Andrew Shi

From June 27 to November 29, the Bowdoin College Museum of Art (BCMA) is presenting a major exhibition in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. The exhibition was curated by Frank Goodyear, his final exhibition at the BCMA. Titled “USA @ 250,” the exhibit explores the nation’s history through a series of artworks created since 1776, with each selected work being a part of the BCMA’s own collection.

The exhibit includes a variety of artists, mediums and time periods in the hopes of encapsulating the traditions that compose the United States.

“When you walk into the exhibition the first thing you’ll see is a ‘preface’ to the history of the United States that features contemporary Indigenous art, as a nod to the histories of those who were here long before the foundation of the United States,” Anne Cross, the Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral curatorial fellow at the BCMA, said.

Yet, despite these hopes, some audience members found themselves searching for a greater connection amid the works displayed.

“I could tell that [Goodyear] tried really hard to include a diverse representation of America. Alongside traditional historical telling of the American Revolution, American Civil War and the world wars, they also included comments and emphasis on [the] minority experience and class struggle,” Andrew Shi ’29 said. “I do feel like the narrative of the exhibition was somewhat limited by the available collection of the BCMA itself. This is not to say the pieces aren’t interesting, but things felt a bit forcefully pieced together at certain points.”

Shi expressed his reservations with the diversity of featured artworks.

“The exhibition felt limited and doesn’t fully reflect the historical and cultural expanse of America,” he said. “A lot of the sections do seem to just be like ‘Oh this happened, here’s a piece that somewhat relates to it and here’s modern critical commentary on it.’”

Rather than constructing the exhibit around one specific narrative, Goodyear instead hoped to convey episodic themes of America, something that both audiences and curatorial fellows and audiences noted.

“Each episode covers a decade over 250 years. So it begins with the 1780s with Americans in Paris…. There’s all these different themes that different courses will be able to touch on,” Cross said. “I already have courses organized to look at themes around the Civil War and the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. So, because it just has so much material, there’s going to be a lot of ways for classes to engage with it.”

Despite Shi’s criticisms, he believes students will find artworks that connect them to the exhibit and to Bowdoin’s intersection with American history.

“I was quite interested in the displayed works of Irving Penn and those of Arthur Rothstein, who are both prominent American photographers I knew of and respected. Irving Penn’s photographs for Vogue were some of the most timeless and influential photos I’ve seen,” Shi said. “There was also this ornate air pump that piqued the interest of James Bowdoin II, who I learned was an amateur science enthusiast and helped found the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.”

The exhibit hopes to leave students lingering, allowing them to form their own connections to American history and the associated artworks.

“It’s very concise in its interpretation, so there’s not a lot of wall text.… It’s actually kind of this wonderful opportunity for students and classes to engage with the art on its own terms and really be attentive to what’s on the wall,” Cross said.

The BCMA plans to extend this exhibit beyond the visual arts, with an event being held on Tuesday, October 22, in collaboration with The Quill and organized by Jonathan Pessant, a current security guard at the BCMA and a poet himself.

A number of poets will be reading poetry of their own and by other writers, with all works chosen being inspired by the exhibit.

“[We’re] thinking about how we can use the art to engage other disciplines, how poetry can respond to the art, how the art can engage with the poetry. That’s where we’re really trying to go with our teaching,” Cross said.

Andrew Shi ’29 is a member of The Bowdoin Orient.