There’s an old joke from my long-ago museum education days that has always stuck with me. It goes something like, “If you want people to come to your museum, you have to have one of three things – dinosaurs, Ancient Egypt or Impressionism.”

*insert laugh track here*

It was with this bit of museum humor floating around in the back of my mind that I visited the Mennello Museum of American Art in Winter Park, FL to see their current exhibition titled “Impression & Reality.” I was prepared to see yet another regular old “routine” Impressionist exhibition, but that was not at all what happened. Instead, I experienced a delightful art exhibition that was elevated, immensely thoughtful, and quite deliberate in its curation and message.

For example, all the artwork in the show was was sourced through partnerships that the Mennello established with other Florida art institutions. No artwork on view was from outside the state of Florida. Personally, I think this is a powerful statement in and of itself and proves that the arts can be celebrated in the Sunshine State when creative folks work together.

Another thing that stood out to me was the number of artworks by women. Of the 37 artworks included in this exhibition, eight are by women artists. While that number is still quite low, I thoroughly appreciate the determination of the organizers to include a more significant representation of women artists.

I typically write posts featuring art exhibitions not as critical reviews, per se, but as a means of encouraging folks to visit without swaying or influencing the individual experience. However, for this post, I am going to go all in and gush. This show was simply wonderful and for the $5 admission fee, it can’t be beat.

Here are a few of my favorite highlights…

A pair of enchanting Louis Ritman paintings.

Some really lovely John Sloan paintings that illustrate the influence of Vincent van Gogh.

A few large scale paintings that allow the viewer an up-close encounter with the thick, suggestive brush strokes indicative of the Impressionists.

The crown jewel of the exhibition… an exquisite etching by Mary Cassatt.

“Impression & Reality” is on view at the Mennello Museum of American Art in Winter Park, FL now through June 11, 2023.

For more on this exhibition, please visit…