Past Exhibit

Wind from the Hills

Fruitlands Museum

Harvard

a painting of Clara Sears on a dark blue background, with the text Wind from the Hills in lighter blue

Clara Endicott Sears (1863–1960), founder of the Fruitlands Museum, was a philanthropist, preservationist, art connoisseur, and author. As Sears developed the museum’s collection during the first half of the twentieth century, she also pursued a writing career, publishing books on art, history, as well as fictional and inspirational literature.

Drawn from Fruitland’s permanent collection, the artworks in this exhibition are inspired by select poems from Sears’ 1935 anthology Wind from the Hills and Other Poems. The galleries feature nineteenth century landscape paintings, folk art, Shaker textiles, and Indigenous artworks, revealing the complexities of Sears’ artistic interests while reviving her words through highlights of the collection.

Main Image: Installation view, Wind from the Hills, on view at Fruitlands Museum through February 26, 2023. Image:© Mel Taing

Art On View

Francis Alexander, American, 1800-1880, "Portrait of a Woman", 1837, Oil on canvas. Collection of Fruitlands Museum, The Trustees, FM.G.1980.306

Installation view, Wind from the Hills, on view at Fruitlands Museum through February 26, 2023. Image:© Mel Taing

Alvan Fisher, American, 1792 – 1863, "The Notch", 1834, Oil on canvas. Collection of Fruitlands Museum, The Trustees, FM.G.1967.287

Robert Weir, 1803–1889, American, View of the Hudson River from West Point, 1897, Oil on canvas, Collection of Fruitlands Museum, The Trustees, FM.G.1945.156. Image Courtesy: Ellen Harasimowicz Photography (2014)

Installation view, Wind from the Hills, on view at Fruitlands Museum through February 26, 2023. Image:© Mel Taing

Installation view, Wind from the Hills, on view at Fruitlands Museum through February 26, 2023. Image:© Mel Taing