Blog Category: collections

The de Young’s annual Summer Art Camp has begun! Each week throughout the summer, we’ll be sharing posts about the amazing activities and artworks our creative campers are doing. Here’s the scoop from week one, submitted by guest blogger Ashley Harris.

Summer Art Camp season at the de Young had an inspired beginning last week as young artists explored the theme of “Mixed-Media Madness.” Campers were able to experience art making as a tool for experimentation and connection-building as they created their own artworks inspired by pieces on view at the museum.

Since its invention in the mid 19th century, photography has been at the forefront of progressive art making traditions—so its presence in The Cult of Beauty: The Victorian Avant-Garde, 1860–1900 is no surprise. By the 1890s, photography was a half-century old and its supporters vociferously claimed it to be an independent art form, advocating for the idea of "art photography." Today we celebrate the birthday of Julia Margaret Cameron, one of the greatest photographers from this period and whose work is currently on display in The Cult of Beauty at the Legion of Honor (closing this Sunday, June 17).