Ask the Artist: William Christenberry January 13, 2006

Installation shot: Passing Time: the Art of William Christenberry, Smithsonian American Art Museum

With SAAM’s reopening set for this July (after a six year top-to-bottom renovation of our  building), we begin a series of posts to give you an inside look at our reopening preparations. Our collection is coming out of storage, and curators and conservators are beginning to move the artwork into galleries. Today, an introduction to one of the first exhibitions to be installed: Passing Time: the Art of William Christenberry.

Christenberry works in a variety of media including painting, photography, and sculpture, often using the rural landscape of his native Alabama as his subject. Like many of his works, SAAM’s River House is inspired by vernacular architecture. He built this stilt-raised house, drawing on memories of childhood fishing trips with his father.

To learn more about Christenberry, watch our short video in which he discusses his renowned "dream buildings". You can also watch his recent lecture as part of SAAM’s Clarice Smith lecture series.

You can also ask Christenberry a question! SAAM staff will choose questions that the artist will answer in a video interview.

Update: William Christenberry answers your questions!

• William Christenberry, American art, Smithsonian American Art Museum