From Maryhill Museum of Art:

By Allison McGillivray

Goldendale, Wash. March 14, 2025 — A repository of art and culture in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge, Maryhill Museum of Art has announced its 2025 exhibition schedule opening in March 2025.

The exhibitions celebrate a wide range of artistic and cultural expression displayed in a Chateau-like setting overlooking the river.

The 2025 exhibitions feature Capturing Light: 350 Years of European and American Painting with nearly 50 works ranging from the 17th to the 21st centuries. These painters, conscious of the appearance of light in their compositions, set the mood with chiaroscuro, direct, diffuse, and oblique light among others.

A companion exhibition, Robert Douglas Hunter: Still Lifes focuses on a 20th-century painter influenced by the classical painting traditions of the 19th century. The 1946 Lelong Dance Dress, a new complementary exhibition for the permanent gallery Théâtre de la Mode, examines a 1946 collection mannequin that is often attributed to couturier Lucien Lelong’s senior designer, Christian Dior. Romanian Folk Pottery explores traditional pottery from Horezu, a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage for Humanity destination, and pottery was given to the museum by Queen Marie of Romania in 1926.

In the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, several rotating exhibitions feature a mix of contemporary artists and community shows. These include Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia River Gorge, a long-running painting event with approximately 40 participating artists; Elise Wagner, a Portland-based encaustic artist – exhibiting with Yakama wa’paas basketry artists; and Damien Gilley, a Portland-based muralist and graphic artist. It also features the annual Teachers As Artists show, which presents work from the Washington and Oregon Art Educator Associations.

The museum will also unveil renovations to the Indigenous Peoples of North America Gallery and the Four Founders Gallery, which will be on permanent display.

“The 2025 exhibitions and updates showcase the breadth of our collection and the rich cultural histories they represent,” said Amy Behrens, executive director of Maryhill Museum of Art. “The diversity of our exhibitions offers a unique opportunity for our visitors to explore the past through the eyes of the artists while reflecting on the timeless traditions that continue to shape our world today.”

PERMANENT COLLECTION GALLERY UPDATES OPENING MARCH 15, 2025

Indigenous Peoples of North America Gallery Updates

Basketry in the Museum_s Indigenous Gallery

The museum’s Indigenous Peoples of North America Gallery, part of the permanent collection on display, will receive updates to select cases this winter to showcase additions to the museum’s collection, including:

More than 30 new beaded bags, pouches, and gauntlets from the Columbia River Plateau
Contemporary Indigenous three-dimensional art
A seating area with video content featuring contemporary Indigenous artists

Théâtre de la Mode Gallery Décor Rotation

Showcasing the intricate craftsmanship and creativity of French fashion designers in the mid-twentieth century, this collection of artist-designed sets and small-scale mannequins dressed in haute couture were created to raise funds after World War II and embody the resiliency of the French spirit. In 2025, three Théâtre de la Mode décors will rotate onto view from the museum’s collection: Georges Wakhévitch’s 1946 Place des Vosges; Jean Cocteau’s 1945–46 Hommage à René Clair: Ma Femme est une Scorcière (My Wife is a Witch); and Jean Saint-Martin’s 1945 Croquis de Paris (Paris Sketch).

Permanent Collection Galleries

In addition to its rotating exhibitions, Maryhill Museum of Art is home to several quality permanent art collections on display in 2025, including:

The Auguste Rodin Collection: A rare museum collection featuring more than 80 original plaster casts, bronzes and marbles, and drawings by the famous French sculptor.
Queen Marie of Romania Collection: Personal effects, furnishings, and art objects from the palaces of Queen Marie of Romania, a co-founder of Maryhill Museum of Art.
Orthodox Icons: Among the art objects contributed by Queen Marie to the museum in 1926 were fine Russian icons. These religious paintings are considered sacred objects by the Orthodox church. Maryhill’s collection has grown to include about 50 examples from the 17th century onward.
International Chess Sets: The museum houses more than 75 chess sets from around the world, reflecting artistic traditions and craftsmanship across diverse cultures.
William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park: Located on the museum’s grounds, the sculpture park features large-scale works by well-known Northwest artists and offers a scenic outdoor art experience.

How to Visit

Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, March 15 through November 15 with ticketed admission. The Gardens & Grounds, including the William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park, are open from 10 am to 5 pm daily from March 15 to November 15. The Stonehenge Memorial is open to visitors from dawn to dusk daily year-round.

Maryhill Museum of Art overlooks the Columbia River on Washington’s SR 14, just west of US 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington; it is a scenic 45-minute drive from Hood River, Oregon, 30 minutes from The Dalles, Oregon, 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information and tickets, visit maryhillmuseum.org.

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About Maryhill Museum of Art Celebrating its 85th season in 2025, Maryhill Museum of Art ignites a journey of educational enrichment by preserving and interpreting art and historic collections. Set on a stunning 5,300-acre site overlooking the scenic Columbia River Gorge, the museum is open daily from March 15 to November 15. Visitors are invited to explore art from the Pacific Northwest and around the world, dine at the cafe, shop, picnic, walk garden paths, attend educational and social events, and celebrate special occasions on the scenic grounds. maryhillmuseum.org

Maryhill Museum of Art Announces 2025 Exhibitions

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