In American Waters: The Sea in American Painting
In American Waters highlights American art historical and cultural traditions associated with the sea, deepening our understanding of it as a symbol of American ambition, opportunity, and invention. The histories of American art have long privileged ways of imagining American culture that only tell a partial story and that overlook marine narratives of national and individual experience past and present. This ambitious volume reveals the sea as an expansive way to reflect on American culture and environment and to question what it means to be “in American waters.”
For more than two hundred years, American painters have been inspired to capture the beauty, violence, poetry, and transformative power of the sea in American life. Their images of the sea have also expressed ambitions beyond America’s borders in aesthetically and conceptually distinctive ways. The eight essays included here offer a more inclusive way of thinking about American marine painting by reconsidering national symbols and narratives, origin stories, coastlines, horizons, and ports, and by broadening the conversation to embrace perspectives on the Middle Passage, immigration, and Indigenous presence. Lavishly illustrated with more than 120 images, In American Waters features fascinating historical paintings alongside works by major modern and contemporary artists.
The publication accompanies the nationally touring exhibition In American Waters: The Sea in American Painting on view at the Peabody Essex Museum from May 29 to October 3, 2021, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, from November 6, 2021, to January 31, 2022.
Edited by Daniel Finamore and Austen Barron Bailly
With contributions by Austen Barron Bailly, Mindy N. Besaw, Sarah N. Chasse, Daniel Finamore, and George H. Schwartz
11"h × 9 1/2”w
Hardcover 232 pages with 120 illustrations
ISBN 9781682261705
SHIPPING:
Orders shipped within the United States are sent via USPS or UPS. Tracking information will be provided by email once your order has shipped.
PEM Shop is not responsible for lost or stolen merchandise once an order has shipped. Customers are encouraged to use the tracking information provided to monitor their shipments.
IN STORE PICKUP:
We are pleased to offer in-store pickup for our local customers! Follow the steps below to pick up your online order:
- Shop online at shop.pem.org.
- At checkout, select Curbside Pickup as your shipping method and place your order.
- Once your order is ready, you will receive an email with pickup instructions.
- Follow the instructions in your email and pick up your order at PEM Shop, located at 161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970.
- Orders not picked up within two weeks of the order date will be canceled and refunded.
Please Note:
-
Please allow 2–3 days from the purchase date for order processing.
-
In-store pickup is available Thursday through Monday, 10 am–5 pm.
-
Please wait for your order-ready email before visiting for pickup.
RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY:
PEM Shop accepts eligible returns within 30 days of the original purchase date. To qualify for a return, items must be in their original condition and packaging.
To initiate a return, please contact us at contactus@pem.org. Please include your order information and details about the item you wish to return. Our team will provide instructions for the return process.
Shipping Fees: Buyers are responsible for all incoming shipping charges associated with returns or exchanges, including the cost of shipping items back to PEM Shop. Original outgoing shipping charges paid at the time of purchase are non-refundable. PEM Shop does not reimburse outgoing or incoming shipping costs for returns or exchanges.
Non-Returnable Items: The following items cannot be returned or exchanged for store credit:
-
Jellycat products
-
Sale and clearance items
-
Personal-use items, including face masks
-
Food Items
-
Akari Lighting
Please contact us before sending any items back to ensure your return is handled properly.