As promised, this week I’m continuing a two-part blog focused on the Woodson Art Museum’s permanent collection. Gifts from artists and donors account for the majority of the artworks; the Museum also purchases artworks thanks to specific grants. All potential acquisitions are carefully reviewed by a Collections Committee – eight members representing the Board of Directors, staff, and community – and a Collections Management Policy along with a Collecting Plan guide decision making. Each work is diligently researched and the findings shared with the committee.
Artists and donors make gifts to museums for many reasons. Most value the opportunity for their objects to have a safe home and to be enjoyed by others in perpetuity. Some donors choose to honor the memory of a loved one through a gift. Artist donations can be mutually beneficial: the receiving institutions’ collections are enhanced by such gifts and the artists can boast that their work is included in a museum collection.
Michael Dickter, The Beauty of One, 2017, oil on panel
The Collections Committee met on September 11 and considered dozens of artworks and gift offers. Listed below are those that will reside permanently at the Museum and how the acquisitions were made possible.
Museum purchase with funds provided by the John and Alice Forester Charitable Trust
Chris Bacon, Synchronicity, 2017, watercolor and acrylic on rag board
Michael Dickter, The Beauty of One, 2017, oil on panel
Jan Martin McGuire, Room with a View, 2016, acrylic on canvas
Laurence Saunois, Esperanto, 2017, oil on canvas
Suzie Seerey-Lester, Asleep in the Saddle, 2016, acrylic on hardboard
Museum commission with funds provided by the John and Alice Forester Charitable Trust
Larry Barth, American Bittern, 2017, acrylic on tupelo
Larry Barth, American Bittern, 2017, acrylic on tupelo
Ken Newman, Mischief and Plunder (5/11), 2016, bronze
Museum purchase with funds provided by the John and Alice Forester Charitable Trust in memory of Joe Ruelle
Ken Newman, Mischief and Plunder (5/11), 2016, bronze
Museum purchase with funds provided by the John and Alice Forester Charitable Trust and Tribute Funds in memory of Joe Ruelle
Don Rambadt, Actively Waiting, 2017, bronze, stainless steel, and brass
Museum purchase with Tribute Funds
Michael Budden, The Lunch Crowd, 2015, oil on canvas
Museum purchase with Tribute Funds in memory of Ted Harenda
Paul Rhymer, Who Cooks for You? (30/50), 2011, bronze
Museum purchase with funds provided by Marathon Savings Bank in honor of Paul T. Shore, D.D.S., for thirty-eight years of service on the Bank’s Board of Directors.
Jim Morgan’s painting, Fireflies, Frogs, and Cinnamon Teal, 2016, oil on linen on panel
Melinda Whipplesmith Plank, Mullein Maze (1/20), 2017, woodcut on Rives BFK paper
Museum purchase with proceeds from Project Postcard
Tom Altenburg, King of the Coop, 2017, acrylic on hardboard
Ann Cunningham, Sip (1/10), 2017, bronze
Diana Höhlig, Rustic Residence, 2017, ink on Ampersand claybord
Rod Lawrence, One of Three, 2017, acrylic on board
Melinda Whipplesmith Plank, Mullein Maze (1/20), 2017, woodcut on Rives BFK paper
Laura Quinn Harris, Lilac-crowned Amazon, 2017, oil on hardboard
Nicholas Wilson, Desert Scene (9/60), 2017, relief engraving on Rives BFK paper
Museum purchase with funds provided by Jeff and Helo Zink
Nancy Howe, Golden Opportunity, 2017, oil on linen
Gift of the artist in honor of Alice W. and Joseph F. Smith, Jr.
Walter T. Matia, Sweet Talkin’ Guy (ed. 10), 2017, bronze
Gifts of the artists
Gregg Baldwin, Fishing, 2017, ink on Mulberry paper
James Coe, Salt Marsh Study, Low Tide, 2013, oil on linen
Mark Eberhard, Two Ducks on a Pond, 2017, acrylic on wood
Anne Senechal Faust, serigraphs on Strathmore board
Sand Tracks (8/17), 1981
Home on the Wind (8/17), 1982
Winter Moon (1/17), 1982
Christmas Eve (1/19), 1983
Flight of Terns (5/17), 1983
Pas Seul (5/19), 1983
A Wind in the Mangroves (7/16), 1985
Monhegan (4/18), 1985
Yakima Spring (7/18), 1985
The Edge of the Sea (3/13), 2017
Ralph Grady James, Herring Gull, 2017, oil on linen on board
Paul Rhymer, bronzes, (21/26), 2017
Goat, Pig, Goose, Sheep, Donkey, Bull, Cow, Turkey, Hen, Rooster,
Wooden Shadow Box
Gift of Anne Marie Gromme
Owen J. Gromme, Mallard Wing, ca. 1969, oil on canvas
Gift of Ruth Schuette
Peter Elfman, Whinchat, 2017, watercolor and pencil on paper
Gift of Alice W. and Joseph F. Smith, Jr.
S.V. Medaris, Chicken Pot Pie (5/10), 2015, hand-colored linocut
As you might imagine it’s tremendously gratifying to have an artist or donor offer their treasured work to the Woodson Art Museum. It’s a phone call, email, or letter that always makes my heart beat a bit faster and puts a smile on my face. In my mind, I consider upcoming exhibition ideas and how the new works might be included.
For those regular readers of Woodson Wanderings who can’t visit often, I have great news. Soon, several hundred images of works from the collection will be available on the Museum’s website. Stay tuned for word about when this virtual viewing will launch.
Laurence Saunois, Esperanto, 2017, oil on canvas
