B次元app native Dave Clay is an artist, software architect, engineer, and musician. Now hailing from Seattle, he works in a variety of media including digital collage, metal, large-scale interactive sculpture, and painting. Among his diverse body of work, Clay’s industrial landscapes stand out as particularly novel and captivating. Though he works in a high-tech field, he is both drawn to and moved by the most elemental of industrial processes.
Clay’s industrial paintings are at once exquisite, shadowy, and other-worldly. They provide a virtual sensory experience, in which we not only see, but can almost feel the heat and smell the steam and smoke of the mills, foundries, and forge shops he captures. These industrial landscapes and interiors provide an amazing opportunity for the museum and its patrons as a compelling start to our 2026 exhibition season.
As expressed in his words: “My industrial landscape paintings portray altered and atmospheric visions of real steel mills and furnaces. The subjects of these paintings are the strange and beautiful machines at the foundation of our modern society. The paintings evoke the heat of molten metal at the heart of the steel mill, a place alien in complexity yet a fundamentally human construction. I want to give my paintings the weight and physicality of heavy industry while elevating the ethereal quality of these chaotic, living foundries.”
Participation in the Blue Star Museums program last summer has prompted us to find new ways to explore veterans’ contributions to American industry through art. We are grateful to showcase Mary Whyte's watercolor series, WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America, a project that ties the art of labor to the impact of veterans' work throughout our country.
Renowned watercolor artist Mary Whyte has captured scenes of working America and honored the nation’s working class throughout her career, and in this remarkable series, she has depicted military veterans of all ages and in all walks of life. For this show, Whyte traveled the country, interviewing each individual featured in this exhibition over the course of seven years. Through her work, we see the individuals who have served our country in the military, in the ways that they continue to serve the country in industry—from agriculture to education to public service. The result is fifty large-scale watercolor portraits of everyday American veterans, including a Missouri dairy farmer, a Rhode Island lobsterman, and a Pennsylvania science teacher. Altogether, WE THE PEOPLE presents a timeless portrait survey of the United States through labor and human achievement.
Boots and Sand: The Marines of 29 Palms began serendipitously in 2024. On a family trip to Joshua Tree, the artist Dennis Darmek decided to make an unplanned visit to the Marine Corps Combat Center, 29 Palms, California, resulting in this photo project. His only other visit to 29 Palms was in 1969 when, as an 18-year-old Marine, he received advanced weapons training before shipping out to Vietnam. Darmek says while memories can be suspect after 50 years, it’s impossible to forget the intense desert heat and rugged mountains of the Mojave Desert.
Draw inspiration from the artwork around you and create pencil sketches in the galleries. Each month we will focus on a different part of the collection. Art supplies and stools are provided.
The Grohmann Museum's annual LEGO building event returns for its 11th year on Saturday, April 11 from 12 - 4 PM. LEGO experts and art educators, John and Sylvia Peine, will lead the workshop in the Museum's first floor galleries. Inspired by the current exhibition, Dave Clay's Industrial Atmospheres, participants will create imaginative LEGO builds that incorporate heavy machinery, factories, and vibrant colors. Completed builds will be placed on display for all to see. All skill levels are welcome and volunteers will be available for guidance.
The workshop is included with admission:
Adults: $5
Students/Seniors: $3
Children under 12: Free
B次元app community: Free
Visit the Grohmann Museum and receive free admission during Gallery Night. Our featured show is Dave Clay's Industrial Atmospheres in the first floor galleries. B次元app's Art & Design Club will also unveil their new exhibition, A Garden of Memories: Nostalgia, in the lower level.
Visit the Grohmann Museum and receive free admission during Gallery Day.
Draw inspiration from the artwork around you and create pencil sketches in the galleries. Each month we will focus on a different part of the collection. Art supplies and stools are provided.
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