ASHEVILLE, NC.- Public Domain: Photography and the Preservation of Public Lands presents works drawn from the
Asheville Art Museums Collection by artists looking both regionally and nationally at lands that are either state or federally managed or have become so. This exhibition is on view in the Asheville Art Museums Van Winkle Law Firm Gallery May 19 through August 30, 2021.
The Asheville Art Museums growing collection of photography features a variety of artworks that consider humankinds impact on our environment and world, said Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator. The imagery featured in Public Domain reminds us of the critical role that artists play in environmental activism and preservation, affecting change at a range of levels.
Through images capturing the beauty, changes, and even devastation to the American landscape, photographers have played a vital role in advocating for the preservation of nature via the establishment and maintenance of state parks, national parks and monuments, and other federally protected lands. From George Masa and Timothy McCoys photographs of Great Smoky Mountains National Park to a selection of works from Robert Glenn Ketchums Overlooked in America: The Success and Failure of Federal Land Management series, these artworks provoke contemplation of both natures beauty and a calling to protect it. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Bureau of Land Management whose mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Photographers include Robert Glenn Ketchum, George Masa, Timothy McCoy, Benjamin Porter, Sally Gall, and more.
This exhibition is organized by the Asheville Art Museum and curated by Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator.