In 2012, Historic Artists’ Homes and Studios launched its traveling photography exhibition Preserving Creative Spaces, with an opening presentation at HAHS-member site, Chesterwood (Stockbridge, MA), site of the National Trust, and the former home and studio of monumental sculptor Daniel Chester French.
Over the last decade the show has traveled to more than twenty HAHS sites, and in 2023 aspects of the exhibition were on display at the La Jolla Historical Society (La Jolla, California). Read here for more about that exhibition, entitled Artists at Home, including an essay by HAHS Director, Valerie Balint.
The exhibition was made possible with through a grant from the Wyeth Foundation of American Art. In ensuing years, the exhibition has expanded through additional support from the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach, FL. Printing and framing of exhibition images is supported in part by Sohn Fine Art, in Lenox, MA.
Past Venues
North/South/East/West
July to September 22, 2024
The Art Barge at The D’Amico Institute of Art hosted a photographic showcase of the 61 artists’ homes and studios that are members of The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios program.
Stay tuned for upcoming dates and venues for this exhibition









More about the show
Preserving Creative Spaces is an exhibition of more than sixty photographs of the artists whose homes, studios, and landscapes are all members of the HAHS network.
These images of artists at home, working in their studios, in the landscape, or on their travels tell visual stories that deepen our understanding of their lives, their creative processes, and their art. Through them the viewer gains access to the artists’ private worlds – and allows entry into the act of artmaking, and in some instances the ability to see the objects, landscapes, and surrounding viewsheds that inspired these artists. Some of these images are candid shots of artists caught in moments of creativity, while others represent carefully posed portraits that conjure questions about self-fashioning and promotion of the artist-genius persona. The images in the exhibit have been selected by each respective site.
Interested in borrowing the exhibition?
The exhibition is available for loan to HAHS member sites, and to other museums, historic sites, and arts organizations outside the network. If your organization is interested please reach out below to receive a prospectus.