An insightful new exhibition titled “A Farm Story” involving a unique collaboration between an artist, her mentor, and ABAC Curator Polly Huff opens to the public for the first time on Feb. 1 at the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture.

Huff said the exhibition by Mary VanLandingham and Steven S. Walker will be on display at the Gallery at the Museum until April 30, with a special opportunity to meet the two artists and engage in conversation about their art from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on April 2.

VanLandingham is a traditional painter based out of South Georgia who specializes in creating lively and vivid imagery referencing the outside world. Her love and appreciation for the natural world is essential, and she strives to recreate scenes that embody a sense of both comfort and bewilderment.

Born and raised in South Georgia, VanLandingham developed an interest in art at an early age. While pursuing a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Valdosta State University, she took an immediate liking to oil paints. She then combined her admiration for nature with her passion for oil painting and began expressing place and perspectives that provide peace and familiarity.

VanLandingham has participated in exhibitions across the United States. She works full-time in her home studio in Nashville, Ga.

Walker, VanLandingham’s collaborator and mentor, has created inspiring works of art for corporations and private collectors for over 20 years.  He earned his bachelor’s degree in fine arts with a concentration in illustration at Virginia Commonwealth University and his master’s degree in fine arts from Marywood University.

As a fulltime artist, Walker has been included in several local and national juried competitions including the Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional, Salon and National, Richeson 75 Landscape Competition, Plein Air Salon, the International Salon, and the Art Renewal Center. He was also a part of a statewide traveling exhibition with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.  

Walker’s recent work has included exhibitions at Plein Air South, Forgotten Coast Plein Air, Georgia Colors, and the Olmsted Invitational where he earned a judge's award from the editor of art collector magazine. Currently, his work is represented in Kentucky, Washington, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Washington, D.C.

“I didn’t come from a family of artists; I wasn’t top of my class or the winner of a lot of awards, but I’ve always had a strong work ethic and the passion to work on my craft,” Walker said.

Huff is ecstatic about the images from the two artists hanging in the Gallery.

“Steven and Mary paint vibrant scenes depicting the most stunning images we often connect with farming,” Huff said.  “With Steven’s influences clearly visible in Mary’s work, hanging their works together in the gallery for this exhibition will be my pleasure.”

Exhibit hours are 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Admission to this exhibition is included in the daily Museum pass, and free to holders of a season pass. For questions about this and other Museum exhibitions, interested persons can contact Huff at [email protected].