About
A Broad Sweep of Sky explores the Regionalist art movement of the 1930s and 1940s. In response to the social shifts and economic uncertainties of the period, Regionalist artists sought to establish a unique American artistic identity through depictions of rural and small town life. This exhibition invites visitors to consider what it means to construct American identity, and what role art has in social reform. Featuring works by Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood, this exhibition examines how Regionalist artists both celebrated local scenery and engaged with avant-garde ideas.
Programming & Events
Exhibition Celebration
Friday December 12, 2025 • 5–8 PM
Artist Bios
Thomas Hart Benton
April 15, 1889 – January 19, 1975
Thomas Hart Benton was born in Neosho, Missouri, into a prominent family of American politicians. After leaving high school, Benton worked briefly as a cartoonist before his father enrolled him in the Western Military Academy in 1906. After a year there, Benton enrolled at the Art Institute of Chicago, followed by a sojourn at the Académie Julian in Paris. In 1911, Benton returned to the United States, settling in New York. During World War I, Benton was stationed in Norfolk, VA, but afterwards returned to New York where he married his former student, Rita Piacenza. While in New York, Benton completed mural cycles for the New School and the Whitney Museum of American Art. He became known for his stylistic handling of Regionalist subject matter in large scale murals and in smaller works, which were informed by his travels around the United States. While in New York, Benton taught at the Art Students League, where Jackson Pollock was one of his students. Benton moved to Kansas City, MO in 1935, where he remained for the rest of his life. Benton continued to paint Regionalist subjects after World War II, even though the genre was no longer as popular.
John Steuart Curry
November 14, 1897 – August 29, 1946
John Steuart Curry was born on a farm near Dunavant, Kansas. He was enrolled in art classes from an early age, and his family was very supportive of his artistic endeavors. Curry briefly attended the Kansas City Art Institute before enrolling at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1916. After two years at SAIC, Curry studied at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He trained as a commercial illustrator and his illustrations were included in major publications such as the Saturday Evening Post. He studied painting in Paris in 1926, afterwards settling in Westport, CT where he started painting Regionalist subject matter. He quickly established himself as a major name in Regionalism. In 1936, Curry moved to Madison, WI, as he had been appointed artist in residence at the College of Agriculture at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Curry completed several murals for academic buildings and helped establish the Rural Arts Program (later called WRAP). In 1937, he was commissioned to paint a series of murals for the Kansas state capitol in Topeka, but his subject choice of John Brown was controversial and he was not able to finish the project due to public outcry.
Doris Lee
February 1, 1904 – June 16, 1983
Doris Elizabeth Emrik was born in Aledo, Illinois. She graduated from Rockford College in 1927 with a degree in art and philosophy. After graduation, she married Russell Werner Lee. Doris Lee studied painting in Italy and France before returning to the United States where she continued her studies in San Francisco. She established a studio in New York and eventually settled in Woodstock, NY. In 1932, she was included in the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial. Her painting, Thanksgiving, won the Logan Prize at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1935. The same year Lee was commissioned to complete two murals for the General Post Office in Washington, DC. After WWII, Lee traveled extensively, writing and illustrating articles for Life magazine. She created work that was used to advertise products for a wide variety of companies, including General Mills and the United States Brewers Association. Her work became increasingly abstract in the 1950s and she worked in a wide array of media.
Grant Wood
February 13, 1891 – February 12, 1942
Grant Wood was born on a farm near Anamosa, Iowa. His family moved to Cedar Rapids after the death of his father in 1901. Wood studied at the Minneapolis School of Design, Handicraft, and Normal Art, as well as at University of Iowa, and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. After a few years in Chicago, Wood returned to Cedar Rapids in 1916. Near the end of World War I, he joined the Army where he designed camouflage. At the end of the war Wood returned to Cedar Rapids where he taught art at a high school until 1925. Wood had his first gallery show in 1926. From 1920-1930, Wood made several trips to Europe where he familiarized himself with both modern painting of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionists, as well as the work of Northern Renaissance artists. In 1923 while in France, Wood studied at the Académie Julian. In 1930, Wood entered American Gothic at a competition held by the Art Institute of Chicago. The painting catapulted Wood into fame. He continued to paint similarly stylized images of small town life and American history throughout his career. In 1934 Wood was made the director of the New Deal Public Works Art Project in Iowa, and began teaching at the University of Iowa.