CATALYST SPRING–SUMMER 2018. VOLUME 46. NUMBER 1
50th Anniversary Campaign: A Smashing Success
Art & Nature In This Issue
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Art and Nature: On Campus and Beyond
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Clean Water = Healthy Fish and Happy Kids
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Honey Brook Township Tops 30% Protected
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Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art
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Connecting People to the Brandywine
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Brandywine Battlefield Acquisition Approved
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En Plein Air: Artists in the Landscape
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Preserve Volunteers
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Member Spotlight
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Memorials & Tributes
Cover Photo: Jennifer Trask (b. 1970), Landscape (detail), 2014, various bone fragments, spliced antler “vines,” cast resin mixed with bone, calcium carbonate, bone char underpainting, 18 x 48 x 12”. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Loupe. Part of Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art. This publication is printed on green-certified papers made from 100% postconsumer fiber and manufactured with alternate fuels, using Agri Based inks. By using eco-friendly paper, this issue of Catalyst will save many valuable resources: 14,491 gallons of water; 970 lbs. of solid waste; 2,672 lbs. of emissions. Catalyst is published semi-annually by the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, a public charity founded in 1967. It is sent free to all members. Questions may be directed to Marketing & Communications, P.O. Box 141, Chadds Ford, PA 19317. © 2018 Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art is registered with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the provision of Act No. 1990-202. Solicitation of Funds for Charitable Purposes Act. A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within PA (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.
There are few things that could have made the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art’s landmark anniversary year even better and more memorable than it already was, but a recordbreaking close out of our 50th Anniversary Campaign did the trick! Launched in 2012, with an initial fundraising goal of $36,500,000, the campaign officially closed on December 31, 2017, exceeding expectations with an astonishing $39,407,500 raised—making it the most successful fundraising campaign in the Brandywine’s history. In addition to significantly increasing the size of the Brandywine’s endowment, the campaign provided funding for critical projects such as the digitization of the Museum’s collection— parts of which are now accessible online for the first time—important restoration work at both Kuerner Farm and the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio, and the completion of more than five miles of trails that link together the Brandywine’s Chadds Ford campus, its three historic properties and the surrounding community. Other areas of success within the campaign enabled the creation of three new endowment funds—Art Acquisition, Farmland Preservation, and Land and Easement Acquisition—as well as the naming of two executive level positions, The James H. Duff Director of the Museum and The Frolic Weymouth Executive Director & CEO. Additionally, five new Pacesetting Benefactors were inaugurated during the course of the 50th Anniversary Campaign—donors whose total lifetime giving exceeds $1,000,000. As we begin planning for the Brandywine’s next fifty years, we do so with an impressive financial foundation and with considerable momentum to propel our ambitions forward. With deepest gratitude to our donors, Board of Trustees and entire staff, the Brandywine thanks you for your dedication and support which made this incredible result possible. n
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Dear Friends, Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art offers unique opportunities for members and visitors to be immersed in the beauty of art and nature. Through our Conservancy, we protect natural and cultural resources throughout the Brandywine Valley, assuring access to majestic open spaces and dependable water supplies. At the Brandywine River Museum of Art, we present American art, engaging the public with an array of spectacular exhibitions and programs. We unite these inspiring experiences of art and nature throughout our campus and beyond to enhance the quality of life in our community and for the enjoyment of our visitors. Most recently, an exhibition at the Museum brought the work of the Conservancy inside through its first artist-in-residence, Dylan Gauthier. Over the course of a year, Gauthier worked with key members of the Brandywine to explore the intersection between art and nature. The culminating exhibition featured a sixty-foot wide, floor-to-ceiling video projection that traced the flow of the Brandywine River and its surrounding communities through all four seasons. The experience brought the
wonder and awe-inspiring beauty of the Brandywine Valley inside the Museum, and created an immersive and contemplative environment for visitors. As the worlds of art and nature vividly merged together, opportunities for unique programming arose within the exhibition, including a series of yoga and mindfulness classes. Serving as a reflection of the dual mission of the Brandywine, the exhibition and related programming were a great example of how art and nature are innately linked—both relaxing the body, inspiring the mind and soothing the soul. The articles you’ll find in this issue of Catalyst will further highlight our organization’s deep relationship with art and nature. Beginning with our campus, we take a look at the recent trail improvements that enable visitors to explore and discover the landscape around us that inspired generations of artists, as well as other enhancements around our campus that help tell the story of our very unique organization. Learn about our region’s rich history with artists working en plein air—capturing beautiful landscapes on their portable field easels—and the many plein air events the Brandywine will host throughout the year on its campus, three historic properties and private lands permanently
protected by the Conservancy. An interview with guest curator, Suzanne Ramljak, explores the Museum’s upcoming exhibition, Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art, which will feature 13 major American artists whose work explores nature’s limits in all its fierce magnificence. We also highlight a few recent projects along the Brandywine-Christina watershed that are improving the quality of water and the quality of life for residents within the watershed. Key art and nature milestones in our organization’s history are threaded along the bottom of this issue, bringing you along our continuing journey to explore the intersection between these worlds. Last, but not least, a pull-out calendar featuring the next six months of programming across our organization highlights the many wonderful opportunities in the coming year to enjoy all that the Brandywine has to offer. We look forward to welcoming you back to the Brandywine and we hope you enjoy all that we have planned in the year ahead. Virginia A. Logan The Frolic Weymouth Executive Director & CEO
Art & Nature Timeline 1967 The Brandywine Conservancy, which is initially called the Tri-County Conservancy, is founded and Potts Meadow and Hoffman’s Mill are purchased.
