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Photograph of a gallery installation with blue and grey-green walls and light brown wood floors. There are various artworks hanging on all the walls, and a floor case with clear top is holding three sculpture works.
January 2022 - January 2023

Selections from the Permanent Collection

The Permanent Collection at the Danforth Art Museum contains over 3,500 objects and spans the history of American Art from the early nineteenth century to today.  One of the most engaging aspects of a permanent collection is that it is organic— growing and changing to reflect an institution’s identity and mission.  Since becoming a part of Framingham State University and reopening in 2019, the Museum’s collection has continued to develop, mirroring our commitment to work produced in New England, both historical and contemporary. 

The works in this gallery represent the Danforth today, an eclectic mix that comes together to represent how the ways in which we express ourselves can take many forms, but the power of the visual remains consistent.  The joy found in simple observation, the unease of the unknown, and the importance of gathering together runs through each of these works.  There are works on view that have been a part of the Danforth for years, along with many new acquisitions—a testament to how we have grown in the past three years, despite everything.  Each work in a museum’s permanent collection represents a part of its history, and we invite you to enter the space and discover who we are today.

Gallery: Permanent Collection Gallery
Dates: January 2022 - January 2023
Participating artists:
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Still life painting with a deep brown textured background. There are four pieces of worn, tan paper with different symbols and writing on the fronts. Across are four different sized keys hanging vertically at different heights. On the right half of the painting are three brown leaves.
Conger Metcalf, Deception with Keys (Inganno con Chiave) , 1953, Oil on Panel
Painting in a black frame and red panel background with artists palette glue to the front. The palette is painted with a scene of an artist studio, all in wood and shades of brown, with a arched window on the left, the artist seated in the center at an easel painting, and a table, doorway, and small wooden figurine to the right.
Randall Diehl , Dutch Painter , 2004, Oil on Panel
Artwork with a deep black background and an oblong, blobbed white shape in the center with three black circles inside that give it a look of a face.
Jo Sandman, Light Tracing #9 , 2003, Photogram mounted on Sintra
Zoomed in picture of a painting made with wide palette strokes of a woman with light skin and short curly black hair reclining on an ornate couch with wood outlines and a floral quilted fabric. The woman has her eyes closed and one hand up on the back of the couch. She is wearing a pink-red short dress and her legs are fading into the couch.
Mia Cross, Another Girl Who Sat on the Couch Too Long , 2019, Oil on canvas
Abstract painting with a deep blue background and green vertical bars towards the bottom. In the background are plus signs etched out in white. Across the center in three rows are orchid flowers in white.
Anne Neely, Night Garden , 2001, Oil on Canvas
Abstract expressionist painting with a deep black background with hints of white and teal at the top right and red at the bottom left. There are faces in white and teal emerging from the scene, but in half ghostly forms or odd angles.
Hyman Bloom, Séance II , c. 1957-1958, Oil on Canvas
Sculpture mounted from a ceiling corner with brown, pink, and yellow oozing protrusions, and dangling yellow and blue pieces of clay and fabric.
Sarah Meyers Brent, Seep , 2011–2014, Acrylic and mixed media on cloth, wire, and wood
Winter landscape painting with a snow covered ground and a leafless tree. Behind it is a collection of pine trees. Towards the top center behind the main tree is the hint of the sun with a wide glare ring around it.
Robert Woodward, Storm Sun , c. 1925, Oil on canvas
Photograph on tan paper with printed text repeating 'Dick Played with Jane. Jane Played with Dick" surrounding a photograph of four young African American children holding hands. They are surrounded by a wide red outlined circle, and have though bubbles that all connect to a sketch of a young girl on a scooter and a boy playing with a dog.
Clarissa Sligh , Untitled (from Re-Framing the Past Series) , 1988, Photograph
Expressionist painting of a dreary winter scene. The sky and ground are mottled shades of grey with a large leafless tree in the foreground. In the background are a few groupings of two story yellow houses with red chimneys.
Max Weber, Untitled (Winter Scene) , c, 1935, Oil on Canvas
Painting with a stained glass window feel. The background is smears of bright red, orange, blue, and green with a netted pattern across in black. There are vertical bars in black connected with arched tops throughout. In the center is a figure made of blues, teals, and yellows of a woman with a flowing skirt and hair, holding a long necked stringed instrument and a bow in each hand.
Esther Geller, Rebec Player , 1947, Encaustic on Masonite
Still life painting with a deep brown textured background. There are four pieces of worn, tan paper with different symbols and writing on the fronts. Across are four different sized keys hanging vertically at different heights. On the right half of the painting are three brown leaves.
Conger Metcalf
Deception with Keys (Inganno con Chiave) , 1953, Oil on Panel

