Skip menu to read main page content
Objects in the Structure and Perspective exhibition.
View All exhibitions

Structure and Perspective

David Brewster Explores Maryland’s Social Landscape; Presented October 2017-March 2019

Opened in October 2017, Structure and Perspective: David Brewster Explores Maryland’s Social Landscape juxtaposed large-scale paintings by the artist representing current cultural topics with objects from the Maryland Center for History and Culture’s collection that reflected similar themes.

Present-day Perspectives and the Structures of the Past

The installation brought together commissioned works by Maryland-born artist David Brewster with objects from the MCHC collection. This marrying of old with new, contemporary with “antique,” created a dialogue that inspired thought-provoking discussions of how the objects of the past remain relevant to today’s ever-changing social landscape. It also highlighted Brewster’s often challenging perspective on the modern world, one that looks to the overlooked or unseen.

Brewster’s commissioned works focused on challenging and complex themes like gender, race, urban decay, suburban sprawl, environmental conditions, and the political tensions in America today.

What's Your Perspective?

Video interviews of members of the Maryland community sharing their voices and perspectives on these themes could be viewed on iPads throughout the exhibition. The interactive media components of Structure and Perspective, delivered through tablets and smartphone media, invited visitors to explore these themes throughout the museum. The question "What's Your Perspective?" ran throughout the installation and visitors could record their perspectives in the exhibition.

About the Artist

Brewster was born in Glyndon, Maryland, in 1960. His earliest childhood works reveal his interest in structure and perspective. A fascination with depicting houses in cross-section echoes his later interest in rendering architectural structures within urban and rural landscapes. His earliest landscape paintings foreshadow his many years of work “en plein air” or outside.

Brewster attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts (1979-1980) and the Leo Marchutz School of Fine Arts in Aix-en-Provence (1980-82). He received a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (1985) and a MFA from the University of Pennsylvania (1988). Today, he paints, lectures, and exhibits his work around the world.

Your History Lives Here

Since 1844, we have collected, preserved, and interpreted Maryland's diverse history, art, and culture. Visit and see it at the Maryland Center for History and Culture.

Hours & TicketingDirections & AccessibilityFAQs