Lower Falls of the Yellowstone, Thomas Moran, Oil on canvas, Department of the Interior, Yellowstone National Park

Take a journey back in time to Wyoming, 1871, when painter Thomas Moran changed the  world of art and inspired the National Parks Service. The East Hampton Historical Society, stewards of the Thomas & Mary Nimmo Moran Studio, announce their newest exhibition: Thomas Moran Discovers the American West, on display from June 29 until November 9,  2019.

This exhibition explores Moran’s adventurous participation in the 1871 Hayden Expedition to Wyoming, and its impact on both the art world and the National Parks Service. Thoughtfully curated by Richard Barons, the exhibition traces Thomas Moran’s empowerment as an artist as he explored the American West on a trajectory to become one of the leaders of both the National Parks movement, a small group of artists who inspired America’s pride in its landscape and natural wonders. Rare loans from the National Park Service will supplement the exhibit, including period maps, stereographic cards, wood engravings, photographs and important late 19^th century publications. “…his watercolors, a sketchbook, oil paintings and even the pistol he shot a rattlesnake with, form the core of what will be an illustrated story of Thomas Moran and his help in making Americans appreciate their natural treasures,” said Mr. Barons.

Tower Falls, Thomas Moran, Oil on Canvas,Department of the Interior, Yellowstone National Park

“Thomas Moran Discovers the American West” has been brought to life through this current exhibition, on display at the immaculately renovated Moran Studio, located on East Hampton’s Main Street Historic District. In 1884, Thomas Moran and his wife, Mary Nimmo Moran, a celebrated printmaker, and their children moved into their new studio and house that Moran himself designed. The Studio, as it has been known since the Moran family first occupied it, comprises Thomas Moran’s studio and the rooms his family lived in, as well as the gardens and outbuildings. Through a meticulous five-year restoration project, the Moran Studio was salvaged from dilapidation, and proudly opened its doors to the public in July 2018. The Studio invokes not only the spirits of both Thomas and Mary Nimmo Moran – but creates a bridge between the founding members of the East End summer artist colony with today’s contemporary and emerging young art community.

We encourage you to visit the exhibit and see the place Moran himself lived in order to understand the significance of the Morans and their role in the founding of our National Parks!

The Great Blue Spring of the Lower Geyser Basin, Yellowstone, Thomas Moran
Chromolithograph, by Prang, Department of the Interior, Yellowstone National Park

—by Willa O’Connor