Ansel Adams: Early Works
May 5 – July 30, 2017
This exhibition presents the work of iconic American photographer, Ansel Adams. His work can be viewed as the end of an arc of American art concerned with capturing the “sublime” in the unspoiled Western landscape: a tradition that includes several painters on view within the Biggs Museum including Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Cole.
Biggs Picture 2017
June 2 – July 23, 2017
Once every three years, the Biggs Museum hosts this juried, regional competition. Artists from throughout the Mid-Atlantic states are invited to compete within this unique exhibition featuring a wide variety of landscape concepts in any artistic medium: photography, sculpture, painting, video, installation, etc. The works will be available for purchase.
Junior Docent Exhibit
June 2 – 30, 2017
Throughout the year, students from schools and afterschool programs throughout the state participate in our Junior Docent Program. These students view and study works of art from our collection and then provide tours of the museum to their peers and families. By the conclusion of the school year, students have also created works of art inspired by the collection at the Biggs and these works are showcased in our Child HELP Foundation Gallery. This program is generously supported by the Susan K. Black Foundation, the Delaware Division of the Arts, the Kent County Fund for the Arts and the PNC Foundation.
Award Winners
August 4 – October 22, 2017
The annual Award Winners exhibition features the talent of the Delaware Division of the Arts (DDOA) Individual Artist Fellows. The Fellows are recommended by out-of-state jurors based on the high quality of their artwork and receive Delaware State Arts Council approval. Each year, the Biggs Museum invites the award winners to the only group exhibition honoring their combined accomplishments in visual and media arts, literature, and music.
Christo & Jeanne-Claude: The Tom 
Golden Collection
August 4-October 22, 2017
This exhibition chronicles the career of husband and wife artistic team, Christo and Jeanne-Claude. The exhibition is a large display of the artists’ portfolios; original drawings and sculptures developed to record the major large scale environmental installations and international projects undertaken by Christo and Jeanne-Claude for more than forty years. The exhibition was organized by the Sonoma County Museum, Santa Rosa, CA. Exhibition Tour Management by Landau Traveling Exhibitions, Los Angeles, CA.
What Inspired You?: Works by Members of the Delaware Art Education Association
August 4 – September 1, 2017
Almost all artists have a vivid memory of what inspired them to pursue the arts. Through a partnership with the Delaware Art Education Association, the Biggs and DAEA have challenged Delaware art educators to create and submit works of art that explore what inspired them to become artists and teachers. The resulting exhibit will be a testament to the innovative forces behind the educators that are inspiring our state’s future creative leaders.
Biggs In Bloom
September 15-17, 2017
Defy nature and spring forward this the fall! Biggs in Bloom’s fall extravaganza will brighten your horizons and connect you to our collection in the most creative ways imaginable. This blooming weekend long fund-raiser will celebrate showcase the work of garden clubs and professional designers from across Delaware, who will create floral arrangements inspired by the Biggs Museum works of art. The weekend will begin with a lively Preview Party on Friday, September 15th.
Delaware By Hand Juried Exhibition
Nov 3-Jan 21, 2018
Check back soon for more details!
Aina Nergaard-Nammack
February 2-March 25, 2018
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Rembrandt Etchings: States, Fakes and Restrikes
May 12-July 8, 2018
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-69) was one of the most influential printmakers in the history of art. But how can one be sure that a Rembrandt is truly or wholly by THE Rembrandt? This exhibition examines the problem of authenticating this artist’ etchings. The exhibition includes fist state pulls of etchings made during the artist’s lifetime as well as restrike prints made after his death and well into the 20th century.
Michael Galmer – Contemporary Silversmith
April 6 – May 20, 2018
Based in New York, the silversmith Michael Galmer has succeeded in becoming one of the country’s leading craftsmen having designed for Tiffany and Co., Lenox, Gorham and Kirk Stieff. With a unique technique, the artist has developed a wide variety of repousse-decorated jewelry and vessels as well as the renowned Preakness trophy, commemorative silver forms and contemporary sculptures for such distinguished collections as the Jewish Museum of New York.
Delaware Discoveries: Girlhood Embroidery, 1750-1850
May 19 – July 22, 2018
The Biggs Museum will honor the upcoming publication of Delaware Discoveries: Girlhood Embroidery, 1750-1850, the definitive study of Delaware girlhood samplers of the 18th and 19th centuries, with an exhibition of historic needlework. The exhibition will feature approximately 80 antique samplers and other forms of embroidery from all three counties of the state with a special emphasis on debuting the work of little-known schools of needlework instruction; It will also be accompanied by a national symposium, public workshops and a book signing.
John James Audubon and His Influence Today
August 2018
In 1826 at the age of 41, encouraged by his wife, Audubon took his portfolio of 300+ works to England. Today, more than ever his work endures and segments of his work are right here at the Biggs in Dover. This exhibition examines the importance of the artist and naturalist, John James Audubon, through a large exhibition of his earliest works from both the Birds of America and Viviparous Quadropeds publications. This historical analysis will be coupled with the works of contemporary artists influenced by early naturalists and recorded in an exhibition catalog with color reproductions and essays by leading scholars.
Check back frequently as event details are will be updated as they get closer.