1971 The Brandywine River Museum of Art opens to the public. More than 170,000 people visit the inaugural exhibition, The Brandywine Heritage.
1972 Mile-long river trail from the Museum to the John Chads House opens.
Art and Nature On Campus and Beyond
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Gentle meandering paths, tall meadow grasses and the peaceful sounds of water and wildlife create an atmosphere of contemplation and reflection for visitors to the Brandywine’s Harvey Run and Studio Trails. Serving as an escape from the surrounding bustle of a busy world, the newly installed and publicly accessible trails—located on lands owned by the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art—offer opportunities to reconnect with one’s spirit while exploring the landscape that inspired generations of artists who so greatly influenced the culture of the Brandywine Valley.
Top: Visitors enjoying the River Trail. Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA Bottom: One of the interpretive signs along the new trails.
1973 Wildlife in Art exhibition opens in the Museum.
1974 Art and Nature school tours begin.
The addition of these trails is part of a larger effort by the Brandywine’s Art & Environment team to reinforce the relationship between art and nature in ways that reflect the organization’s rich heritage and dual mission. Assembled nearly six years ago with a cross-section of staff throughout the organization, the Art & Environment team has worked together to increase the length and quality of the Brandywine’s trails while unlocking their interpretive potential. Today, over five miles of trails accessible to the public weave throughout the Brandywine’s campus. The Harvey Run and Studio Trails—completed in April 2017—allow users to explore the meadows and woods surrounding the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio and Andrew Wyeth Studio, and connect to existing trails around the campus and along the river. These new trails were a collaborative effort of the Art & Environment team, Chadds Ford Township, and Conservancy and Museum staff.
1974 Museum and Conservancy present Energy in Focus, an exhibition highlighting the problematic nature of fossil fuels on the environment.
1976 Tri-County Conservancy changes name to the Brandywine Conservancy; the millstone logo is adopted.
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Envisioned years ago by Conservancy planners and Chadds Ford Township’s Open Space Committee, the Harvey Run Trail project gained momentum thanks to the Brandywine’s partnership with Chadds Ford Township on “Walkable Chadds Ford” and through the infusion of funds by the William Penn Foundation and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. The Walkable Chadds Ford initiative is an ongoing effort to create recreational trails that provide connections to historic and cultural features in the Village of Chadds Ford. In addition to trails, the Brandywine’s Art & Environment team has also focused on campus enhancements that help to tell the story of our unique organization to visitors. On campus grounds, newly installed signage details the relationship between the Conservancy and the Museum, the ecological importance of our native plant gardens and various stormwater management approaches. Destinations of interest on the campus are also highlighted, such as the
1976 James H. Duff named as first Executive Director of the Brandywine.
native plant propagation areas and Brandywine’s “Critter” building—where approximately 10,000 Critter ornaments are handmade annually by dedicated volunteers. Inside the Museum, new signage in the second floor atrium reflects the dual mission of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, recognizes our vital Pacesetting Benefactors and incorporates four stunning landscape photographs by artist Matthew Jensen. Visitors can also dive deeper into the Conservancy’s efforts to preserve land and protect water with new interactive iPad kiosk stations located on all three levels of the Museum’s atrium. The next time you visit the Brandywine, we hope you will take notice and enjoy these recent efforts to incorporate the unifying theme of art and nature throughout the campus—both indoors and out—and along the many miles of new and existing trails. n
1978 Conservancy participates in an exhibition on wildlife habitat protection and enhancement at the PSFS Building in Philadelphia.
1979 Native plant gardens are dedicated to Ford B. Draper and Henry A. Thouron by Lady Bird Johnson.
Celebrate 88 years of horseracing on the Main Line. With everything from amazing tailgates and fancy hats, to the parade of antique carriages and thoroughbreds racing for the finish, Radnor Hunt Races is a day filled with excitement and fun. It’s also about Racing for Open Space as all proceeds benefit the clean water and open space programs of the Brandywine Conservancy. RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CARLOS ALEJANDRO
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Clean Water = Healthy Fish and Happy Kids Nestled between two Amish dairy farms and a small stream in Honey Brook Township is a one-room schoolhouse. Last spring Brandywine Conservancy staff spent an afternoon working with the school children—whose parents are Amish farmers—to stock trout in that section of the upper Brandywine River. As the children laughed and played, hauling buckets filled with trout to the stream, the Conservancy staff talked about how trout breathe through the water, how trout don’t like it when the water is dirty, and how trees keep the water clean and cool and help to feed the trout. These lessons were facilitated by the fact that the neighboring dairy farmers have fenced their cows out of the water and planted trees along the streambank making this section of the waterway a healthier environment for fish. Simple ecological concepts like these resonated with the children, and at the end of the day each child was given a sapling to take home and plant. By creating these teachable moments, the Conservancy hopes to keep inspiring future generations of farmers and conservationists to become good stewards of the land.
Brandywine River. The Conservancy staff—in partnership with the Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, Natural Lands, Stroud Water Research Center, The Nature Conservancy of Delaware and the University of Delaware’s Water Resources Center—just completed work on a four-year grant from the William Penn Foundation as part of the Foundation’s Delaware River Watershed Initiative (DRWI). Under that Phase 1 grant, the Conservancy focused on protecting existing open land, working with farmers to implement best practices and assisting municipalities
This day spent stocking trout and educating Amish school children—underwritten by a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation—was just one small element of a much larger effort to protect and restore the health of the
1980 U.S. Department of the Interior presents the Heritage Conservation Achievement Award to the Conservancy.
1981 First Native Plant & Seed Sale is held.
1981 Forty-seven paintings by Charles Livingston Bull—noted wildlife illustrator, naturalist and taxidermist—displayed in Museum exhibition.
