Bob Dylan Remastered: Drawings from the Road
May 25 – September 15
This exhibition celebrated yet another aspect of Dylan’s creativity: his talents in visual art. Dylan started what is known as his “Never Ending Tour” in 1988. As he traveled through North America, Europe, and Asia, he sketched glimpses of his life on the road. Dylan made three different collections of his drawings by “remastering” these works, adding vivid watercolor and gouache to digital enlargements of the drawings to create a new, special edition set entitled “The Drawn Blank Series.” Ninety-two of the works were displayed at Fenimore Art Museum.
Art of the Everyday: American Genre Painting
September 28 – December 29
American genre paintings depict scenes of daily life and showcase a wide-ranging artistic movement that rose in popularity during the first half of the 19th century. Artists like William Sidney Mount, E. L. Henry, Eastman Johnson, and Thomas Waterman Wood addressed current and complex issues in their paintings while depicting relationships between the various communities living in the budding nation. These artists and their paintings became touchstones in American genre painting, inspiring other artists, while documenting the diverse lives of Americans in the years leading up to and after the Civil War.
Stitched in Time
April 1 – May 12
The most prolific yet undervalued folk artists in American history have been women. A quintessential form of women’s art was the making of patchwork quilts. The understanding of quilting as a communal activity was popularized through descriptions of festive 19th-century quilting bees. In fact, quilt-making was often the creative process of one woman, an expression of her own artistic sensibility in cloth. The quilts in this exhibition were passed down within the donor’s family and represent the work of more than half a dozen women in 19th-century Oxford, New York.
Marc Hom: Re-Framed
May 25 – September 2
Danish photographer, Marc Hom, is now recognized as one of the most recognizable portrait photographers in the world. Hom’s subjects include well-known celebrities, artists, and entertainers. A part-time Cooperstown resident, Hom shared his iconic photographs in this 2024 exhibition.
Boundless Spirit: American Folk Art at Fenimore Art Museum
September 14 – December 29
“Boundless Spirit” brought together the best of Fenimore Art Museum’s distinguished collection of American folk art to share the complex spirit of a diverse and ever-changing nation. These voices from the past and present have much to tell us about ourselves and the heritage we all share.
50-Pound Blanket: Photographs by Joshua Ives
April 2 – May 12
“50-Pound Blanket” was a deeply personal and introspective photography project chronicling Ives’s journey through depression and healing after transitioning from a military career to civilian life and full-time college studies. This project explored the themes of depression, aging, and the therapeutic power of art. It aimed to foster dialogue and contemplation about the impact of mental health on individuals and how creative expression can promote mental well-being.
Banksy: The Haight Street Rat
May 18 – September 8
Banksy created the “Haight Street Rat” during his 2010 San Francisco tour to promote the street art documentary “Exit Through the Gift Shop.” Painted on the exterior of Haight Street’s historic Red Victorian hotel, the artwork was at risk of being painted over in. Brian Greif, a street art advocate, worked with the building owner to have the wall panels on which the art is painted removed and saved, and made available for display at cultural institutions.
New York to Paris: Street Photography by Todd Webb
September 21 – December 29
These photographs, on display for the first time, were recent acquisitions that greatly enhanced the depth and scope of Fenimore’s Photography collection. Taken in Paris and New York City during the 1940s and 50s, Webb’s immaculate compositions of storefronts and street scenes bear resemblance to both the work of American photographer Walker Evans and French photographer Eugene Atget.
American Masterworks
April 1 – December 31
In an effort generously funded by the Eugene V. and Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, FAM continued to expand the scope of its fine art collection with the goal of creating a renowned collection of American art that builds upon the early and mid-nineteenth century works left to the museum by Stephen C. Clark. In addition to earlier acquisitions from 2023, on display in both the American Painting Gallery and the Cooper Room, are major works by Mary Cassatt, Frederic Church, Martin Johnson Heade, Alfred Bierstadt, George Inness, Robert Henri, and others.
As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now
April 1 – September 2
“As They Saw It: Women Artists Then & Now” honored the remarkable vision, creativity and achievements of American women artists working across three centuries. Drawn from the collections of three museums—the Springfield Museums, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Fenimore Art Museum—and organized by an all-women curatorial team, the exhibition foregrounded connection and collaboration (sponsored by Art Bridges.)
Young at Art: A Selection of Caldecott Book Illustrations
September 14 – December 29
This exhibition of works from Wichita Falls Museum of Art’s permanent collection celebrated the vision and talent of twenty-eight award-winning artists, including the first Caldecott Award recipient Dorothy P. Lathrop(1938), two-time winner Chris Van Allsburg (1982, 1986), and Maurice Sendak (1964), whose work “Where the Wild Things Are,” like Van Allsburg’s “Jumanji” and “The Polar Express,” was adapted for the big screen. These illustrations are widely recognized not only as artistic classics in children’s literature but also as the source of countless beloved memories for the young and young at heart.
Travelogue: American Artists Abroad
April 1 – December 29
The Grand Tour, which reached the height of popularity during the American Gilded Age included travels to numerous European destinations to explore and enjoy cultural offerings. The paintings in this gallery, the majority of which are newly acquired by the museum, highlighted some of these locales, the artists that visited, and the types of art they produced while inspired by the foreign scenery.
Additional 2024 Exhibitions
The Community Gallery had another successful year of exhibitions of individual artists, organizations, and school students, featuring the following:
-Springbrook (April 1 – April 28)
-Cooperstown Central School, Our Town (May 3 – May 19)
-Young at Art! Regional Youth Art Contest (May 24 – July 21)
-Timothy Sheesley, printmaker (July 26 – August 25)
-Betty Pillsbury, quilt maker (August 30 – September 29)
-LEAF (October 4 – November 3)
-Museum Members’ Showcase (November 8 – December 29)