Exhibition Information:
October 15, 2022 - February 26, 2023

Fruitlands Museum
Harvard, MA

Organized by Chief Curator Sarah Montross and Haley Clouser

Thumbnail image: Installation view of “Wind from the Hills,” Fruiltands Museum. Image: Mel Taing

Installation view of “Wind from the Hills,” Fruiltands Museum. Image: Mel Taing


Clara Endicott Sears (1863–1960), founder of the Fruitlands Museum, was a philanthropist, preservationist, art connoisseur, and author. As Sears developed the museum’s collection during the first half of the twentieth century, she also pursued a writing career, publishing books on art, history, as well as fictional and inspirational literature.

Drawn from Fruitland’s permanent collection, the artworks in this exhibition are inspired by select poems from Sears’ 1935 anthology Wind from the Hills and Other Poems. The galleries feature nineteenth century landscape paintings, folk art, Shaker textiles, and Indigenous artworks, revealing the complexities of Sears’ artistic interests while reviving her words through highlights of the collection.

Visit the website for more information.