The Watkins Museum of History is partnering with Art Bridges Foundation to bring a major 19th-century work of art to Lawrence, to be displayed in conjunction with a new series of exhibitions.
“Washington Passing the Delaware,” by Edward Hicks, will be the centerpiece of the museum’s new Sharing Heritage Through Art exhibition, which will open in the third-floor gallery in April 2027.
“Hicks, the Pennsylvania Quaker preacher best known for his Peaceable Kingdom paintings, produced several versions of Washington’s December 1776 crossing of the Delaware River, modeling them on Thomas Sully’s The Passage of the Delaware (1819),” according to a news release from the museum. “The oil on canvas on loan to the Watkins depicts the Continental Army’s surprise advance on Trenton, New Jersey — a turning point of the Revolutionary War — and will remain on view through December 2027.”
The exhibition will surround the painting with a selection of artwork and stories drawn from the Watkins’ collection and community partners that will rotate every two months. It will be open through December 2027.
“The series examines how cultural groups in the region, including Native American, African American and Mexican American communities, preserve and express their heritage through art,” according to the release. “The opening installation will pair Hicks’ depiction of an iconic episode from the American Revolution with traditional approaches to a defining event in Lawrence’s own history, Quantrill’s Raid of 1863.”
Steve Nowak, executive director of the museum, said the project provides a new perspective on local history.
“Through the medium of art, visitors will discover how different cultural traditions represented in our community remember and share their heritage,” he said in the release.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free.
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Watkins Museum, foundation to bring famous painting to Lawrence; exhibition to accompany it
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