The Brandywine River Museum of Art Explores Art and the Environment in Lure of the Brandywine

The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art provides a fascinating look at the art of the region through the lens of land conservation in its summer exhibition. Lure of the Brandywine: A Story of Land Conservation and Artistic Inspiration will be on view from June 7 through August 10. The unique attributes of the landscape that attracted artists such as Jasper Cropsey, William T. Richards and members of the Wyeth family to the area are now largely protected through the efforts of the Brandywine Conservancy. 

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Lure of the Brandywine celebrates the organization's dual mission to display art from the Brandywine region and to preserve the environment. Organized by an interdepartmental team of staff members, the exhibition features landscape paintings created by artists of the mid-19th century through today who have lived and worked in the Brandywine region. The paintings are organized in groups that illustrate the primary environmental programs of the Brandywine Conservancy. The groups are: Saving Agricultural Lands, Protecting Historic Structures, Enhancing Water Quality, Connecting Trails and Greenways, Preserving Scenic Character and Conserving Natural Resources. 

The exhibition presents artists' responses to the pastoral Brandywine Valley while making thought-provoking connections to the Conservancy's activities that have preserved more than 59,000 acres of scenic and natural resources, farmland and historic properties. 

"The core of our mission is to protect the Brandywine watershed and associated waterways. Our programs focus on a multifaceted approach to conservation, aimed to preserve and restore water quality and quantity," said Sherri Evans-Stanton, director of the Brandywine Conservancy. "We work to save farmland and historic properties, plan and manage land use, promote reforestation and use of native plants, and create trail networks." 

"Lure of the Brandywine affords an interesting look at one aspect of our collection--landscape painting--in a different context that enhances the connection to the Brandywine Valley," said Thomas Padon, director of the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

The selected works of art convey a strong sense of the region's distinctive identity and include a number of important loans as well as works from the museum's rich holdings in landscape painting. Lure of the Brandywine underscores the innate link between artists' appreciation of the region's natural beauty and the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art's commitment to ensuring that legacy for generations to come. 

Several special programs will take place during the exhibition's run, including gallery talks, a Brandywine Arts Evening on July 11, a Water Moves Family Workshop on July 12, and more. 

Lure of the Brandywine: A Story of Land Conservation and Artistic Inspiration is made possible by PECO. Additional support is provided by Victory Brewing Company. 

The Brandywine Conservancy preserves and manages the natural, historic, agricultural, and scenic resources of the Wilmington, Delaware, and Philadelphia region. The Brandywine River Museum of Art collects and exhibits American art with special focus on artists who established a unique artistic heritage in this region. 
 

The Brandywine River Museum of Art, located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, is open daily (except Christmas Day) from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $12 for adults, $8 for seniors ages 65 and over, $6 for children ages 6 and older and free for children 5 and younger and Brandywine Conservancy members. Museum admission is free on Sunday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon through November 24. The museum offers guided tours of the Andrew Wyeth Studio, the N.C. Wyeth House and Studio, and the Kuerner Farm, which may be toured individually or on special package tours. For information, please call 610.388.2700 or visit brandywine.org.