PORT TOWNSEND — A new art exhibition called “Scapes: 1867-1992” will open with a ribbon-cutting at the Jefferson Museum of Art & History at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The exhibition at 540 Water St. includes landscapes, seascapes and cityscapes drawn from the Jefferson County Historical Society art collection, which dates back to the 1860s, when the first art studios opened in Port Townsend.
Pieces selected for “Scapes” include Victorian era works by Adeline Willoughby McCormack and Harriet Foster Beecher, whose students contributed 58 paintings to represent Washington at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.
Contemporary pieces
More contemporary pieces are by Lockwood (Woody) Dennis, Lee Katzenbach and Thomas T. Wilson, who helped establish the Port Townsend Summer School for the Arts in the 1960s.
While much of the scenery still seems familiar, the cityscapes often capture a place in time and document long-vanished structures and activities, said Executive Director Bill Tennent.
“This exhibit is a beautiful blend of art and history, which is the goal of the museum,” Tennent said.
“It’s exciting to consider that many of these pieces have never been seen by the public, and some are on display for the first time in over a century.”
For more information, visit www.jchsmuseum.org.
