Horizons: American Landscapes from Tradition to Tomorrow

Join us for an illuminating conversation between curators from two of America's most distinguished art institutions as part of PAFA's landmark exhibition A Nation of Artists. Dr. Lea Stephenson, Kenneth R. Woodcock Curator of Historical American Art at PAFA, and Kerry Bickford, Associate Curator at the Brandywine Museum of Art, explore how American artists have depicted landscapes—from the Hudson River School's sublime vistas to the Brandywine tradition's intimate terrain, and contemporary artists reimagining these spaces today.
November 6, 2026 - 6:00 PM–8:00 PM
Samuel M.V. Hamilton Building
General Admission: $25
Student Admission: $10
Member Admission: Free
This dialogue examines how landscape painting has shaped American cultural identity across centuries, reflecting changing relationships with the land, environment, and national mythology. Drawing on the rich collections of both institutions, our speakers will trace connections between historical masters and today's artists who continue to challenge and expand how we see the American landscape.
As America celebrates its 250th anniversary and PAFA reopens its Historic Landmark Building with A Nation of Artists, this program offers a rare opportunity to explore one of American art's most enduring subjects through fresh eyes and urgent questions about place, belonging, and our shared horizons.
Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823–1880)
Mount Mansfield, 1859
Oil on canvas, 30 1/2 x 60 1/4 in.
The Middleton Family Collection