Kirsten Hassenfeld, Blue Star, 2012, paper with mixed media, 47" x 30" x 30"
Since 1948, the centennial year of Saint-Gaudens’s birth, the Saint-Gaudens Memorial has sponsored exhibitions that feature both historical and contemporary art. Located in the Picture Gallery and occasionally on the grounds, the roster of exhibitions (2-3 per season) span from exploring the creative talent of the Cornish Colony, to artists working in a range of media while responding to the park’s collections and other local artistic and natural stimuli. Each summer one of the exhibitions features the work of the Saint-Gaudens Fellow selected the previous year.
Our exhibitions program provides visitors with insights into the evolution of artistic expression over time, highlighting innovative contemporary artists alongside the work of Augustus Saint-Gaudens, who was forward-thinking in his own era. Through these exhibitions and programs, the Saint-Gaudens Memorial seeks to promote sculpture, the arts, and the creative legacy of Saint-Gaudens and the Cornish Colony. Exhibitions are included with paid admission to Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.
The Picture Gallery is sponsored by the Trustees of the Saint-Gaudens Memorial in cooperation with the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.
This exhibition features works created by the artist during spring of 2024 while Dartmouth Studio Art Department’s Artist-in-Residence. Athena LaTocha has created two massive works on paper for the Picture Gallery that are responsive to the natural and human-made histories of the Upper Valley. The austere installation is an immersive visual experience for the viewer that incorporates the colors, textures, history and materials that the artist has experienced and gathered in her exploration of the region. Rather than providing specific reference points, LaTocha’s goal is to express what can be felt or sensed about a place and its histories.
LaTocha commented, "I’ve always been interested in art that is rooted in our world, and the times in which we live, because that is the terrain where the stakes are greatest. In this world, nothing is quite as it seems. There is a sense of disquiet that permeates the land. My works are created for spaces where a person can go into another world and have an experience."
LaTocha was the recipient of the 2023 Saint-Gaudens Fellowship, an annual award presented to an emerging artist practicing primarily in the United States. In addition to receiving a monetary grant, Fellows exhibit their work the following year at the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park.
Athena LaTocha, Bulbancha (Green Silence), 2019. Shellac ink, Mississippi River mud, Spanish moss on paper; 132 x 204 inches.