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with ways to better protect their local water resources. During Phase 1, the Conservancy preserved 19 farms, covering 1,243 acres. Additionally, in partnership with Stroud and the Red Clay Alliance, the Conservancy installed nearly eight miles of stream bank fencing and planted more than 19,000 trees along 12 miles of streams, creating over 123 acres of stream side buffers. The partners were also successful in helping six municipalities to adopt riparian buffer ordinances, setting minimum set-back, management and site maintenance standards for developing properties with streams. The DRWI aligns over 50 leading nonprofit organizations in a coordinated and collaborative effort to protect and restore water quality in the Delaware River basin. The William Penn Foundation identified eight areas where there were
Honey Brook Township Tops 30% Protected
1982 N. C. Wyeth’s five children generously donate their father’s house, studio and 18-acre property to the Brandywine.
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known issues—loss of forested headwaters, agricultural run-off, polluted stormwater and aquifer deletion—and existing local organizations that could make a significant impact toward addressing these concerns. The BrandywineChristina River watershed was one of these designated areas. The Brandywine River, together with the Red and White Clay creeks, provides over 100 million gallons of drinking water a day to over 500,000 residents. In early 2018, the William Penn Foundation approved Phase 2 DRWI funding to run for an additional three years. The Brandywine Conservancy will continue to act as the coordinator for the Brandywine-Christina partners, as Phase 2 builds on the accomplishments of Phase 1 by expanding the geographic focus and stepping up assistance with local municipalities on policies and regulations. n
Recently, the Brandywine Conservancy completed an agricultural easement protecting a 119-acre farm in Honey Brook, increasing the township’s permanently preserved lands to 4,872 acres—more than 30% of the township—through easements or public ownership. Just ten years ago, only 7% (1,149 acres) of the township was permanently protected. In 2005, Honey Brook Township voters supported a referendum to establish an earned income tax to raise funds to preserve open space. Two years later, after the adoption of an Open Space Preservation Plan, the township joined with Chester County to purchase its first agricultural easement. Since then, the township has spent just over $6.5 million in taxpayer dollars, leveraging over $14 million in county, state and private funds, which is a win-win for the community. According to a study by the American Farmland Trust, the preservation of farmland and other open spaces helps local and county taxpayers avoid the significantly higher cost of services that would be required if those lands were developed. n
1983 The Museum presents the first major public exhibition of natural history illustrations, carefully selected from the National Geographic’s vast holdings of original artworks.
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June 23–October 21, 2018 Artists since antiquity have depicted, and often mimicked, the splendors of nature. Throughout the centuries, such representations have embodied the shifting relationship between humans and their natural surroundings. Nature has thus proved to be a fertile terrain for projecting a culture’s desires, fears, whimsy or will.
Left: Maya Lin (b. 1959), Bay, Pond, & Harbor (Long Island Triptych) (detail), 2014, recycled silver, overall installation: 10’ 4” x 13’ 3”. Maya Lin Studio, courtesy Pace Gallery, New York.
The Brandywine River Museum of Art’s upcoming exhibition, Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art, will display the work of 13 major American artists who engage nature in all its fierce magnificence. Beyond just highlighting nature’s beauty, the featured artists—Suzanne Anker, Lauren Fensterstock, Patrick Jacobs, Maya Lin, Roxy Paine, Miljohn Ruperto & Ulrik Heltoft, Diana Thater, Jennifer Trask, Mark Tribe, Kathleen Vance, T.J. Wilcox, and Dustin Yellin—also hint at the more disquieting aspects of the natural world. As such, the works in this exhibition can be viewed as a type of neo-sublime, mixing the beautiful and terrifying to produce awe in the beholder in accord with tenets of eighteenth-century philosopher Edmund Burke. And not unlike nineteenth-century sublime landscapes of the Hudson River School or the Romantic era, these recent works conjure the raw power and unruliness of nature along with its harmonious effects—a state at once captivating and unsettling. In the following interview, Thomas Padon, The James H. Duff Director of the Brandywine River Museum of Art, speaks with Suzanne Ramljak, the exhibition’s guest curator, to discuss the inspiration behind Natural Wonders and its planning.
1984 “Critters, Angels, and Stars” decorate the White House Christmas tree (this event led to the first Critter Sale).
1987 Museum opens An Art of Deception: American Wildfowl Decoys exhibition featuring decoy carvings from the Museum of American Folk Art.
1990 Young Friends of the Brandywine, a new generation of members, volunteers and patrons, is formed.
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What was the genesis of the idea for this exhibition? I had just done an exhibition with artist Jennifer Trask, who is one of the 13 artists in Natural Wonders and was thinking a lot about the interplay between nature and culture, wild and tame, uncultivated and artificial. I was also interested in art that could rekindle a sense of wonder and awe in the natural world, and that might even reconcile us with nature’s larger forces and cycles. So these were the main ideas guiding this exhibition’s formation.
When you first came to the Brandywine to discuss the exhibition, how did the setting of the Museum propel your thinking? While I knew the Museum was situated on the Brandywine River and I’d seen pictures of its remarkable site, I didn’t realize how conjoined the landscape and the Museum were. Standing in the Museum’s atrium, with its huge window walls, it really hits you the way indoors and outdoors merge. The setting upped the ante, so to speak, spurring me to choose works that could hold their own against “real” nature.
