Bugle Call

New Exhibits Open at Heritage Frederick and Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

June 8, 2021

Frederick County Washington County Museums

(Title image courtesy of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts)

With the impact COVID-19 has had on tourism this past year, it’s exciting that two new exhibits have recently opened with grant support from the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area. As travel resumes for many, we hope that both visitors and residents will take time to see these wonderful new exhibitions in Frederick and Washington Counties.

“We the People” at Heritage Frederick

Heritage Frederick unveiled its “We the People” exhibit on May 1 in downtown Frederick. The exhibit highlights the impact and influence of early inhabitants through the present day, noting that many people are drawn to the same features today as they were centuries ago—a scenic environment, ample natural resources, fertile lands and the production of necessary goods and amenities. The mosaic of people who have come to call Frederick home is what makes the city what it is today; a melting pot of people, culture, religion, language, and traditions. 

“We the People'' examines the stories of immigrants to Frederick over the past 275 years and beyond, from its first Native American inhabitants and early settlers through the colonial period, Revolutionary War, the 19th century, 20th century and present-day immigrants. The exhibit does not just focus on the past; it features 17 unique, modern immigrant stories of Fredericktonians and celebrates the city, which has been a crossroads for more than 275 years. 

The new exhibit features both in-person and virtual components, broadening its reach to an even wider audience. The online gallery of both past and present immigrants and their stories is a preview of the much larger in-house exhibition. Heritage Frederick is currently open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Appointments are requested at this time and there is an admission fee for all visitors except for Heritage Frederick members and children under the age of five.

 Pictured left to right, Frederick's modern day immigrants: Chen Chiang, Rita Hubbard, and Yewande A Oladeinde. Photos courtesy of Heritage Frederick.

Exhibition of Joshua Johnson Art at Washington County Museum of Fine Arts

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts has brought together the work of Maryland artist Joshua Johnson for the first time since 1988. The museum’s new exhibit “Joshua Johnson: Portraitist of Early American Baltimore,” opened mid-April and will continue through October 24, 2021. The exhibit includes a scholarly interpretive catalog and a diverse range of related educational programs. 

The new exhibit features works by Johnson and his contemporaries, contextualizing Johnson both historically and culturally while exploring the key forms of natural symbolism he captured represented in his paintings. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, Johnson is the earliest African American known to have made a career for himself as an artist. He achieved much success as a portraitist from about 1795 to 1825, painting affluent residents of Baltimore consisting of politicians, doctors, clergymen, merchants and sea captains. None of his portraits were dated and only one bears his signature but all the sitters in his portraits are white, except for two unidentified African-American males.

Pictured right: Joshua Johnson (American, ca. 1763–1824), Portrait of Susanna Amos Yoe and Elizabeth Yoe, 1809, oil on canvas, 35 ½ x 29 in. (90.71 x 73.66 cm.), Collection of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, gift of F. Cushwa, 1994, A2972,94.0012. Pictured left: Joshua Johnson (American, ca. 1763–1824), Portrait of Benjamin Franklin Yoe and Son Benjamin Franklin Yoe, Jr. 1809, oil on canvas, 35 ¾ x 29 in. (90.81 x 73.66 cm), Collection of Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, gift of F. Sydney Cushwa, 1994, A2972,94.0013. Photos courtesy of the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts.

The Washington County Museum of Fine Arts is located in Hagerstown's City Park. Admission and parking are both free of charge. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Sundays from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

The Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area is proud to support these new exhibits in the form of grant funding. The heritage area has an economic impact of $450.2 million annually, including $1.7 million through operations and grantmaking activities in collaboration with the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority. 

Contributing Author: Charissa Hipp

Charissa Hipp has a passion for connecting people to places through tourism marketing, storytelling, writing and hiking. A wife and mother of three, she is the Maryland Ambassador for Girls Who Hike and encourages people to connect with nature to experience its physical, mental and spiritual... Read More