Maryhill Museum of Art Embarks on an Exploration of The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea
From Maryhill Museum of Art:
By Allison McGillivray
Goldendale, Wash. February 22, 2024 — Maryhill Museum of Art, situated on a hilltop overlooking the Columbia River, celebrates the myriad ways in which humans have interacted with this vital waterway in its 2024 special exhibitions, including The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea and King Salmon. The museum opens for the season on March 15, and the special exhibitions will remain on display through November 15.
Special Exhibitions in 2024
March 15 to November 15
The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea featuring works by Thomas Jefferson Kitts and Erik Sandgren
Along the 310-mile stretch of the Columbia River between the Wallula Gap and the Pacific Ocean, countless generations of people have depended on the river and the land along its banks for sustenance, recreation, and commerce. Countless artists have captured their impressions of the place, the animals, the people, and their stories of life on the river.
The interpretive goal of the display is to provide the public with an opportunity to reflect on the many facets of the river’s identity and to visually chronicle some of the human behaviors that shape its daily life, both past and present. Within these parameters, diverse—and sometimes competing—economic enterprises are near the forefront.
Two prominent Portland artists, Thomas Jefferson Kitts (b. 1961) and Erik Sandgren (b. 1952), have worked closely with the museum to ensure that critical locations along the river are represented in the exhibition. The artists traveled to these locations and painted en plein air, creating both preliminary studies and finished works for display.
The Columbia River: Wallula to the Sea exhibition also includes Indigenous carving, twined basketry, and beadwork from the Middle Columbia River region. A commissioned Chinook-style carving that was created by Greg A. Robinson (Chinook, b. 1957) depicts a Coyote narrative about the river, while key examples of pictorial beadwork with river scenes are being borrowed from collectors in Hood River and Texas.
King Salmon: Contemporary Relief Prints
King Salmon features relief prints—woodcuts and linocuts—that have been added to the museum’s permanent collection within the last 10 years. The “king salmon” in the exhibit title refers at once to the Chinook salmon species and the place of salmon in the economies, cultural life, and leisure-time activities of local people.
Other 2024 Springtime Exhibitions
OAEA & WAEA Teachers As Artists: The Way I See It
March 15 - April 17
This annual juried exhibition provides an opportunity for dedicated art educators in Washington and Oregon to showcase their talents. This show is a testament to art educators who continue to create new work, experiment, grow, and push their skills to the next level. Their commitment stems not only from their dedication as teachers but also from their identity as professionals on a lifelong artistic journey.
Pacific Northwest Plein Air 2024
April 27 - May 27
As the spring wildflowers bloom in the Columbia River Gorge, more than 40 artists take to the outdoors—including the museum grounds—to capture the beauty in the open air. Completed paintings from this annual event will be available to purchase at the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center through May 27.
Permanent Collection
In addition to the special exhibitions, the Maryhill Museum of Art features exhibitions of more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin – one of the largest collections in the United States – European and American paintings, furnishings, personal effects, and art objects from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, and a display of more than 75 chess sets from around the world.
Maryhill is also home to the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring artist-designed sets and small-scale mannequins attired in haute couture fashions of post-World War II France. The museum’s Indigenous Peoples of North America Gallery includes works of Indigenous art from prehistoric to contemporary. The William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park is home to the museum’s collection of large-scale sculptures by well-known Northwest artists.
How to Visit
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, March 15 through November 15. 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 at no charge. The Stonehenge Memorial is free 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, WA; it is a scenic 45-minute drive from Hood River, OR, 30 minutes from The Dalles, OR, 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 84th season in 2024, 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. See art from the Pacific Northwest and around the world, eat at the cafe, shop, picnic, walk garden paths, attend educational and social events, or host your wedding or special occasion onsite. maryhillmuseum.org
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