St. Paul, MN–The Minnesota Museum of American Art is pleased to announce the opening of its new exhibition Summer Escape: Traversing the Collection featuring more than 70 works from the museum’s extensive permanent collection from over 40 different artists. An exhibition of artwork from the late 1880s to contemporary times, Summer Escape presents quintessential summer scenes, famous and off-beat tourist attractions, and the art of nature through paintings, photochroms, etchings, photography, and drawings. This exhibition presents many works of art that have not previously been on display, in addition to several of MMAA’s well-known standards like Grant Wood’s Iowa Landscape “The Crik”.

Summer is a time when many people escape from daily life to the out-of-doors and head out of town for adventure and excitement, or the oft-needed respite one can only satisfy through nature. Summer Escape: Traversing the Collection offers a chance to experience picturesque summer scenes through the eyes of artists from over the course of a century. In this exhibition, catch first-light mountain vistas with William Henry Jackson’s 1899 image of Sunrise from Pike’s Peak. Stretch out with sunbathers as pictured in Red Grooms’s 1981 watercolor Hancock Beach. Or imagine enjoying a beer in the serene middle-of-nowhere bar depicted in Mike Lynch’s late 1980s print Night: Moose Junction.

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Journey into the uncharted west with William Henry Jackson to clamber up cliffs in Yosemite National Park or drive south to Monument Valley in an Airstream trailer to take in vast sandy expanses with photographer Roger Minick. Head northwest to view the Canadian Rockies as painter Elsa Jemne captured them in her small yet majestic 1929 oil painting, or to Yellowstone National Park to witness the natural power of Castle Rock Geyser exploding heavenward.

Make your way to New York and experience pure city energy as Ernest Lawson, Dewey Albinson, Reginald Marsh, and Isabel Bishop have portrayed in 1930s and 40s overviews of the cityscape and in portraits of weary-eyed travelers waiting for transportation to further destinations.

Revisit the North Shore of Minnesota through pinhole camera photographs by George Clement Peer, or perhaps really see Lake Superior for the first time in the vibrant pastels of George Morrison.

Special features of the exhibition are four sepia-toned photographs taken by Paul Manship on a 1928 trip to Mexico when he traveled through the central and southern regions. In this case Manship departed from his primary form of artistic expression—sculpture—and captured exquisite images of late 1920s Mexican churches and village scenes on film.

Whether an expedition to a natural wonder or a road trip to destinations unknown, Summer Escape: Traversing the Collection offers visitors an opportunity to explore widely disparate summer attractions.

Note: A complete list of artists in the exhibition is available upon request, as well as more information about the artists and their works.

ABOUT MMAA

Experience and explore the energy and depth of American visual culture at the Minnesota Museum of American Art—a place for the traditional and unconventional. At MMAA the diversity of art and artists—past, present, and emerging—is revealed through music, performance, dance, fashion, painting, film, and sculpture. MMAA is located on Kellogg Boulevard at Market Street in downtown St. Paul. For more information about MMAA, visit www.mmaa.org.

Tours:

Guided tours are offered during regular gallery hours. To schedule, please call 651.266.1038 at least three weeks in advance.

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Hours:

Tuesday 11am-4pm

Wednesday 11am-4pm

Thursday 11am-8pm

Friday 11am-4pm

Saturday 11am-4pm

Sunday 1-5pm

Closed Monday and Major Holidays

Admission:

Admission is FREE for this exhibition!