds and learning styles, enabling viewers to imagine what life was like many years ago, for people who lived very different lives. Art gives voice to the artist and speaks to the time in which it was created, leaving a record of the past for contemplation in the present. In so many ways, art serves as a powerful tool for teaching history.
Made possible by a grant from the Warner Foundation, the Art + History Project seeks to deepen and broaden visitors’ understanding of America’s story by presenting a selection of works from the GCMA permanent collection. The grant also supports the development of curriculum, resources, and workshops to train South Carolina teachers how to use visual art to teach American History.