Workshop of Michael Wolgemut
City View of Florence, late 15th century
Hand-colored woodcut
What makes a place feel like home? What settings offer a sense of being away?
Imagination connects us to place through imagery. Through art, we may travel to locations where we see and learn about new places. The setting of a scene provides important context and gives insight about the individuals or communities connected to that place. Art may also transport us back to a place from our own lived experience—linking to our memory.
The works of art in this exhibition convey a sense of place, the particularities and overall sense of mood. Life inside the home contrasts with happenings on urban streets. The complex wonder of nature is juxtaposed with details of everyday. Centuries-old stories rendered in the artists own backyard find connection with contemporary Minnesota artists who reflect on how the physical environment shapes this local community.
Sometimes art is created to document and record a place or event. Other images may be intended to stir something inside of us—evoking feelings of nostalgia, comfort, or wanderlust.
Contemporary and historical works hang side by side, transporting us to other times and places—from 15th-century Florence, Italy to present-day New York City and West Africa. Images of landscapes remind us that nature itself is a space in which we can get away, whether in the vast wilderness, a nearby park or our own backyard. Artworks and stories centered around journeys allow us to contemplate the space and emotions that exist between Home and Away. Memory, imagination and life experience all contribute to these pictures of place.