1990 Wildlife in American Art exhibition focuses on species that have been or are now indigenous to the Brandywine region and on the history of wildlife painting in America.
And some of the artists whose work is included were new to you—while others you had followed their careers for years? Yes, most of those in the exhibition were already on my radar and also have high profiles in the art world. But even so it was an iterative process to find specific works from those artists that perfectly fit the exhibition premise, and in certain instances works of which I wasn’t aware. One of the happy discoveries that occurred in the exhibition’s development was Kathleen Vance’s work, which instantly enchanted me when I first saw it during the Volta NY show last fall.
The subtitle of the exhibition references Edmund Burke’s theory of the sublime espoused in the eighteenth century. What are some of the ways artists in the exhibition relate to that theory? The idea of the sublime has a long history and its meaning has changed over time. Nature has consistently been a source of sublime experience as it was for Edmund Burke, whose theory on the subject is as compelling today as it was in 1757. Burke spelled out seven key features of the sublime—including
1992 The Land of the Brandywine exhibition brings together more than 100 paintings by nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists inspired by the Brandywine Valley.
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Images (L–R): Patrick Jacobs (b. 1971), White Puffballs with Orange Slime Mold and Lichen, 2015, mixed media diorama viewed through 2 3/4” window, interior box: 14 3/4 × 11 1/4 × 9 ¼”. The West Collection, Oaks, PA. Jennifer Trask (b. 1970), Tulipa, 2012–13, bone, antler. 10 x 9 x 4”. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Loupe. Suzanne Anker (b. 1946), Remote Sensing: MicroLandscapes (detail), 2013–17, plaster, pigment, resin in 24 Petri dishes, each 4 x 4 x 2”. Courtesy of the artist.
darkness, vastness, magnificence and obscurity—and these traits can be found in various combinations throughout the exhibition. It is interesting to see how Burke’s theory stressed nature’s terrifying and uncontrollable aspects, while later thinkers and artists, especially in the nineteenth century, spoke of the sublime in less fearful terms.
When you researched this topic, did it surprise you that such an exhibition had never been organized in the United States? Well, there have been other contemporary exhibitions on nature and the environment, in particular Sublime: The Tremors of the World, a sprawling international show held in Paris in 2016 that signaled a revived interest in this topic but that ranged over centuries and across cultures. But surprisingly there hadn’t been an exhibition of contemporary American artists exploring their complex relationship to nature’s sublimity. Natural Wonders is also unique in the shared aesthetic of these artists, whose works are all lavish and seductive. The work itself is breathtaking, embodying the sublime, rather than just making a statement about the sublime.
1992 First Museum education programs offered for families.
You’ve had such intriguing discussions with artists while working on the exhibition. Did any of them mention the way the context in which his/ her work would be shown? Contemporary artists can be very particular about the company in which their work is shown. In my conversations with the artists, it was important that they saw how being included in this group exhibition, and in this context, allowed for a nuanced understanding of their individual works. I was especially pleased that the exhibition includes the work of Lauren Fensterstock and Jennifer Trask, two artists who’ve had a long mutual admiration and desire to show together, but until now never had the opportunity.
It’s been interesting working on the catalogue and now the installation of the exhibition. Can you talk about how you’re connecting them visually so that the book and the exhibition provide a unified experience? It is always a challenge to convey the richness and drama of the physical exhibition in the pages of a book, but I really think we’ve achieved that. To immerse the reader,
1995 Conservancy named “Conservation Organization of the Year” by the Pennsylvania Wildlife Federation.
1996 Museum opens the N. C. Wyeth Studio to the public, and it later receives designation as a National Historic Landmark.
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Chicken Fight, ca. 1948, oil on canvas, 9 x 12”. Mac Weymouth. © George A. Weymouth.
we begin the catalogue with numerous full-page details, amplifying nature’s splendor. And we organized the image section of the book in a free-flowing manner, closer to how an exhibition installation will be experienced.
An exciting component of the exhibition will be the Museum’s commission from artist Kathleen Vance of a site-specific installation in the Museum’s atrium. Can you talk about how that will relate to the works included in the exhibition gallery proper? Kathleen’s atrium piece will be a grand introduction to what visitors will encounter within the gallery. Her installation of an exactingly precise section of the Brandywine River, complete with running water, sited in a spot with direct views of the real river, proposes an engaging dialogue between art and nature. And this is the primary goal of the exhibition—to make the familiar wondrous again, as if we are seeing nature for the very first time. n
Above: Lauren Fensterstock (b. 1975), Kiku, 2013, paper, wood, 30 x 72 x 72”. Courtesy of the artist and Claire Oliver Gallery, New York. Right: T. J. Wilcox (b. 1965), Wild is the Wind, 2016, lenticular duraclear print, LED light box, 48 1/8 x 36 1/8 x 1 ¾”. Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. © T. J. Wilcox
Support for this exhibition is provided by
Natural Wonders is on view June 23–October 21 at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.
1998 Karl Kuerner Jr. and his family generously donate the Kuerner Farm—a 33-acre property that inspired Andrew Wyeth for decades—to the Conservancy.
2004 The Brandywine opens the Kuerner Farm to the public.
2004 $25 million facilities project is completed on the Brandywine campus.
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WILDFLOWER, NATIVE PLANT & SEED SALE Photography by Mark Gormel
MOTHER’S DAY WEEKEND MAY 12 & 13, 2018 9:30 A.M. TO 5 P.M. Members Preview Sale: Friday, May 11, 1–5 p.m.
