Unknown, 2nd Regiment, United States Colored Light Artillery, Battery A: Ready, ca. 1864, Albumen silver print, dimensions not given, collection of Julia J. Norrell
Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War
September 19, 2015 – January 3, 2016
The American Civil War was one of the first conflicts to be extensively documented by photography. The public had never before seen such powerful images of human devastation and the destructive impact of war. Inspired by the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Corcoran presents this focused collection developed in recent years by Washington collector Julia (“Judy”) Norrell. The photographs capture a wide range of subjects, from geographical views, landscapes, and portraits of soldiers and officers at rest, to the death and destruction in the aftermath of battles. Photographs by George Barnard, Issac H. Bonsall, Matthew Brady, Alexander Gardner, James F. Gibson, Frederick F. Gutekunst, Timothy H. O’Sullivan, Andrew J. Russell, D. B. Woodbury, and others, are included. A special emphasis of the collection is rare imagery of African American regiments and their underappreciated role in the war. In addition, to strengthen the presentation of the role of African Americans in the Civil War, a major tableau by Whitfield Lovell is included. It features a life-size portrait of an African American soldier.
Museum in the Garden: Envisioning the New VBMA
January 9, 2026—February 7, 2027
The Museum in the Garden: Envisioning the New VBMA exhibition traces the evolution of the designs for Vero Beach Museum of Art’s new building and transformed campus created by the Allied Works architecture and Unknown Studio Landscape Architecture & Urban Design.
American Made: Paintings and Sculpture from the DeMell Jacobsen Collection
January 31–June 7, 2026
Featuring over 80 works by renowned American artists, this exhibition traces the evolution of American art with a focus on the 19th and 20th centuries. Showcasing landscapes, still lifes, and genre scenes, it highlights the influence of European training and the diverse styles that have shaped American artistic expression across generations.