On The Road
Pittsburgh’s John Kane: The Life & Art of an American Workman

Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 21, 2022– January 8, 2023

This summer Aspinwall by John Kane travelled to Heinz History Center to be part of their exhibition Pittsburgh’s John Kane: The Life & Art of an American Workman. Explore the gripping story of a Pittsburgh immigrant who endured poverty, tragedy, and other adversities to become one of the world’s most revered self-taught artists.

Grounded in new scholarship from Louise Lippincott and Maxwell King, authors of the new book “American Workman: The Life and Art of John Kane,” the History Center exhibition features 37 original works of art and dozens of artifacts that showcase the world of John Kane – a turn-of-the-century Scottish immigrant who achieved breakthrough success as a painter after toiling for more than 40 years as a laborer in industrial-age Pittsburgh.

John Kane
Aspinwall, ca.1929
Oil on canvas
Gift of Bartlett Arkell 1931

a landscape with a river in the foreground with a steamboat. On the far shore are hills with a large red factory building
Unmasking Venice: American Artists and the City of Water

Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown, New York
May 28 – September 5, 2022

This summer Venetian Lace Makers by Robert Blum travelled to Fenimore Art Museum to be part of the exhibition Unmasking Venice: American Artists and the City of Water

Unmasking Venice: American Artists and the City of Water features paintings, etchings and 3-dimensional objects that explore the two Venetian worlds depicted by American artists during the late 19th, early 20th and 21st centuries. The “picturesque” demonstrates the attraction to Venice felt by American tourists, while the “realistic” depicts the grittier realism of an everyday Venetian’s life. The exhibition includes work by a diverse group of artists, including Jane Peterson and Fred Wilson, and draws some interesting Venetian connections to the Thaw Collection of American Indian Art through the glass industry.

Robert Blum (1857-1903)
Venetian Lace Makers, 1885
Oil on canvas
Gift of Bartlett Arkell, 1936

women sit along a long table. Upon the table they are making lace. The women's faces are mostly obscured. Their dresses are many colors.

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The mission of the Arkell Museum at Canajoharie and the Canajoharie Library is to promote and celebrate the understanding and enjoyment of the arts and humanities in Canajoharie, the Mohawk Valley, and beyond. The Arkell Museum collects, preserves, researches and presents American Art and Mohawk Valley History, and promotes active participation in art and history related activities, to enhance knowledge, appreciation and personal exploration by all.

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