Mildred Bryant Brooks: The Art of Etching

Until further notice, exhibitions with opening dates through mid-June will launch with an online presence, including images, interpretive materials, and other resources, on their scheduled dates. Our website will be updated with more information about galleries’ public opening dates as information becomes available.

The award-winning work of American etcher and master printer Mildred Bryant Brooks (1901-95) explores the physical and metaphorical beauty of the natural world. With a keen eye for detail, exceptional technical skill, curiosity, and empathy, Brooks brought to life the forest, desert, and ocean landscapes of her native California, reflecting on the symbiotic relationship between nature and humanity. Drawn from the gifts of Beth Bryant Tucker and made possible with the Mildred Bryant Brooks Art Fund, this exhibition celebrates the breadth of Brooks’ pioneering career as a female artist and educator in the 1930s and 40s. The gallery will feature a selection of prints from the JSMA’s permanent collection, accompanied by a set of intaglio printmaking tools and segments from Brooks’ 1959 instructional film, The Art of Etching. An exhibition catalog with essays by Emily Dara Shinn, Curatorial Extern in American and European Art and 2019 Mildred Bryant Brooks intern, and Jacob Armas, 2018 Mildred Bryant Brooks intern, will be available late summer.