Art & Life in Erie, PA

June 26 - October 11, 1998

In celebration of the Museum's anniversary, the Museum organized the exhibition Art & Life in Erie, Pa., an historical survey of the art and handicraft of Erie County, Pennsylvania.

The exhibition included art created in Erie from the early years of settlement up into the middle of the 20th century, and offered a visual history of life in the community reflecting its rural origins, industrialization, participation in national events, the shaping presence of Lake Erie, and its growth into a modern city.

The show featured paintings, prints, drawings, textiles, ceramics, folk art, furniture, silver, maritime objects and an assortment of Victorian-era crafts.

Featured artists included James Bowman, Moses Billings, Junius Sloan, Laura Sanford, Lovisa Card-Catlin, Lucy Drake Marlow, George Ericson/Eugene Iverd, Joseph Plavcan and many others.

The works were drawn from the Art Museum's collections and from numerous private and public lenders, most notably from the collections of the Erie Historical Museum and the Erie County Historical Society. The exhibit was based on research conducted by many individuals, including Kirk Steehler, Karen Dolan, John Vanco, Ron Holstein and Rick Hovis, Jim Harrison and Louis Meyer, Betty Portenier, Paul Barden, Elizabeth Kelly, Susan Beates, Annita Andrick, John Claridge, Laura Gifford, and others. The exhibition was curated by Museum Director John Vanco.