Eagles in American Culture
Minnesota Marine Art Museum and National Eagle Center Preview Extraordinary Collection of Eagles in American Culture With Concurrent Exhibitions
The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) in Winona and National Eagle Center (NEC) in Wabasha are pleased to announce a major collaboration this summer as they host a special eagle art exhibition in two parts.
MMAM will host Eagles Over the Water: A Preview of the National Eagle Center’s Collection of Eagles in American Culture while the NEC will host Eagles Everywhere. Both exhibitions will run June 1st through October 14th.
The concurrent exhibitions are a preview of the immense and extraordinary Preston Cook Collection recently gifted to the NEC. This unique collection, amassed by private collector Preston Cook over four decades, includes over 20,000 pieces of fine art, historical items, cultural artifacts, and ephemera from the 18th century to the present day, all featuring or relating to eagles in American culture, with specific emphasis on the bald eagle. It is the single largest collection of its kind in the world.
“From its earliest days the National Eagle Center has been about connecting people to eagles in nature,” says Rolf Thompson, Executive Director at the National Eagle Center. “With this extraordinary collection people will connect with the role and meaning of eagles throughout American history and culture.”
These are the first public exhibitions of the collection, which includes works by John James Audubon, Andy Warhol, Robert Havell, Jr., and Shepard Fairey.
“We are truly excited for this partnership with our neighbor up the river, the National Eagle Center, and to display a small amount of the impressive collection that Preston has built,” says MMAM Executive Director Nicole Chamberlain-Dupree. “Visitors to both exhibitions will get a great sneak peek at the collection and what’s in store for its eventual display and rotation at the NEC.”
MMAM will host an opening reception for Eagles Over the Water on Thursday, May 31st from 5-7pm followed by an opening reception for Eagles Everywhere at the NEC on Thursday, June 7th from 5-6:30pm. Both receptions will offer FREE admission for all MMAM members, NEC members, and students, with $10 admission for the general public.
On Wednesday, June 13th MMAM will host a Walk & Talk with Preston Cook from 6-7pm. It will be followed by a Walk & Talk with Preston Cook at the NEC in Wabasha on Thursday, June 21st from 5-7pm. Both events are FREE to the public.
The National Eagle Center is a non-profit interpretive center located in Wabasha, MN that connects people with eagles in nature, history, and cultures. For more information and a full calendar of events, visit nationaleaglecenter.org.
MMAM is in its 11th year of operation and is a 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization owned by its members. The Museum’s mission is to engage visitors in meaningful visual arts experiences through education and exhibitions that explore the ongoing and historic human relationship with water.
Minnesota Marine Art Museum is a member of the River Arts Alliance. To learn more about the benefits of membership, please visit: riverartsalliance.org/JOIN.