Landscapes In Passing: Photographs by Steve Fitch, Robbert Flick, and Elaine Mayes opened last week on the museum's second floor. This installation looks at representations of the American landscape by three different artists. While each artist had a different approach, all of the works explore the impact of expanding civilization on the natural world. The photographs show mediated views, seen from a moving car window or captured from a particular moment on a prescribed path. In contrast to 19th-century artists, who focused on majestic views of unspoiled wilderness, Fitch, Flick, and Mayes openly acknowledge the human presence in their photographs, encouraging us to think about the changing landscape as well as our relationship to it.
Landscapes in Passing was organized by Lisa Hostetler, McEvoy Family Curator of Photography. Lisa came to the American Art Museum in 2012 from the Milwaukee Art Museum, and has spent the last year familiarizing herself with our collections. We have over seven thousand photographs in the permanent collection and it is always interesting to see what new discoveries and connections will result from a fresh pair of eyes. Listen to Lisa talk about the works and artists in Landscapes in Passing in our latest video podcast series on YouTube.
