Mystic Arts Center proudly presents Mystic as Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration Exhibition Now Open

“Mystic as Muse: 100 Years of Inspiration” features paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture and other media from artists active in the Mystic Arts Association (now Mystic Arts Center) from the late late 19th century to the present day. Works from the Bruce Museum, Lyman Allyn Museum, Mattatuck Museum and the New Britain Museum of American Art and many from private collections reveal the interests of artists who were drawn to Mystic for artistic inspiration.

The Mystic as Muse includes works by Charles H. Davis (founder of the Mystic Art Association or MAA), J. Alden Weir, Childe Hassam and Henry W. Ranger. Their art was shown in the first several exhibitions organized by the MAA. Works by women artists including Gladys E. Bates, Beatrice Macpherson, Katherine “Speedy” Forest, Agnes H. Lincoln, Beatrice Cuming and Beonne Boronda are also represented.

The range of styles on view is broad; Tonalism, Impressionism, Regional Realism, Abstraction were all part of the MAA’s history. Images exhibited include landscapes, seascapes, portraits, still lifes, animal portraits and genre scenes. Ceramics, sculpture and a multifaceted installation are also part of the exhibition.

A timeline of photographs and panels chronicles the development of the MAA from its beginnings to the present day. Reproductions of Charles H. Davis’ sketchbook pages reveal the artist’s process and photographs of the artists, their personal letters and MAA events round out the exhibition by revealing a more personal side of their lives.

The exhibition runs from now until September 28th. For more information, please call (860) 536-7601, visit us on the web at http://mysticarts.org, or come see us at 9 Water Street in downtown Mystic.  Our hours are 11-5 p.m.