Carter Jones Meyer and Chris Williamson will offer the seventh in their series of virtual tours of the Farnsworth Art Museum on six Tuesday mornings beginning March 31. No prior experience with art is needed, nor is participation in an earlier session. Both new folks and returning friends are welcome.

In conjunction with our country’s 250th , several Farnsworth galleries will focus on Maine: A Force in American Art (1890-2026), presenting four key reasons Maine has been essential to American Art History: the Henri Circle’s connection to the 1913 Armory show, the Ogunquit Art Community, the Skowhegan School of Art and Sculpture (the recipient of the Maine in America Award this year as it celebrates its 80th year) and various artist residency programs..

Our first session will feature the Andrew Wyeth exhibits that will be coming down April 19: Under the Lens and Along the Goose River: Andrew Wyeth’s Secret Subject. This will provide a rich opportunity to do a deep dive into tempera in addition to taking a close look both at what subject matter fascinated Wyeth and at his process.

We will also introduce the third Momentum artist, sculptor and multi-media artist Benjamin Spalding.  As part of its renewed emphasis on current Maine art, the museum annually selects a contemporary Maine artist for a one-person show. Spalding translates “decades of deejaying and dancing into a sculptural installation featuring figural characters that reflect the dynamic social energy of dance halls and nightclubs.” We will pair Spalding’s Go Bang! exhibition with a close look at Wabanaki basket making — two approaches to sculpture.

Finally, we will introduce By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth, which opens May second.  Betsy Wyeth was a fascinating designer of complex environments in Pennsylvania and in Maine.  She restored and repurposed dozens of historical buildings, designed new structures, and created highly original interiors. By Design explores these worlds and the creative partnership shared by Betsy and
her husband, Andrew Wyeth.

Participants will, as always, be encouraged to engage with the works and the class via a combination of “chat” and real-time conversation, and follow-on materials will be available after most sessions.  The continuing goal will be to expand our ability to engage with art, consider the historical context in which it is produced, develop our ability to notice, improve our visual vocabulary, and perhaps to reconnect with some favorite artists/works while we discover new ones.