Cassatt at the CAM

The Bath by Mary Cassatt

Earlier this year, Cameron Art Museum launched its exhibition called Stories in Print. The exhibition shares the story of over a century of diverse printmaking methods used in art.

Spanning works from 1891-2012, the exhibit also shares with the public artwork from CAM’s rich permanent collection.

At the center of Stories in Print is The Ten, a set of ten color prints by American painter and printmaker Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). Cassatt’s work often differed from that of other artists of her day. Her work many times over tells the story about the domestic lives of women. She especially emphasized intimate bonds between mothers and their children in her work. Living most of her life in Paris, Cas-satt’s art varied, but she became well known for her dry point and aquatint prints.

While she was never a political artist, in The Ten Cassatt perceptively describes life through the eyes of a woman and her role in society. Her numerous works of maternal love are evident in The Ten. The work was acquired by the museum in 1984 and is one of fewer than eight copies of this set of prints worldwide.

“She was a woman of her time, yet ahead of it,” says HOLLY FITZGERALD, with CAM’s Collections and Exhibits Department.

Fitzgerald says that Cassatt’s work is still enlightening today simply because it shares gender roles from a century ago, at a time when women were often thought of as second-class citizens.

“Because of her gender, she was less likely to sell her art as a male would, yet her persistence with her print work became popular and is still unique today,” Fitzgerald says.

She adds that in much of Cassatt’s art, the subjects were often her family members, an-other rarity of the day.

In addition to Cassatt’s art, the exhibition also includes lithograph Jarid’s Porch by Howard Hodgkin and a museum favorite, Bang, by Fred Wilson.

The Stories in Print exhibition was one that matched well with the modernist exhibit The Eye Learns, which is adjacent to Stories in Print, so the museum decided to run them simultaneously.

Stories in Print shares another narrative that is important for CAM: the story of the community coming together. CAM, now in its fifty-fifth year, has been honored to receive gifts of art from private collectors over the years.

Fitzgerald says the majority of the work in the permanent collection of CAM was given by donors who support the mission of the museum and, because of that support, the museum is stronger.

“The Ten represents great importance for CAM. It was given to the museum and that legacy has continued over the years to strengthen our wonderful print collection,” she explains, adding that by showcasing art such as The Ten, the museum shares with future generations the importance of art being given back to educate in the local community.

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