The only art museum in Contra Costa County accredited by the American Association of Museums, the Hearst Art Gallery provides a rich educational resource for Saint Mary’s College and the Bay Area. In addition to regularly showing works from the permanent collection, the Museum annually hosts four unique exhibitions also open to the public.
The Museum’s permanent collection consists of more than 3,500 works of art (valued at $10 million), including more than 170 works by William Keith (1838-1911) as the heart of the collection. In the words of California Art expert and Keith biographer Alfred Harrison: “William Keith was a great American artist who chose to live in California during the State’s formative years.” Keith was a contemporary of Thomas Hill and a close friend of John Muir. His early paintings are often mountain scenes of descriptive realism, while the paintings of his last twenty years are darker in the Barbizon style.
Carrie Brewster has been the Director of the Museum for eleven years and will discuss its history and mission. Heidi Donner, Public Information and Education Manager of the Hearst Art Gallery, will present a PowerPoint presentation of selected Keith paintings.
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