Focus on the Past at Attleboro

I’m excited to have been invited to participate in such a unique exhibition opportunity at the Attleboro Arts Museum. February 7 – 28, 2026.

Focus on the Past (https://attleboroartsmuseum.org/focus-on-the-past/) Visions of Eight Selections from the Attleboro Arts Museum’s Permanent Collection

Exhibition: Saturday, February 7 – Saturday, February 28, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 7 | 2:00–4:00 p.m
Location: Attleboro Arts Museum | 86 Park St., Attleboro, MA 02703

More about the exhibition:

The Attleboro Arts Museum annually mounts an exhibition featuring selections from its permanent collection. The themes of the exhibit and works of art have stretched from jewelry designs prepared for local manufacturers to American paintings of land and sea from the late 1800s.

The 2026 edition is an invitational entitled Focus on the Past.

Focus on the Past marries the talent of contemporary artists with highlights from the Attleboro Arts Museum’s collection. Each participating artist has selected one of eight collection items and has responded to that holding with an original work in their current style and chosen medium.

The artists were not prompted to create replicas. Instead, they were given the opportunity to use a holding as inspiration for creating a new work that tapped into their personal visual language and point of view.

For my selection, I chose to work with Plant A Victory Garden(1943), by Robert Gwathmey (American 1903-1988). A WWII conservation-themed poster highlighting the benefit of maintaining a home front garden to free up agricultural produce, packaging, and transportation resources for the war effort. Victory Gardens also helped offset shortages of agricultural workers.

Plant A Victory Garden(1943), Robert Gwathmey (American 1903-1988); WWII Conservation Poster U.S. Government Printing Office. 20” x 30”. Gift of Toby and David London. Attleboro Arts Museum Permanent Collection.

ICE Picks — Abundance, Displayed alongside Plant a Victory Garden (1943) by Robert Gwathmey, ICE Picks— Abundance takes a look at dependence on agricultural labor amid growing scarcity. Gwathmey’s poster frames shared sacrifice as patriotism. In contrast, ICE Picks — Abundance points to the often-unseen dependence of American agriculture on migrant labor at a moment when that workforce is increasingly disrupted. A still life of abundance at risk.

ICE Picks — Abundance 60 x 40″ Oil on Cavas.

Invited artists were asked to review the holdings from Attleboro Art Museum’s permanent collection shown below as their inspiration. I can’t wait to see how the invited artists have responded to such a diverse group of holdings — See you there!