Coming to American Masters this September andrewwyethmovie.com
2010 Betsy Wyeth generously donates the Andrew Wyeth Studio to the Museum.
2011 Kuerner Farm is designated a National Historic Landmark.
2011 Farm Work by Jamie Wyeth exhibition features five decades of Wyeth’s lively depictions of farm animals, equipment and the surrounding landscape.
Photo by J. Fusco for VISIT PHILADELPHIA
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Connecting People to the Brandywine
Kayakers at Downingtown’s Kerr Park now have an easier way to access the Brandywine River thanks to a partnership between the Brandywine Conservancy, Downingtown Borough’s Park and Recreation Commission, and Lionville Boy Scout Troop 220. Working together for this coming paddling season, staff and volunteers installed a canoe and kayak storage rack and an informational kiosk along the river behind Borough Hall, making Downingtown the first municipality on the Brandywine with such public amenities. The canoe and kayak storage rack and improved launch area allows boaters to safely access the Brandywine River and journey downstream to a kayak ramp located at Shaw’s Bridge Park—several miles to the south in East Bradford Township—or to other destinations along the Brandywine
2012 The Brandywine presents a series of “Art & Environment” lectures.
heading south into Delaware. While in Downingtown, boaters can now temporarily store and lock their kayaks while they drop off another vehicle downstream or spend time in the Borough. The new informational kiosk will display maps of the water route, access points and other recreational opportunities downstream. Both additions were funded by generous grants from the William Penn Foundation and the George and Miriam Miller Fund, and highlight the Conservancy’s continued community efforts, with its partners and funders, to enhance access to the Brandywine River for recreation. Conservancy staff worked with municipal representatives to identify candidate kayak launch sites, develop conceptual layout plans and research cost estimates, and Steven
2012 The Museum opens the Andrew Wyeth Studio to the public.
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Egnaczyk—a 14-year-old Eagle Scout with the Lionville Boy Scout Troop 220—completed the construction work for both projects, creating a valuable recreational asset for the community to enjoy for years to come. This new river access improvement is part of the Brandywine Creek Greenway initiative—a regional planning effort of the Brandywine Conservancy, along with 25 municipal partners that border the Brandywine. The Greenway is a 30-mile long conservation and recreation corridor along both branches of the Brandywine River that plays an essential role in filtering water, cleaning air, controlling flooding and providing a host of other services in our region. It stretches from the Delaware state line, just south of Chadds Ford, to the Pennsylvania Highlands Mega-Greenway at the northern border of Honey Brook Township. A linear network of public parks, trails and preserves can be found from Honey Brook to Chadds Ford—providing multiple opportunities to access natural areas, recreational facilities and the waterfront. The William Penn Foundation is currently funding Conservancy efforts to extend the Greenway from southeastern PA, into New Castle County, DE, to the Wilmington Riverfront. Today, over sixty miles of trails and sidewalks are established within the Greenway, with many more planned, providing important neighborhood connections to the Brandywine for water-based recreation and to the Circuit—a regional trail network of the greater Philadelphia region. To find out more about the recreational facilities up and down the Brandywine, visit our website and download the Greenway App (brandywine.org/app). The Brandywine Conservancy understands that providing safe access for all ages and abilities is an effective means to foster appreciation for nature and to build stronger support for land and water conservation. This approach is especially important in urban areas along the Greenway such as Honey Brook, Coatesville, Downingtown and West Chester. This river access improvement project is just one example of the Conservancy’s continued efforts to enhance recreational access to the river and preserve and protect its many natural resources. n
Brandywine Battlefield Acquisition Approved The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees recently authorized the purchase of a 13-acre parcel of land located in the heart of the historic Brandywine Battlefield. This acquisition will mark the final piece of the Brandywine’s 25year endeavor to preserve over 500 contiguous acres around Meetinghouse Road in Birmingham Township, PA, where the fiercest fighting occurred during the Revolutionary War Battle of Brandywine. Owned by the Estate of Mrs. Roberta D. Odell, the 13-acre tract is situated along Meetinghouse Road and surrounded by conserved land—including 100 acres already owned by the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. Once acquired, it will be merged with the Brandywine’s existing property and managed as a single unit to be known as Birmingham Hill. This purchase will also bring fulfillment to the decades of work and major fundraising efforts to preserve the area as a contiguous whole, preventing development in the heart of one of the nation’s most important historic battlefields. Following the purchase and additional fundraising efforts, the Brandywine will develop a master plan for the combined properties. While the Brandywine is in the beginning stages of planning for the use and management of the entire Birmingham Hill property, the initial goals will be to preserve the property’s historic integrity; conserve existing natural resources; provide opportunities for public visitation; develop interpretative and educational programs; and seek out partners to work with the Brandywine to help realize these goals. n The Brandywine is making progress toward its $2 million fundraising goal to complete this purchase. For information on how you can contribute, please contact Kim Reynolds at 610.388.8349.
2012 The Conservancy receives major grant from National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to work with municipalities in the Oxford area for the restoration and protection of streams that drain into the Chesapeake Bay.
2012 Virginia A. Logan becomes Executive Director of the Brandywine.
ANTIQUES SHOW May 26 – 28, 2018 9:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. $20
PREVIEW RECEPTION: Friday, May 25, 6 – 9 p.m. $125 members, $150 non-members
SPONSORS: CRW Graphics, The Inn and Spa at Montchanin Village, The Kitchen Sink and Back Burner Restaurant and Tavern
BREAKFAST, LECTURE & TOUR: Saturday, May 26, 9 a.m. $30 per person
MEDIA SPONSORS: Main Line Today, Delaware Today
Lecture by James H. Duff, Director Emeritus of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, on exploring the roots of this treasured event.
