February 28 – May 31, 2026

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Do you ever wonder what treasures might be hiding in the Art Museum’s vault? The Museum’s limited – but oh-so-charming – gallery space prohibits us from permanently displaying the Museum’s collection; so, it is always exciting when I get to curate a new temporary exhibition of these works that are near and dear to our Museum heart.

During my 11-year tenure as Curator, I am proud to say that we have added 78 pieces of art to the Museum’s permanent collection, increasing the total number of objects we house to 263. These gifts – and one purchase (a beautiful sweetgrass fanner basket by Vera Manigault of Mount Pleasant, SC) – have come from exhibiting artists, Museum patrons and the estates of area collectors, who graciously bequeathed their prized possessions to the Museum. We are forever grateful for their contributions and the continuing impact their generosity will have on generations of Museum visitors to come. I can’t wait to share some of these prized works of art with you in Expanding Horizons: A Grand (Strand) Collection.

In addition to a large selection of our latest acquisitions, I’ll be displaying some long-time visitor favorites, as well as some works that haven’t been displayed in quite a while. One of my greatest joys of curating our collection is presenting the work in new and unexpected ways –  challenging how viewers approach, engage with and think about an object’s meaning, as well as how they perceive the serendipitous relationships between it and the objects displayed around it. It will be enjoyable to see how these objects, both old and new to the collection, interact with one another and spark thought-provoking dialogues, thereby expanding our horizons.

– Liz Miller, Curator

Participating artists/students: