Museums across the country have had to seriously contemplate how they move forward as we slowly come out from under the pandemic. In an article for Hyperallergic written last summer, writer Michael Press stated what many have confirmed since then, “In reality, museums merely reflect the massive inequalities in society at large. After the pandemic, museums may represent an even greater concentration of wealth in fewer hands.” Given the challenges they face today, many institutions are rising to a new occasion by looking at fresh ways to present art and artifacts which nonetheless continue to intrigue and educate us. And, there isn’t a better time to get out of the sun and take a stroll in a cool and cavernous museum than summer.

Winterthur, celebrating its 70^th anniversary this year, organized two of its four summer exhibitions to focus on inclusiveness. “With Hammer in Hand: A Story of American Craft” in the updated Dominy Gallery and ”Bearing Witness” present the collection through a new lens. “With Hammer in Hand…” comprises a collection of hand tools, furniture, clocks, business records, and family papers which have been with Winterthur since 1960. The exhibition portrays the racially diverse community of East Hampton, Long Island, in the 18th and early 19th centuries. From the website, “they tell a more complete story about the practices and roles of skilled craftsmen in pre-industrial America than any other single grouping of artifacts and documents that have survived from this period.” To prepare for a visit, learn more about the Dominy Collections here. “Bearing Witness” is a new installation. From the website again, “Objects in the galleries document makers and consumers, bearing witness to people, encounters, and entanglements in American communities and illustrating a global story that crosses gender, racial, cultural, social, and geographic boundaries.” Visit here for a preview video. For more details on everything Winterthur, visit here.

The Delaware Art Museum (DAM) put together a show it hopes will shed light on its decision making process for collecting works. “Collecting and Connecting: Recent Acquisitions, 2010-2020” looks at more than 1,000 new art objects the museum has collected over 10 years. The works span centuries, styles, cultures, and mediums. New acquisitions, including many works by women artists and artists of color, have been installed throughout the museum and sculpture garden.  DAM is also featuring a juried show titled “LACC ArtAddiction 2021: The Power of the Future”, it is hosted by the Latin American Community Center’s Prevention Promoters Program and explores addiction and mental health concerns. The work is on display through the end of July. While you are there be sure to check out “Your Museum, Reimagined,” throughout the summer. The museum’s main floor has been redesigned based on community feedback and includes significant pieces by women and Black artists to tell a more inclusive story of art. The new DelArt galleries reinstallation also brings focus to the role of local artists and collectors in the history of art. Visit here for more details as some exhibitions close while others open. For more, tune in to radio station WCHE 1520 AM’s podcast here from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for “Art Watch” on Wednesday, July 21^st when DAM curator and Art Watch host Margaret Winslow talks about the DelArt reinstall. The exhibition “Picturing America (American Art through 1900)” opened on June 19^th and “Radical Beauty (British Pre-Raphaelites)” opens on July 31^st.

There are just a few days left to see the show “Ninth Street Women and their Legacy” at Somerville Manning Gallery which closes this Friday, July 2^nd. Hear from the five contemporary artists working in the genre of abstract expressionism, who share the stage with five female iconoclasts of the past, here. This episode of Art Watch, hosted by Gallery Director Rebecca Moore, includes a fascinating excerpt from a recent panel discussion led by BRM Curator Amanda Burden. Speaking of the BRM, save the date! On Friday, July 23^rd, take in a concert in the Museum's outdoor courtyard featuring Rob Curto and the Fish Harmonics. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and the show starts at 7:00 p.m.

Finally, if you haven’t had a chance to see the show “Taking Space: Contemporary Women Artists and the Politics of Scale” at PAFA’s museum, there is still time, this powerful show remains on view through September 5^th. Visit here for details.

Whatever you do this week, support the arts!!

About Constance McBride

A native of Philadelphia, Constance McBride lived in Arizona for 16 years, where desert observations made a transformative impact on her work as a research based visual artist. Passionate about contemporary art, she was actively engaged in the local arts community. She served as a board member for several art organizations, managed an artist collective/gallery space, curated and juried several exhibitions and wrote for two arts publications in Phoenix. She taught ceramics at Shemer Art Center and Museum and exhibited her work both locally and nationally. McBride returned to Pennsylvania in 2018 and resides in Chester Springs with her husband and two dogs. In West Chester, she serves as a board member at The Art Trust Gallery at Meridian Bank and teaches ceramics at Chester County Art Association. She also teaches at Clay on Main in Oley, PA. She is a member of American Craft Council, Philadelphia Sculptors, and Women’s Caucus for Art, Philadelphia Chapter.

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