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Title:	Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art
Date:	4/1/2022 - 8/7/2022
Address:	Taubman Museum of Art, 110 Salem Avenue SE, Roanoke, VA 24011
Location:	Roanoke, VA
Hours:	Friday & Saturday: 10 am – 5 pm, Sunday: 12 – 5 pm
Cost/Cover:	free
Web Page:	https://www.taubmanmuseum.org/calendar/24814/virginia-arcadi ...
Contact Info:	540.342.5760

Details:

Organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art explores the artistic legacy of an iconic natural wonder. Depicted and celebrated for centuries, the Natural Bridge is the Shenandoah Valley’s breathtaking centerpiece—a towering, primeval witness to human history and timeless muse. The free exhibition examines its image in paintings, prints, decorative arts, photography and more. Featured artists include Frederic Church, David Johnson, Edward Hicks, and many others. Virginia Arcadia: The Natural Bridge in American Art examines one of the most frequently depicted sites in American 19th-century landscape painting. It was one of the most frequently depicted and described American natural attractions of the 19th century, likely only surpassed by Niagara Falls. Natural Bridge prompts both aesthetic and scientific contemplation and has figured prominently in discussions of western expansion, slavery, tourism, and ecological conservation. While the rock formation is more than 400 million years old, the earliest published references to the natural wonder involve historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. The Natural Bridge is a site for mythmaking—the creation of American foundational lore that continues to this day. Its historical importance notwithstanding, the Natural Bridge has escaped serious scholarly contemplation and art historical examination.