Inspired by the book “Immigrant Gifts to American Life: Some Experiments in Appreciation of the Contributions of Our Foreign-Born Citizens to American Culture” written in 1932 by Allen H. Eaton, a contemporary of Lewis Hine, the exhibition “Old World/New Soil” calls attention to the collection of works the Museum has acquired from artists who came to the United States either at their own prompting or out of necessity. Just as they adopted America as their new home, we have in turn embraced them, their creative output, and their artwork.
“This exhibition proudly displays artwork by those that chose the United States as their home but were not born here, in an American art museum,” says Whitney Richardson, associate curator. “I hope ‘Old World/New Soil’ encourages visitors to not only see this country through the eyes of these artists but also to appreciate the creativity they brought to us and shared. Many artists in this exhibition went on to teach in the US and influenced the next generation of Americans.”