Donated by deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, 2016.16

Painting in a black frame and red panel background with artists palette glue to the front. The palette is painted with a scene of an artist studio, all in wood and shades of brown, with a arched window on the left, the artist seated in the center at an easel painting, and a table, doorway, and small wooden figurine to the right.
Randall Diehl
Dutch Painter , 2004, Oil on Panel

Gift of Marcia and Paul Rosenberg, 2020.20

Artwork with a deep black background and an oblong, blobbed white shape in the center with three black circles inside that give it a look of a face.
Jo Sandman
Light Tracing #9 , 2003, Photogram mounted on Sintra

Gift of the Artist, 2020.26.2

Zoomed in picture of a painting made with wide palette strokes of a woman with light skin and short curly black hair reclining on an ornate couch with wood outlines and a floral quilted fabric. The woman has her eyes closed and one hand up on the back of the couch. She is wearing a pink-red short dress and her legs are fading into the couch.
Mia Cross
Another Girl Who Sat on the Couch Too Long , 2019, Oil on canvas

Museum Purchase, 2020.66

Abstract painting with a deep blue background and green vertical bars towards the bottom. In the background are plus signs etched out in white. Across the center in three rows are orchid flowers in white.
Anne Neely
Night Garden , 2001, Oil on Canvas

Gift of Ann and Graham Gund, 2017.1

Abstract expressionist painting with a deep black background with hints of white and teal at the top right and red at the bottom left. There are faces in white and teal emerging from the scene, but in half ghostly forms or odd angles.
Hyman Bloom
Séance II , c. 1957-1958, Oil on Canvas

Gift of Herbert P. and Marylou Gray

Sculpture mounted from a ceiling corner with brown, pink, and yellow oozing protrusions, and dangling yellow and blue pieces of clay and fabric.
Sarah Meyers Brent
Seep , 2011–2014, Acrylic and mixed media on cloth, wire, and wood

Gift of the Artist, 2016.13

Winter landscape painting with a snow covered ground and a leafless tree. Behind it is a collection of pine trees. Towards the top center behind the main tree is the hint of the sun with a wide glare ring around it.
Robert Woodward
Storm Sun , c. 1925, Oil on canvas

Gift of Thomas P. McNamara, 1976.8

Photograph on tan paper with printed text repeating 'Dick Played with Jane. Jane Played with Dick" surrounding a photograph of four young African American children holding hands. They are surrounded by a wide red outlined circle, and have though bubbles that all connect to a sketch of a young girl on a scooter and a boy playing with a dog.
Clarissa Sligh
Untitled (from Re-Framing the Past Series) , 1988, Photograph

Gift of Robert Alter, 2020.65

Expressionist painting of a dreary winter scene. The sky and ground are mottled shades of grey with a large leafless tree in the foreground. In the background are a few groupings of two story yellow houses with red chimneys.
Max Weber
Untitled (Winter Scene) , c, 1935, Oil on Canvas

Gift of Jeremy D. and Deborah C. Spingarn in memory of Natalie Davis Spingarn and Jerome H. Spingarn, 2020.40

Painting with a stained glass window feel. The background is smears of bright red, orange, blue, and green with a netted pattern across in black. There are vertical bars in black connected with arched tops throughout. In the center is a figure made of blues, teals, and yellows of a woman with a flowing skirt and hair, holding a long necked stringed instrument and a bow in each hand.
Esther Geller
Rebec Player , 1947, Encaustic on Masonite

Gift of Pyracantha Hannah Shapero, Daughter of the Artist, 2016.38

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