The Long View: From Conservation to Sustainability: Works from the Bank of America Collection

Today, there is a greater awareness of how environmental changes affect daily life. Throughout history, artists have been at the forefront of this conversation, delving into issues relating to the natural world.

The Long View features photographs, paintings, prints, and sculptures by artists who used their art to advocate for the conservation and protection of the planet and the creation of sustainable habits for the future. Spanning from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, the art on view charts the evolution of how we think about and interact with nature.

Organized into four thematic sections, the exhibition explores “The Beginnings of Conservation,” with late nineteenth and early twentieth-century artists like John James Audubon and Carleton Watkins, whose works influenced the founding of the Audubon Society and the National Park Service.

Moving into the early twentieth century, “Push and Pull—Industry and Environment” includes art by Regionalist artists Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood alongside Arthur Rothstein's iconic Dust Bowl images exploring the impact of unsustainable farming practices.

“The Emergence of Conservation Activism” focuses on postwar works and the emerging social and political focus on ecology during the late 1960s and 1970s. This section includes Robert Rauschenberg’s design for the first Earth Day celebration in 1970, and Michael Heizer’s innovative prints using plates made from recycled scrap metal waste.

Finally, “Working Towards a Sustainable Vision” highlights contemporary artists Aurora Robson and John Sabraw who pull pollutants such as plastic debris and acid mine drainage from our landscape to use as their materials, alongside other artists who emphasize the need to safeguard our planet in the face of its radical and continuing transformation.

This dynamic thematic exhibition brings together art from varied time periods, places, and media by beloved artists and fresh emerging talents. Their combined voices in The Long View provide an innovative look at the interaction between humans and the natural environment over time, revealing the wonders of our landscape, and inviting each of us to contribute to the conservation and sustainability of our shared home.

Presented through the Bank of America Art in our Communities® program, The Long View aligns with the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts' commitment to sustainability.

Darius Kinsey (Maryville, Missouri, 1869 - 1945, Sedro-Woolley, Washington), Yarding Logs, Washington, 1936, gelatin silver print on paper, 17 1/2 x 20 1/2 in., On loan from the Bank of America Collection.