The Michener Art Museum will reopen to the public Friday, Feb. 5, with the new exhibition, Through the Lens: Modern Photography in the Delaware Valley. On view through Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021, this major exhibition is curated by Michener curator of American Art Laura Turner Igoe, Ph.D., and curatorial assistant Tara Kaufman. Through the Lens explores nearly 70 years of artistic experimentations with photographic processes and subject matter by artists in the Delaware Valley region. The exhibition is organized through the themes of form, figure, landscape, community, and social and political activism and highlights over 100 photographs by nearly 40 artists. Through the Lens draws primarily from the Micheners own deep collection of local photography, including many works that have never before been on view, from late prints by the modernist Charles Sheeler, whose time in Doylestown cemented his dedication to the medium, to aerial views of industrial sites by Newtown-based photographer Emmett Gowin. Other represented photographers include Tom Baril, Paula Chamlee, Edmund Eckstein, Susan Fenton, David Graham, Diane Levell, Martha Madigan, Ray Metzger, Tim Portlock, Jack Rosen, Thomas Shillea, and Michael A. Smith. Exhibition curators have also borrowed work by Donald E. Camp, Maria Dumlao, Ada Trillo, and William Earle Williams that explores issues of race, identity, and social and environmental justice in order to connect the museums historic images with contemporary concerns. Tara Kaufman and I are excited to share a snapshot from our rich photography collection with visitors, states Turner Igoe. From local landscape views to images of public protest, these works capture the creativity and fresh perspective of the regions photographers over several decades. The photographic community in Bucks County and greater Philadelphia area has a rich history, anchored by robust photography programs at Bucks County Community College, the Tyler School of Art at Temple University, the University of the Arts, and other local universities. Many nationally recognized photographers have settled or passed through the area to study, teach, and document the regions landscape features, unique architecture, and vibrant urban areas. While these photographers have embraced a wide variety of subject matter and techniques, they are united by a deep interest in photographic processes, both historic and new, as well as their capacity for expanding our perspective of the word around us. In addition to this thought-provoking show, the Michener will reopen with new artworks installed in its permanent collection galleries, highlighting new acquisitions and visitor favorites. The Michener Art Museum collects, preserves, interprets and exhibits American art and promotes the work of nationally and internationally known Delaware Valley artists of all creative disciplines. The museum presents exhibitions that explore a variety of artistic expressions and offers diverse educational programs that develop a lifelong involvement in the arts. Throughout the year, the Michener Art Museum hosts a wide range of programs open to the public, including lectures, artist conversations, gallery talks, artist studio tours, dance performances, jazz and other musical performances, family-themed activities, and other events. The museum also offers a diverse selection of art classes for children and adults, which include instruction in drawing, painting, sculpting, and printmaking as well as programs for the public, schools, and teachers designed to support arts and STEAM education. The Michener Art Museum is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Michener Art Museum is located at 138 S. Pine St., Doylestown, Pa. For more information, call 215-340-9800 or visit www.MichenerArtMuseum.org.