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by H o pe Koseff Corse and C raig Bruns, Independence Seapo rt M useum
or m o re than 200 years, generations of student-artists and their instructors fro m the Pennsylva nia Academy of the Fine An s in Philadelphia (PAFA) have found inspiration in the region's wa terways fo r their art. N ow you can see the paintings elicited from their musings at the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing th ro ugh the end of 2011 in a new exhibit, Drawn to the Water, Artists of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Capture Our Region's Waterways 1830-Present. Philadelphia was fo unded, and still thrives, as a major seaport, co nnecting people and goods from the coast and around the wo rld to the Pennsylva nia hinterland via the Atlantic Ocean, Delaware Bay and the Delaware River, and the Schuylkill River. While the use of these wa terways has changed over time, th e tradirion of painting them continues . "We're not often challenged to take a fresh look at our regio n's ocean, bay, and rivers," explains C raig Bruns, senior curato r at the Independent Seapo rt M useum , where Drawn to the Wa ter recently o pened to the p ubli c. "What can we learn from artists about how nature and industry combine? In o ur everyday lives, we d rive along or pass over these wa terways bur seldom stop to see how beautiful they are." Everyday scenes of views from the ocean and coast, bay, and rivers are depicted- from rom antic seascapes to industrial scenes of wo rk and infras tructure built alo ng the waterfront. M aritime acriviry fro m this regio n includes commercial, naval, and recreational pursuits, and each is represented in a wide range of perspectives and sryles and from a range of time periods. Independence Seaport Museum's mission is to help reco nnect res id ents of the D elaware River region with their maritime heri tage, and D raw n to the Water is ve ry much a locals' exhibit, fro m the Pennsylvania artists to the subjects of their paintings. W hile local in ori gin, it's an exhibit worth a visit whether yo u come from the Keysto ne State or from far afield. All of the paintings depict water scenes fro m around the Delaware Valley, and exhibit panels include a map showing the location of the scene and where the artist wo uld have been standing to capture the view. In addition to th e tradi tio nal exhibit displays at the museum , Drawn to the Water also includes live painting demo nstrations and is giving away coloring sketchbooks to visito rs so they can create their own images, m o tivated by their experience at the museum and inspired by the same wa terways that have been such a powerful draw to artists fo r centuries. The sketchbooks include nine o riginal line drawings by Liam H odgson, a current PAFA student, maps of the locatio ns depicted in the d rawings, and blank pages fo r their own original art. Participants can send their artwork to the museum to be included in an online companion exhi bit. D erails at www. phillyseaport.o rg.
Coal Boats on the Lower Schuylkill c. 1905 by Fred Wtzgn er
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SEA HISTORY 135, SUMMER 2011