A PASSION FOR COLLECTING: DEALER TALKS May 27 & 28, 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Peter W. Chillingworth, Show Manager Proceeds from the Antiques Show support the Museum Volunteers’ Purchase Fund and Art Education and Programming.
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En Plein Air: Artists in the Landscape Busy artists at their portable field easels are a common sight around the Brandywine Valley, whether along the riverbank, nestled among native plantings throughout the campus, or spread across the hills at Kuerner Farm, one of the Brandywine’s historic properties. These artists, working en plein air—“in the open air”—are striving to capture something that they cannot achieve in a studio. By surrounding themselves with the sights, sounds and smells of a landscape, they strive to capture its true essence.
Today, this region hosts a number of well-known painting events, and the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art is proud to present a variety of opportunities over the coming year. In May, and seasonally throughout the year, the Brandywine River Museum of Art’s Plein Air Days enable artists of all skill levels to work on the Brandywine’s campus and Kuerner Farm. Plein Air Days are offered in multiple seasons for artists working independently. Plein Air Inside Out events are also offered in the colder months, allowing artists to get out of the harsh elements to work inside the Museum’s atrium, overlooking the Brandywine River.
2013 Museum initiates Imagine Brandywine student exhibitions in partnership with area schools and community groups.
For those looking for art instruction, eight-week classes taught by Karl J. Kuerner III—grandson of Karl and Anna Kuerner, who were friends and models of Andrew Wyeth—are offered, in addition to three-day workshops, with artist Fran Atkinson, who teaches the basics of painting en plein air. Award-winning local watercolorist, Mick McAndrews, reflected upon his experience, saying, “Painting on the historic Brandywine properties has given me new and renewed insight to offer my own interpretations of awe-inspiring locations. It’s as if, in some small way, I am continuing the legacy of these historic properties and the iconic figures who so famously painted them.”
2014 Andrew Wyeth Studio is designated a National Historic Landmark
In June the Brandywine River Museum of Art, partnering with the Philadelphia Water Color Society and Chadds Ford Historical Society, will host its second annual event, On Location: Artists at Brandywine. From June 1 to 3, twenty-five juried artists from the Philadelphia Water Color Society will paint at the Brandywine’s campus and all of its historic properties—Kuerner Farm, the Andrew Wyeth Studio, and the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio—with the resulting works exhibited at Chadds Ford Historical Society. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the artists at work outside the Museum as well as on historic property tours. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art.
2014 The scenic backdrop of the Brandywine River Valley inspires a commission by the Museum for a photographic installation by Brooklynbased artist Matthew Jensen.
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Later this year, the Brandywine Conservancy is excited to participate in Farm To Table Plein Air, a new partnership between the Conservancy, area artists and local farmers markets. The event’s goal is to bring awareness through art to the incredible resources of open space, preserved agricultural lands and sustainable agriculture in our region. A combination of juried and invited artists will produce work en plein air over a ten-month period on private lands permanently protected by the Brandywine Conservancy. The entire project will culminate in an art show and “locally-grown food celebration” on September 29, 2018, at the Miller Farm in Downingtown, PA—owned and managed by the
Conservancy and home to Two Gander Farm, operated by Trey and Deirdre Flemming, now in its ninth year of operation. The event will feature more than 100 original works capturing the incredible beauty of the permanently protected land stewarded by the Conservancy. The event will also include local chefs creating delicious small plates inspired by ingredients from area farms and farmers markets. “By working with easement land owners, artists and local farmers, we hope to highlight the interconnectedness between open space, locally farmed food and art inspired by both,” said Deena Ball, one of Farm to Table Plein
Air’s main organizers. “We are truly fortunate to live in an area with such significant cultural and natural assets; however, each relies on an acknowledgement of its dependence on the other—one we must take care to nourish.” Funding for Farm to Table Plein Air is provided in part by a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additionally, a percentage of each painting sold will be donated directly to the Brandywine Conservancy in support of its open space and clean water efforts. n
To learn more about the Brandywine’s On Location events, Plein Air Days and/or art instruction workshops with Karl J. Kuerner or Fran Atkinson, check out the pull-out calendar of events in this issue of Catalyst. You can also visit brandywine.org/events for more information and to register. To learn more about Farm to Table Plein Air and/or apply to participate as a landowner, an artist, a patron, sponsor or volunteer please visit www.LandArtEvents.com.
2014 Richard M. Scaife bequeaths Penguin Court, a property of over 1,000 acres in Ligonier, Pennsylvania, and half of his renowned art collection to the Brandywine.
2014 The Brandywine updates its name and branding, becoming the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art, which oversees two programs: the Brandywine Conservancy and the Brandywine River Museum of Art.
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RIDE a 25-, 45- or 80-mile loop in scenic Chester County EXPLORE the scenery and history of the Brandywine Creek Greenway SUPPORT clean drinking water BIKETHEBRANDYWINE.ORG
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Historic Renovations Thanks to a generous grant from the Allegheny Foundation for historic property improvements, the Brandywine recently completed roof renovations to the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio, as well as the barn and springhouse located on the property. All four buildings now feature historically accurate cedar shake roofs. Guided tours of the Brandywine’s three historic properties—the N. C. Wyeth House & Studio, Andrew Wyeth Studio and Kuerner Farm—are available daily now through November. Members receive free admission; advance reservations are recommended. n
species of viburnum—along the banks of Buck Run, which has greatly enhanced some prior stream side plantings. Our stewardship volunteers also did invaluable work maintaining trails and tree plantings and controlling exotic invasive plants. Another group of volunteers planted 214 new trees to an area that was first planted in 2007 and added to in 2016. In addition to these group efforts, Conrad Somers—a member of the Buck & Doe Trust, whose family conserved their land with the Brandywine before the Laurels Preserve existed—donated his time and materials for the repair and repainting of the kiosk at the Laurels Preserve parking lot.
