NEW LONDON – The Lyman Allyn Art Museum has a great, no-cost way to entertain friends and family during these final weeks of summer.
The Museum is offering free admission to all visitors through Sept. 3, generously funded by Dominion Energy. The grant is connected to the Museum’s current exhibition, Barkley L. Hendricks in New London, which runs through Sept. 3.
“We want to thank Dominion Energy and invite everyone into our galleries throughout the month of August,” Museum Director Sam Quigley said. “The Barkley Hendricks show features the art and photography of one of New London’s own, and we’re hoping free admission will bring in even more visitors during the final weeks of the show.”
The Museum will also present a panel symposium, “Looking at Legacy: Reflecting on Barkley L. Hendricks with Connecticut Arts Leaders” on Aug. 11 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Museum. Regional arts leaders will discuss Hendricks’ artistic legacy and issues related to teaching in the arts and humanities today.
Panelists include Kalia Brooks, Director of Programs and Exhibitions at NXTHVN; Kate Rushin, Distinguished Visiting Poet at Connecticut College; Alexis Boylan, Director of Academic Affairs at UCONN Humanities Institute; and Marvin Espy, a distinguished artist, who lives and works in New London.
The program, in-person and virtual, is free, but attendees need to register in advance. Visit lymanallyn.org to register for the program.
The exhibition, Barkley L. Henricks in New London, presents the work of the internationally-celebrated Hendricks, who is best known for his expressive, large-scale portraits, many from the 1970s, which present a powerful vision of modern Black identity.
Inspired by Old Master portraits and the desire for racial diversity in the artistic canon, the long-time Connecticut College art professor painted portraits of himself and the people around him, including his neighbors, students, family, and strangers he encountered on the street.
Hendricks’ vision and his groundbreaking portraits shifted the course of contemporary art and helped blaze a path for the creative richness of Black portraiture produced today.
“The exhibition considers Hendricks’ work from a regional standpoint, exploring the role of place, community, and teaching over the span of his career in Connecticut,” said Tanya Pohrt, Curator. With 34 works of art in different media, including numerous photographs, our show explores the range and breadth of Hendricks’ artistic production.”
Originally from Philadelphia, Hendricks studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts before attending Yale University, where he received a BA / MFA in 1972.
Hendricks then taught studio art at Connecticut College from 1972 until his retirement in 2010, living in New London for the remainder of his life.
“Our goal is to help visitors better understand the artist’s work and legacy by considering how Hendricks’ oeuvre was shaped by geography and community,” said Quigley, who noted that Hendricks was a brilliant and prolific photographer as well as an exceptional painter.
“We are excited that our show includes 10 never-before-seen photographs taken here in New London, which were uncovered and printed since Hendricks’ passing in 2017.”
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum welcomes visitors from New London, southeastern Connecticut and all over the world. Established in 1926 with a gift from Harriet Allyn in memory of her seafaring father, the Museum opened the doors of its beautiful neoclassical building surrounded by 12 acres of green space in 1932.
Today it presents several changing exhibitions each year and houses a fascinating collection of over 18,000 objects from ancient times to the present, including art from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, with particularly strong collections of American paintings, decorative arts and Victorian toys and doll houses.
The Museum is located at 625 Williams Street, New London, Connecticut, exit 83 off I-95. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays 1 to 5 p.m.; it is closed on Mondays and major holidays.
For more information, call 860.443.2545, ext. 2129 or visit www.lymanallyn.org.