Robert Peterson: Somewhere In America
September 28, 2024 - January 5, 2025
Louise and S. O. Beren Gallery
John W. and Mildred L. Graves Gallery
About This Exhibition
In his portraits, contemporary artist Robert Peterson renders African American life beautifully and joyfully, rejecting stereotypes to celebrate the “Black experience as [he] knows it.” The artist’s first major museum exhibition, Somewhere In America features key paintings from Peterson’s existing works, as well as over 20 new works, many painted on a monumental scale. Each painting—loving depictions of individuals, couples, and families in everyday moments—commemorates Peterson’s community in small-town Oklahoma, his wider circle of friends and family throughout the country, and the people he encounters that spark memories of those he has known, both past and present. Self-taught, Peterson picked up a paintbrush for the first time in 2012 to distract himself from an upcoming hip replacement. He had his first solo exhibition in New York City less than a year later. Today, his work sells out at art fairs and galleries and is collected by museums, with works at the Philbrook Museum of Art, Weisman Art Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg. Somewhere in America tells a deeply personal— yet widely recognizable—story of family, community, and legacy.
Tickets available online or at the Welcome Desk
Image credit: Robert Peterson, Head in the Clouds, 2022. Oil on canvas, 48 x 72 inches. Collection of Yvonne Cook and family
⇲ Tour Options:
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Adult Guided Tours :
· Guided tours are available for adult groups with a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 30 participants.
· Tours must be scheduled a minimum of 3 weeks in advance.
· Group tour tickets ($18/person) are required for adult groups (over the age of 18).
· Payment in full is due at the time of booking. Tickets are nonrefundable.
· Tours are limited and subject to guide availability. Book Now -
Adult Self-Guided Visits :
· A group of ten or more people.
· Exhibition tickets ($12/person) are required for adult groups (over the age of 18).
· Self-guided groups are strongly encouraged to book in advance for the best possible experience and assistance with planning their visit.|
· Tell us about any special needs or requests you may have in the additional notes.
· WAM is wheelchair accessible Book Now
Robert Peterson Somewhere in America is organized by the Wichita Art Museum.
This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
PRESENTING SPONSOR
National Endowment for the Arts
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
DeVore Foundation
Emprise Bank
Shaw Family Foundation
Dwane L. and Velma Lunt Wallace Foundation
DISTINGUISHED SPONSORS
Connie Bonfy
Damon and Lai-L Daugherty
Lou and Terry Heldman
Kristin and Will Price
2024 exhibitions and public programs are generously supported by the Downing Foundation.
All museum exhibitions receive generous sponsorship from the Friends of the Wichita Art Museum and the City of Wichita.
This exhibition celebrates the Black experience through paintings of African Americans in everyday moments. Although deeply autobiographical, Peterson’s work invites all viewers to find a piece of their own story within these powerful portraits.
