Fruitlands Museum to Open National Parks Photography Exhibition and More Next Month

Harvard, Mass. -- Fruitlands Museum presents two new exhibitions opening at the Art Museum on Friday, September 2.

Find Your Park: National Parks in New England is a large-format photography exhibition that will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the National Park Service and explore the cultural, historical, and natural wonders of the national parks in New England. In Finding Metacom, New England Artists Duane Slick & Martin Smick will exhibit new paintings and other work inspired by the Fruitlands Museum Native American Collection.

FIND YOUR PARK: NATIONAL PARKS IN NEW ENGLAND, September 2, 2016 - March 19, 2017

With Fruitlands recent centennial and amidst The Trustees' yearlong 125th anniversary celebration, Fruitlands Museum presents a photography exhibition celebrating the National Park Service's 100th Anniversary. Developed in partnership with Freedom's Way National Heritage Area, this exhibition showcases the beauty of New England and the important work being done to preserve and promote our shared resources. National parks in New England make up a proud and representative part of the NPS system, encompassing majestic natural wonders, significant urban centers, and beautiful rural landscapes.

"Hiking a mountain. Connecting with neighbors. Discovering local flowers and animals. Walking in the footsteps of poets and presidents. However you explore the national parks in New England, you share in the wonder of the varied landscape and the joy of our diverse heritage. This large-format photography exhibition gives an introduction to the National Park Service (NPS) in New England," explains curator Rebecca Migdal. "At the core of the NPS mission is public enjoyment of these places. Joy and engagement are also at the core of the work at Fruitlands Museum and The Trustees of Reservations, organizations devoted to the stewardship of our shared natural and cultural resources."

The National Park Service officially turns 100 on August 25, 2016. Throughout the year, the NPS will celebrate the centennial with opportunities to explore the parks and look ahead to the next century of stewardship and engagement. The National Park Service covers more than 84 million acres and includes 410 sites of different kinds.

FINDING METACOM: ARTISTS DUANE SLICK & MARTIN SMICK IN DIALOGUE WITH THE FRUITLANDS MUSEUM NATIVE AMERICAN COLLECTION, September 2 - November 6, 2016

This collaborative exhibition centers on King Philip's war club, a prized object in the Fruitlands Museum collection. It explores the lingering presence of Metacom (King Philip's Wampanoag name) and the narratives that shape American history.

The two artists, one who is Native American and the other who is of Anglo-American descent, present paintings and other work that examine the life and legacy of the Wampanoag leader. Documenting the current conditions of Metacom's home village in Montaup, or "Mount Hope," in Bristol, Rhode Island, they trace the casual transformation of Metacom's legacy from cultural leader to Americana mascot.

Developed specifically for Fruitlands Museum, this special exhibition reflects on the intention of founder Clara Endicott Sears to honor Native American peoples. "Our work will raise important questions about the responsibility of the museum to teach the history and reality of Native peoples," say the artists, "and confront inherent conflicts between Native and European American identities. Our hope is that this exhibition inspires a spirit of reconciliation and greater understanding."

ABOUT THE ARTISTS - Duane Slick is a Meskwaki painter and storyteller who holds a BFA in painting from the University of Northern Iowa and a MFA in painting from the University of California, Davis. He began teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1995, and has lectured at colleges and universities across the U.S. and taught at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe, NM. Martin Smick holds a BFA in painting from Washington University and an MFA in painting from the Rhode Island School of Design. He teaches at RISD and Brown.

Fruitlands Museum is open Monday, Wednesday Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., weekends and holidays 10AM - 5PM, April 15 - November 6, 2016. Admission is $14 adults, $12 seniors and students, $6 for children 5 - 13, and free for members and children under 5. Fruitlands Museum is located at 102 Prospect Hill Road in Harvard, Mass. For more information, visit www.fruitlands.org or call 978-456-3924.

Fruitlands Museum, a 210-acre historic, natural, and cultural destination based in Harvard, MA, recently integrated operations with The Trustees of Reservations. Founded in 1914 by author and preservationist Clara Endicott Sears, the Fruitlands complex takes its name from an experimental utopian community led by Transcendentalists Bronson Alcott and Charles Lane that existed on this site in 1843. Fruitlands properties include: The Fruitlands Farmhouse, once home to the family of Louisa May Alcott and a National Historic landmark; The Shaker Museum, home to the largest archive of Harvard Shaker documents in the world; The Native American Museum, which houses a significant collection of artifacts that honor the spiritual presence and cultural history of the first Americans; The Art Museum, featuring a renowned collection of Hudson River School landscape paintings and 19th century vernacular portraits, along with rotating special exhibitions; and The Land, which features panoramic views of the Nashua River Valley, including 2.5 miles of meadows and woodland recreational trails. The Fruitlands Museum Store sells fine crafts by local artists, including pottery, glass, jewelry, clothing and home furnishings. The Museum Café, open during the main season focuses on locally-sourced, sustainable cuisine reflective of the heritage of New England. For more information, visit www.fruitlands.org or call 978-456-3924.

Pictured: Minute Man National Historical Park, 2016. Photo by Patrice Todisco.