Volunteer Conrad Somers making repairs to Laurels entrance kiosk.
Preserve Volunteers One of the benefits of membership at the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art is being able to enjoy our beautiful preserves at Waterloo Mills and the Laurels. The Brandywine could not maintain and operate these wonderful open spaces without the help of dedicated volunteers who work behind the scenes with our staff on projects throughout the year. Over at our Laurels Preserve, ten volunteers from the Cheshire Hunt joined our stewardship volunteers to plant over 300 shrubs—including winterberry holly, pasture rose, shining sumac and two
2014 The exhibition, Lure of the Brandywine: A Story of Land Conservation and Artistic Inspiration, examines the art of the region through the lens of land conservation.
Waterloo Mills Preserve has also benefited from multiple volunteer projects, including three recent Eagle Scout projects. Two of the Scout projects were improvements around the parking lot—where a new kiosk was added— and numerous vines and dead trees were cleared around the site and replanted with large caliper ironwood, white oak and persimmon trees, and shadbush and pagoda dogwood shrubs. The third Eagle Scout project was to fill in woodland canopy gaps where 215 trees and shrubs were planted. A group of volunteers also worked to cut autumn olive and bittersweet vines—both invasive species—from a successional area where Conservancy staff will be completing native plant restoration in the future. We are grateful for the work of these volunteers and others who help us maintain these important natural areas throughout the year. n
2015 The first photography exhibition at the Museum—Things Beyond Resemblance: James Welling Photographs—opens, and Welling creates his first site-specific sculptural installations on the Brandywine’s campus and its historic properties.
ART & NATURE
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MEMBERS SPOTLIGHT Stephen Kelly
John & Elizabeth Fawcett
“I can feel the love Frolic [Weymouth] had for this land and the Brandywine River.” — STEPHEN KELLY
“Our connection to the Brandywine lights up our lives!” — JOHN FAWCETT
John and Elizabeth Fawcett joined the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art in 1998. Since then, they have immersed themselves in our organization and its programs. They particularly enjoy viewing our exhibitions— no surprise given that John (a former veterinarian) is an artist whose paintings capture horses, dogs and scenes of the American West in striking detail. In addition to being generous donors, John shares his expertise as a member of our Museum Committee. We’re delighted John and Elizabeth are part of the Brandywine family and we’re thankful for their dedication and support of our mission.
Stephen Kelly has always been passionate about the outdoors, and over the years he has found that his passion and skills can be put to good use at the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. Stephen first became involved with the Brandywine in 2012 after attending the annual Tip-A-Canoe & BBQ, Too! event. Since then, he has been an active member of the Young Friends, planning and participating in river clean-ups and tree plantings. He also assisted the Brandywine’s first artist-in-residence, Dylan Gauthier, in the building of his punt and its observationhouse last year. Having canoed and kayaked down the Brandywine River for many years, it is only fitting that Stephen’s favorite spot on the river is close to The Big Bend—home of the late George A. “Frolic” Weymouth, co-founder and longtime chairman of the Brandywine.
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Karl Kuerner Jr.
Karl J. Kuerner, Pennsylvania Farmer, 1996, acrylic on panel. 34 x 58”. Collection of the artist. © Karl J. Kuerner.
January 9, 1927–February 13, 2018 Some people spend their entire lives to find their passion. For Karl Kuerner Jr., he was fortunate to grow up following in his father’s footsteps, spending his entire life dedicated to his love of farming.
“All I know is farming and that is my love.” – Karl Kuerner Jr.
Karl was the son of German immigrants Karl and Anna Kuerner, who settled in Chadds Ford after World War I and became an abiding source of inspiration for Andrew Wyeth—who would go on to paint them and their farm for over five decades. After the death of his parents, Karl sought to protect and preserve his family’s cherished Kuerner Farm from development. In an extraordinary act of philanthropy, Karl purchased the property rights from his sisters, and with his son, Karl J. Kuerner III, donated 76% of the Kuerner Farm property to the Brandywine Conservancy in 1998— which purchased the remaining 24%—so that it would forever be preserved as farmland. “All of my life, this land has been good to me,” said Karl Kuerner Jr. at the time of the donation. “Now it’s time to give something back.” Since then, Kuerner Farm has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and welcomes visitors from all over the world during seasonal tours of the property. As the late George A. “Frolic” Weymouth—co-founder and former chairman of the Brandywine—said often,
“the gift of Kuerner Farm was one of the most generous philanthropic acts I’ve ever witnessed.”
2016 First Bike the Brandywine cycling event is held.
2017 The Brandywine opens five miles of campus walking trails to the public that intersect through preserved natural lands and weave past the artist studios of N. C. and Andrew Wyeth.
2017 The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art celebrates its 50th Anniversary.
Karl Kuerner Jr. worked the land well into his eighties, content that his family’s gift had preserved an important aspect of Wyeth’s legacy. He will be long remembered for his love of farming and telling stories, and for his philanthropic legacy. “He was a man of simplicity,” said his son, Karl J. Kuerner III. “He is still with us. In the land, the trees, the wind, rain, snow and warmth—and of course, the Kuerner Farm.” The entire staff of the Brandywine mourns the loss of this remarkable, humble, warm and generous member of the community. n At the Kuerner family’s request, contributions to the Brandywine made in memory of Karl Kuerner Jr. will be directed to the continued preservation of the Kuerner Farm. For more information, visit brandywine.org or contact Suzanne Regnier at 610.388.8308.
