'Histories' opens in Sheldon's permanent collection galleries Aug. 5

The Sheldon Museum of Art at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln is reinstalling its permanent collection galleries with a new show, "Histories," which focuses on the complexity of the subject. The exhibition opens with a First Friday reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 5.

The term "history" suggests a single, unified explanation and understanding of events and actors on the world stage. And yet in both academic settings and popular culture, history reveals itself to be a complex, multifaceted topic, explored and interpreted in a variety of different ways.

Through artworks from the Sheldon Museum of Art's permanent collection, this exhibition investigates some of the ways history has directed, influenced, or been represented in art, exploring how it has been translated and construed by different people during different periods.

Beginning with the theme of Important People and Major Events -- often the traditional starting point for our comprehension of history -- the exhibition explores the topic through several diverse premises, including Discovery and Exploration, Revolutions, and Social History.

Organized by Sharon L. Kennedy, curator of cultural and civic engagement, and Brandon K. Ruud, curator of transnational American art, the exhibition presents major figures and events -- along with some overlooked moments and people -- from the past.

Among the artists included are Thomas Hart Benton, Isabel Bishop, Thomas Cole, Alexander Calder, Aaron Douglas, Marsden Hartley, Robert Henri, Dorothea Lange, Martha Rosler, and Fritz Scholder. Also on view is a rarely-seen, recently conserved 12-foot long buffalo hide.

Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects, primarily works of American art. Sheldon, 12th and R streets on the UNL City Campus, is open free to the public during regular hours: Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; closed Mondays. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is also available on the Sheldon website, www.sheldonartmuseum.org.

WRITER: Sarah Baker-Hansen