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Some American Stories

Location

Space

Dates

A marble bust of a man wearing a necklace.

Selected Works

Tony Abeyta

Stylized landscape painting of adobe buildings under a dramatic, swirling sky.

Probably Clara Driscoll for Tiffany Studios

Stained glass table lamp with floral design and tree trunk-style base.

Thomas Wilmer Dewing

Two women in flowing dresses in a green, atmospheric setting, with one holding a harp-like instrument.

Sanford Robinson Gifford

A sunset over a forested lake with distant mountains and a warm, glowing sky.

Utagawa Hiroshige

Winslow Homer

A lone figure stands on a log over a lake, next to a canoe, with misty trees in the background.

Agnes Pelton

Abstract painting with swirling blue shapes and a central glowing form.

Sarah Sockbeson

Decorative vessel with a textured, spiky surface and blue accents on a dark background.

Arthur Wesley Dow

Virgil Williams

An oil on canvas painting of a mountain at dusk.

James McNeill Whistler

Painting of figures walking along a riverfront promenade with smokestacks and a steamer ship in the distance. Gray tones fill the hazy atmosphere.

Gourley Works on Paper Gallery

Dedicated to the museum’s extensive collection of works on paper, this gallery features new installations of prints, drawings, and photographs every six months, showcasing the wide range of creative expression in the Americas.

This installation celebrates the enduring impact of Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints on US printmaking from the late nineteenth century to the present. Ukiyo-e, meaning “pictures of the floating world,” refers to a genre of Japanese woodblock printmaking and painting that flourished from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. The prints depict everyday life, landscapes, and seasonal pleasures with bold outlines, flat planes of color, asymmetrical compositions, and a distinct sense of visual rhythm. This installation features iconic prints by renowned Japanese artists such as Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige, whose landmark series—Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, respectively—transformed the aesthetics of landscape and narrative in Japanese art, and the US artists they directly influenced.

Installation Views

  • Three framed landscape paintings on a pale green wall, one including a panoramic scene
  • Sculpture on pedestal and an installation reading “OH FREEDOM” on the back wall spelled with hanging strands, positioned in a stairwell space.
  • Figurative sculpture on pedestal in front of decorative architectural archway with a view into adjacent gallery.
  • Wall text titled “Constructing Nature” beside three framed landscape paintings with water on a green wall.
  • Three framed paintings on a green gallery wall.
  • Contemporary basket on pedestal with five diverse artworks on surrounding green walls.
  • Contemporary basket on pedestal in front of wall text titled “Maine as Source,” with paintings on surrounding walls.
  • Large ceramic figurative sculpture on pedestal beside wall text and a painting of George Washington, with display cases in the background.
  • Carved lion sculpture on platform with framed paintings and a staircase in the background.
  • Two ceramic vessels on pedestal surrounded by framed landscape paintings in green-walled gallery.
  • Framed landscape paintings and a ceramic vessel on pedestal in a green-walled gallery.
  • Bronze sculpture of a woman with bow in front of framed paintings and reliefs on pink walls.
  • Corner display with a Tiffany lamp and two framed artworks on pink walls.
  • White marble sculpture of a veiled woman on a pedestal in a gallery with additional sculptures and framed works.
  • Gallery with blue walls displaying a ceramic vessel on a pedestal and five framed hanging artworks.

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Abby Lank

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers

Installation view of Some American Stories, Lunder Wing, Colby College Museum of Art, Waterville, Maine, 2024. Photo: Luc Demers