Summer School: Selections from the Archives of American Art

People everywhere welcome summer and its charms - including artists, who see summer as an opportunity to concentrate fully on their work without the constraints of teaching or the distractions of city living. Beginning in 1891, summer programs for artists began to pop up along the east coast of the United States. Like the summer camps of childhood, these schools provided an environment that allowed for unbridled creativity and collaboration. On view are letters, photographs, and sketchbooks that reveal the importance of these summer schools to artists' lives and careers.