Picturing Home: Dust Bowl Migrants in Chandler
March 8, 2022 - Aug. 13, 2023
In the late 1930s Chandler had an influx of Dust Bowl migrants who fled their homes in search of a better life. Government photographers Dorothea Lange and Russell Lee documented unique stories showing these migrants and their dwellings, which were often temporary.
This exhibition is a history of Dust Bowl Chandler through unique black and white photographs. It examines what home looked like and makes connections between 1930s Chandler and Chandler today. It includes themes of housing, migration, agriculture, technology, self-sufficiency, and empathy.
Daughter of Mexican Field Laborer. Near Chandler, Arizona. Image Credit: Dorothea Lange, 1937, Library of Congress, LC-USF34- 016792-C
Thrift Style
Sept. 6 - Nov. 27, 2022
Thrift Style provides a nostalgic view into American ingenuity, sensibility, and optimism during a particularly challenging time of economic hardship and war—the period of the Great Depression and World War II. The exhibition explores the reuse of feed, flour, and sugar sacks to make clothing and other household objects. This “upcycling” was a cost-saving and resource-saving approach employed by homemakers to meet their families’ needs. With 41 works from patterns to garments, it serves as an example of past ingenuity that can inform today’s efforts towards sustainability.
A Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.
Image: Manufactured by Werthan, Nashville, TN, Feed Sack for The Wilson Flour Mills, Wilson, KS, c. 1940; feed sack cotton, 16 7/8 x 9 3/4 inches; Courtesy of Kansas State University Historic Costume and Textile Museum.
Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster, 1844-2012
Dec. 15 - Jan. 19, 2023
Historically the American political poster has been neglected as an art form despite the effectiveness of conveying a political message to millions of voters. This exhibition highlights the artistic acumen behind these posters by taking a closer look at the array of styles, design trends, and print technology. This display of fifty posters created in the last 170 years will delight your eye, engage your imagination, and cause you to ponder the impact of these visual campaign components.
A Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.
Image: Unidentified artist, Republican Party candidate Barry Goldwater, 1964; offset lithography, 22 x 14 inches; Courtesy of Hal Wert.
Arrival Stories
Opening Sept. 20, 2022
Chandler Museum wants to know: What brought you to Chandler?
Visit the Price Gallery to explore first-hand accounts about people past and present coming to our community. Then, share your story. This interactive exhibit will evolve with visitors' participation, so make sure to add your arrival story to Chandler’s rich history.
In case you missed the exhibition, view the tour of Bigger than Boxing: Zora Folley and the Heavyweight Title