Decade by Decade: Art Acquired in Its Time

When Gregory Ivy founded the Weatherspoon in 1941, he wanted students attending Woman’s College as well as the larger Greensboro community to have firsthand experience of the art of their time. He achieved this vision in part through the exhibitions he organized, the instructors he hired, the workshops and lectures he offered, and perhaps most importantly, the artworks he acquired for the Weatherspoon’s burgeoning collection. As a result of Ivy’s unwavering vision and through the financial support of the Greensboro community, the Weatherspoon has evolved over the course of its 75 years into an internationally recognized museum with a noteworthy collection of modern and contemporary art. Decade by Decade: Art Acquired in Its Time highlights select objects that entered the collection shortly after the date of their creation. The objects included represent various contemporary art movements from the museum’s founding to the present, and thus underscore the museum’s enduring commitment to both emerging artists and to the art of its time. Visitors will glean that there have been more than a few prescient acquisitions over the years!

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.