HIGHLIGHTS: Selections from BRAHM’s Permanent Collection

Elliott Daingerfield, Still Life (Rhododendron and Brass Pot), c. 1900, Oil on canvas, 24 x 34 in. Given in honor of Joann C. Mitchell, BRAHM's first Executive Director, by Welborn E. & Patricia H. Alexander, BRAHM Permanent Collection, 2012.04.01.

August 18, 2023 – June 30, 2024 | Cannon Gallery

BRAHM stewards a growing Permanent Collection of over 800 objects. Museums build collections for a variety of reasons: preserving artworks and other objects of historical importance for future generations; cataloging, documenting, and researching said objects; and displaying and interpreting the collection for the public through exhibitions, publications, and other educational programs. Each museum approaches collection development with a slightly different ethos or goal in mind. There are many museums eager to share established and innovative art historical narratives or highlight emerging and already significant artists. However, every institution must contend with limited resources and diverse audiences with a seemingly limitless array of visual culture vying for their attention.

Collecting institutions are compelled to articulate their particular identity, and, at over a decade old, BRAHM has begun in earnest to refine its own. This museum was explicitly founded with an expansive focus on the art and culture of Southern Appalachia. Time and coincidence as well as strategic leadership, philanthropy, and staff expertise have augmented and refined that vision for BRAHM and its collection over the following years. This exhibition works to articulate that emergent trajectory for the museum, identifying the strengths of its Permanent Collection and highlighting the exciting directions in which it is beginning to grow.