Announcing our Winter Exhibitions, Sixties MOD and Through the Lens of Icons: Revisiting the Sixties, opening on January 18, 2024, featuring selections from the Westport Public Art Collections and High School artists.
The 1960s stand as an era teeming with cultural vibrancy and transformative movements. This was a time of unparalleled change, marked by iconic figures and impassioned movements. We invited high school artists to rediscover this pivotal period through diverse mediums—photography, painting, drawing, sculpture, or digital media—to craft their interpretations.
Students were prompted to create pieces inspired by the following questions: Who were the icons of the 1960s that left an indelible mark on society, and how did their perspectives shape that era? How have these icons influenced the course of history, culture, or personal journeys? What messages, emotions, or stories do these icons evoke for you? How can you translate these sentiments into your chosen artistic medium? What relevance do these icons hold in today’s world, and how do they continue to inspire or challenge us?
Through the Lens of Icons: Revisiting the 1960s is in collaboration with WestPAC’s Sixties MOD exhibition. This exhibition presents circa 40 paintings, prints, drawings, and photographs from the Westport Public Art Collections dating to the period 1955-1975, often referred to as the “long 1960s.” WestPAC’s holdings are particularly strong in this era, as the original collection was formed with many artworks from leading contemporary artists of the 1960s, and expanded through gifts by collectors and artists, including numerous recent accessions from this era.
The year 2024 coincides with the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Westport Art Collection (as it was known in 1964), when artist and educator Burt Chernow (1933- 1997) started a collection to provide “outstanding examples of original art as an everyday part of school life.” Sixties MOD celebrates this important period in Westport’s artistic history and investigates our community’s ties to broader national and international currents. The exhibition includes works by artists such as:
Alexander Calder, Ann Chernow, Burt Chernow, Adger Cowans, José Luis Cuevas, Lisa Daugherty, Naiad Einsel, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Seymour Fogel, Bernard Fuchs, Richard Hunt, Robert Indiana, Richard Lindner, Roy Lichtenstein, Susan Malloy, Robert Motherwell, Gabor Peterdi, Deborah Remington, Lorraine Schneider, and Ben Shahn.