For America/Bill Viola Members Opening Reception

Join us for the Members Only Preview of For America: Paintings from the National Academy of Design and Bill Viola: The Raft, following the Annual Meeting. Enjoy a cheese board and light snacks, wine, and soft drinks, and at 6:30 p.m. hear opening remarks.

Founded in New York City in 1825 by artists including Samuel F.B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, and Thomas Cole, The National Academy of Design (NAD) is the oldest artist honorary society in the United States. From its inception to the present, the NAD has required all Academicians to donate works to the Academy’s collection, which has resulted in a distinctive collection of American art that today totals over 8,000 artworks and includes nearly every major American artist. For America features over ninety paintings, and the exhibition presents not only a visual document of the Academy’s membership but a unique history of American art from 1809 to present.

Bill Viola's The Raft is a powerful video installation by one of the most highly regarded contemporary artists. Meticulously captured in slow-motion, The Raft addresses human calamity and shared humanity, provoking a consideration of the range of responses to crisis.