Insider/Outsider will run Nov. 1 through Dec. 15 at the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery on the campus of Lebanon Valley College (LVC) in Annville.

The exhibit spans the development of social realism, with paintings, prints and photographs.

As an American art form, social realism was most popular from 1929 to about 1960. It was during this time, our country was going through major growing pains. World War I, the Great Depression, the Industrial Revolution, immigration, and increasing racial tensions were all having a serious impact on American families.

One of the most important works in the exhibit, Edward Hopper’s Night Shadows, 1921, an etching on wove Van Gelder Zonen paper, Mead Art Museum, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts. Dr. Sanford B. Sternlieb (Lebanon Valley College Class of 1946)

The social realists of the day were painters, photographers, filmmakers, and writers who, through their work, were united in their efforts to show the world what life was really like for the downtrodden. The poor and middle class Americans working hard just to make ends meet are central characters in social realism. Not only on the farm, but in the mines, the steel mills, sweat shops, and railroads; social realists used their work to show what was really happening and criticize the power structure responsible for these conditions. In many ways, they were successful.

Insider/Outsider follows the development of this school with more contemporary paintings, prints, and photographs of the overlooked in our modern society.

Stefan Kruszewski, Criminally Insane, 2017–2018, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches, collection of the artist.

The opening reception for Insider/Outsider will take place Friday, Nov. 1 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. in the Zimmerman Recital Hall of the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery at LVC.

The reception is FREE and open to the public.

Gallery intern Chloe Kline, LVC Class of 2021, and gallery assistant Rebecca Worhach prepare pieces in advance of the Nov. 1 opening of Insider/Outsider. (Provided photo)

About the venue:

Housed in a former church in the medieval-revival style, the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery hosts five to six exhibitions a year, with loans from major national and regional art museums, galleries, and collectors. Exhibitions are made possible by the The Friends of the Gallery, the Gallery’s membership group, as well as other generous sponsors.

Gallery hours are:

  • Wednesdays 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
  • Thursdays & Fridays 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
  • Saturday and Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

The gallery is also open by appointment for group tours.

You can contact gallery staff at 717-867-6445 or gallery@lvc.edu to arrange a private gallery talk for your school or organization.

For a complete list of other events associated with this exhibit, visit the LVC website.

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