Knowing Who We Are: From 19th Century Academic Painting through Southern Regionalism

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Courtesy of the Ogden

Joseph Meeker, Bayou Plaquemines (detail), 1881, Oil on Canvas, 21 x 36 inches, Promised gift of the Roger Houston Ogden Collection.

In 2023, Ogden Museum celebrates its twentieth year of providing a home for one of the world's most significant collections of Southern art with its first exhibition to encompass the entire museum since it opened in 2003. Knowing Who We Are, which updates the South's narrative as told through contemporary artwork, will roll out in parts eventually encompassing the entire museum, featuring artwork both from the Ogden's permanent collection and newer acquisitions. Inspired by the Ralph Ellison quote "knowing where we are has a lot to do with our knowing who we are," the exhibition considers the impact our environments have on our selves. Included works represent artists from a broad swath of the South, from El Paso to Baltimore and beyond, and often features diverse expressions of the balance between tradition and innovation, as well as the complex and troubled histories of their homes. In particular, the exhibit—which includes artwork spanning back to the nineteenth century—aims to highlight works that were influential, but previously unrecognized.

The third part of the exhibition, Knowing Who We Are: From 19th Century Academic Painting through Southern Regionalism, follows Southern art's journey from early photography, through impressionism, the Arts & Crafts movement, American Scene Painting, Social Realism, and Regionalism, and opens April 1 on the Third Floor. ogdenmuseum.org.