(PNAN-AL) – It was in 1986 when the Huntsville Museum of Art launched “Encounters,” a series with a mission to feature works by a regional contemporary artist. Today and some 60 exhibitions later, it is still going strong.
On view this year in the Haws Gallery is “Huntsville’s Past: Through the Artist’s Eyes,” a display of many historical works that give voice to Huntsville’s rich past as documented by local and nationally recognized artists. Featured artists include: William Frye, an itinerant painter known for portraits of the city’s early founders; Susan Keziah Hobbs, who stitched her Huntsville family history into a sumptuous crazy quilt; and social activist Lewis Hine, who photographed the very young laborers at Merrimack Mill.
In the Chan Gallery is “Looking at the Collection: Encounters Alumni,” which will run through September 18, celebrates the legacy of this landmark series through a presentation of works in the Museum’s collection by many past Encounters artists. Highlights include arresting paintings by Larry Walker and Mark Messersmith; engaging sculpture by Duane Paxson and Janice Kluge; evocative photographs by Sheila Hagler and Melissa Springer; and fine crafts by Dale Lewis and Clifton Pearson.
For more information, see: www.hsvmuseum.org.