American art takes center stage this summer at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, crowning a summer schedule that provides an exceptionally lively program of events and activities. Headlining the season are two special exhibitions opening June 9: Winslow Homer: Making Art, Making History and George Inness: Gifts from Frank and Katherine Martucci. Both exhibitions are open until September 8.

An exploration of the Clark’s extensive collection of works by the noted American artist, Winslow Homer: Making Art, Making History examines founder Sterling Clark’s decades-long pursuit of collecting Homer works and his assertion that Homer was one of the greatest artists of the nineteenth century. Comprising almost 200 works dating from 1857 to 1904, the exhibition showcases oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, and etchings, including some 120 rarely seen wood engravings.

George Inness: Gifts from Frank and Katherine Martucci marks the inaugural presentation of a suite of eight paintings by American landscape artist George Inness that recently joined the Clark collection through a generous gift from collectors Frank and Katherine Martucci. These exceptional paintings, which are joined in the exhibition by two Inness paintings acquired by Sterling Clark, range in date from 1880 to 1894, the year of the artist’s death. Wanting to do more than simply record nature, Inness experimented with color, composition, and painterly technique to evoke a visionary experience of the natural world.

Also on view through September 8 is the Kidspace exhibition Lions and Tigers and Museums, Oh My! at Stone Hill Center. Is a man strong enough to pry open the jaws of a lion? How are birds of prey used in hunting? Are there mountain lions in the Berkshires? This interactive, family-friendly exhibition designed to spark curiosity helps answer these questions and more.

This summer also marks an important milestone for the Clark as it celebrates the fifth anniversary of Stone Hill Center on July 27. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, Stone Hill Center has hosted exhibitions of works by contemporary artists like El Anatsui and Juan Muñoz as well as special presentations like 2012’s Sterling Clark in China. Stone Hill Center, which also houses the Williamstown Art Conservation Center, was built as the first phase of the Clark’s campus expansion program. The final phase of that program is currently under construction and moving rapidly towards completion. A special exhibition in the Clark’s galleries highlights the activity under way and provides a preview of the new facilities that will open in 2014. Construction activities on the campus will not affect any programming during the summer and special arrangements have been made to accommodate visitor parking.

To celebrate its summer schedule, the Clark is offering a preseason ticket sale through May 24, providing visitors with the opportunity to buy two admission tickets for $25. Tickets may be purchased online at clarkart.edu.