Matthew Day Jackson exhibition: 'There Will Come Soft Rains'

SCAD presents "There Will Come Soft Rains," an exhibition by the acclaimed artist Matthew Day Jackson. Jackson’s work explores the dichotomy between the past and present and the narrative of his own identity within history. These investigations address the loss of the American dream through the juxtaposition of unrealized Audubon plates, from which Jackson has created new prints, along with images culled from Jackson's personal history.

"There Will Come Soft Rains" takes its name from the 1920 poem by American poet Sara Teasdale. The poem imagines nature’s reclamation of a post-conflict battlefield. In Teasdale's words, "… not one will know of the war, not one/ will care at last when it is done. Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree, If mankind perished utterly; And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/Would scarcely know that we were gone."

Jackson appropriates text from the poem as narrative to illustrate personal and family travel as well as landscape photographs. The result is a new film and suite of images that merge his own personal history with relics and markers of America’s natural history. Employing such diverse media as video, photography and printmaking, "There Will Come Soft Rains" encompasses Jackson’s layered practice as well as his personal interest in Americana.

For deFINE ART, this exhibition debuts two new works. The first is a film that features imagery from Jackson's grandparents' holidays throughout the U. S. in the 1940s through the 1970s. Imbued with memories and nostalgia, this film provided a fundamental basis for the artist’s appreciation of nature. The second new work features a portfolio of 12 etchings in which Jackson has resurrected forgotten John James Audubon plates, which were posthumously created in 1937 by the History Institute of America and sanctioned by the Audubon Society. Ultimately, the plates were never used due to the onset of World War II. Through meticulous research and legal efforts, Jackson obtained the plates and worked with a master printer to create the new print series. Through found imagery and texts, Jackson offers viewers a moment to reflect on images of Americana, poetry and nostalgia for the timeless power and beauty of nature.

This exhibition is curated by Aaron Levi Garvey, SCAD assistant curator of exhibitions.

Presented as part of the deFINE ART 2015 program, Feb. 17-19

Panel discussion with Jesper Just: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 6 p.m.

Reception: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 7-8 p.m.

Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public