Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: (Un)Settled Art Exhibition Moves Beyond Classic Landscapes

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art: (Un)Settled Art Exhibition Moves Beyond Classic Landscapes

What if we look beyond the conventional landscape art of mountains, fields and waters? A multi-museum collaboration led by Connecticut’s Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford is trying to do just that with their (Un)Settled touring exhibition. Supported and funded by Art Bridges Foundation, it is part of a series of American art exhibitions exploring new ways of interpreting art and the American experiences through dynamic exhibitions and complimentary public programs. The multi-year Art Bridges Cohort Program partnership, which brings together a network of curators and educators with diverse communal and cultural experiences, includes South Carolina’s Columbia Museum of Art, and Alabama’s Mobile Museum of Art and Montgomery Museum of Art. 

The term “unsettled” refers to concepts—such as people, places, feelings and ideas—that are changing or unresolved, explain Erin Monroe, Krieble curator of American paintings and sculpture, and Laura Leonard, Art Bridges’ project coordinator and curatorial researcher. By including historic up to contemporary works of art, earth-focused pieces (wood, clay and more), abstract and multimedia art, and photography, the cohort is broadening the communal understanding of landscape art to offer another version of America’s history with pieces from the four museums’ collections.

“It exemplifies how different museums reflect their regional landscapes—such as the bayou for Mobile and sharecropping homes for Central Alabama,” says Leonard. “By expanding the idea of the American landscape, it reflects how vast and diverse the American landscape is. The exhibit also shows how artists are ‘on the move’ and the changes in the where and when landscape paintings were happening.”

“The exhibition also invites more conversations about who hasn’t been part of the American landscape education and concepts. It makes room for more perspectives and shows relationships with community and place,” adds Monroe.

In addition to landscape paintings, the exhibition includes distinctive earthenware pottery by Catawba artists in South Carolina, twine baskets from Native communities, blown glass pieces, ceramic and millefiori salt glaze sculptures, painted wood pieces, and more.

All exhibition text and materials are also translated into Spanish. There are interactive activities to create a landscape and story, a family exhibit guide and more in-depth guides. The public can also access a podcast created in conjunction with the tour, which can be found on Wadsworth’s (Un)Settled exhibit page.

Art brings up emotions and memories. Drawing from four museum collections, this partnership connects communities to these regional experiences and stories of others through a varied interpretation of American art.