The Artist’s Garden: American Impressionism
At Salina Art Center Cinema June 7 & 8
June 3, 2019 (Salina, KS) From EXHIBITION ON SCREEN comes a film exploring how the relationship between art and gardening blossomed in America. The film showing at Salina Art Center Cinema, 150 S. Santa Fe on June 7 @ 3pm to kick off First Friday festivities in downtown Salina. Then an encore showing at 11am Saturday, June 8. All tickets are only $6.
The Artist’s Garden tells the intertwining stories of American Impressionism and The Garden Movement which flourished from 1887–1920. Both movements responded to rapid social change brought about by America’s industrialization. With increasing urbanization prompting the emerging middle-class to seek refuge in the suburbs, they began to spend their free time and wealth cultivating impressive private gardens.
When French art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel brought a selection of impressionist paintings to New York in 1886, he changed the course of art in America entirely. Many American artists, inspired by what they saw, made the pilgrimage to study in Monet’s Giverny, and were keen to employ their experience to capture America’s own unique landscapes. In doing so, they captured a unique moment in America’s history - a snapshot of a nation transitioning from a land of agriculture to a land of industry.
Audiences will also be transported to Appledore Island, run by poet Celia Thaxter, where preeminent impressionist Childe Hassam produced three hundred works over three decades. The film reveals how Celia Thaxter and other American women saw the garden not only as a beautiful oasis but an important political space for women. As gardening’s popularity rose, women began to take on new professionalized roles, from garden design to horticultural writing, and lead activist movements to protect native species.
The Artist’s Garden is a truly immersive film, offering a unique opportunity to get up-close to the greatest examples of American Impressionism, and to understand the unique cultural moment in which they were produced.
For more information about what’s playing at the Cinema visit www.SalinaArtCenter.org or follow us on social media. The Cinema is open 7 days per week, running new films each week.
***
Founded in 1978, the Salina Art Center is a 501(c)3 creating exchanges among art, artists, and audiences that reveal life. Accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the Art Center's galleries, Art Center Cinema, and Warehouse are located in the heart of downtown Salina, KS. Learn more online at www.salinaartcenter.org. The Salina Art Center’s exhibitions and programs are funded by Art Center donors and members and the Salina Arts & Humanities Grants Program, the City of Salina.