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Memorials & Tributes The Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art gratefully accepts and acknowledges gifts in honor or in memory of family and special friends, and in appreciation of our staff and volunteers. Recent gifts include: IN HONOR OF MY FORMER COLLEAGUES &
IN MEMORY OF AGNES BARBARA KIMMEL
IN MEMORY OF FRANZ WIEDEMANN
DEDICATED BRANDYWINE CONSERVANCY &
(in addition to previous gifts)
(in addition to previous gifts)
MUSEUM OF ART EMPLOYEES
Terry Reagan
Mr. Richard Tillman
IN MEMORY OF KARL KUERNER JR.
IN MEMORY OF DR. JOSEPH VALLOTI
Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
(in addition to previous gifts)
Lora Englehart IN HONOR OF RUTH BASSETT
Mary & Michael Landa
(in addition to previous gifts)
Anne & Albert Mayer
IN MEMORY OF VICTORIA HAY PACAUD
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Lafayette Collins, III Mary & Michael Landa
IN HONOR OF JOHN & PENNY WALSTRUM
Hans & Nicole Schmidl
IN HONOR OF LINDA BEAN IN HONOR OF TED DEHNE & VICKY PROFY
Nancy D. Myers IN MEMORY OF DAVID B. BARTHOLOW
IN MEMORY OF WILLIAM FORBES WILLCOX (in addition to previous gifts)
Margaret D. Barker Bonnie, Michael & Scott Bartholow Franco & Judy Bellafante Gerald & Andrea Breen Jo Ann Gould Steven & Holly Potter Jennifer St. George
IN MEMORY OF FRED & HENNY REITER
IN HONOR OF KRISTINE KOCES WALSH BLACKBURN
IN MEMORY OF DANIEL J. SNYDER, III
(in addition to previous gifts)
(in addition to previous gifts)
KeyBank Foundation
Dean & Diane Camp
(in addition to previous gifts)
Deborah Lee Reiter
IN MEMORY OF GEORGE A. “FROLIC” WEYMOUTH
IN MEMORY OF DUMAS D. SAPP
(in addition to previous gifts)
(in addition to previous gifts)
Mr. Robert Snyder
Theodora Corroon John & Dolly Fisher Mr. & Mrs. R. Scott Schroeder Cuyler Walker Mr. & Mrs. Justin H. Wiley Mr. & Mrs. John Winthrop
IN MEMORY OF MARY ROSANNE CRISTANETTI
IN HONOR OF MICHAEL TEMIN &
IN MEMORY OF ANDREW WYETH &
The Anderson Family Monica DeHart Christopher Peiffer & Family Edward & Kristine Peiffer Gregory Peiffer Rev. James E. Peiffer Meredith Peiffer & Family Norman Peiffer Jane Whitlatch
ANNE HEARN
FROLIC WEYMOUTH
Elizabeth Hearn
(in addition to previous gifts)
Sandra & John Dooley
Jonathan & Leslie Taylor IN HONOR OF DR. JAMES TISCHLER
Mr. Ezra Tischler
IN MEMORY OF N. C. WYETH & CAROLINE WYETH
IN HONOR OF THOMAS R. TURNER
Mr. & Mrs. N. Convers Wyeth
Mr. Robert C. Turner
Just before this issue went to press, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Brandywine’s good friend, Chuck Bowers. A generous supporter and member of both our Conservancy and Laurels Preserve Committees, Chuck was a talented photographer who provided beautiful images we have used in our publications in recent years.
André Harvey
October 9, 1941–February 6, 2018
With the passing of our dear friend André Harvey, renowned American realist sculptor, the Brandywine remembers his remarkable contributions to the art world and our organization. André is the artist who created “Helen,” a life-sized bronze pig that has been a favorite amongst Museum visitors since its installation on our riverside trail almost thirty years ago. In this sculpture, André captured the form and personality of a barnyard pig in rural Pennsylvania that he recalled would routinely run up and sit for the artist as if she were a paid model. Like so many in our community, we will miss André Harvey and are thankful to share an iconic work of the artist’s with our visitors for decades to come. n The Brandywine River Museum of Art is honored to have been selected as one of the local organizations to receive contributions in André Harvey’s memory. For more information, visit brandywine.org or contact Suzanne Regnier at 610.388.8308.
P.O. Box 141, Route 1 Chadds Ford, PA 19317
MUSEUM HOURS Open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day
INFORMATION brandywine.org/museum information@brandywine.org 610.388.2700 MILLSTONE CAFÉ Open daily, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. FOLLOW THE MUSEUM @brandywinerivermuseum @brandywinerivermuseum @branrivermuseum
EXHIBITIONS The Way Back: The Paintings of George A. Weymouth Through June 3, 2018 Southwestern Son: The Lithographs of Peter Hurd Through July 8, 2018 Natural Wonders: The Sublime in Contemporary Art June 23–October 21, 2018 Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting November 17, 2018–February 17, 2019
THE LAURELS & WATERLOO MILLS PRESERVE HOURS Open daily, sunrise to sunset INFORMATION brandywine.org/conservancy information@brandywine.org 610.388.8340 FOLLOW THE CONSERVANCY @brandywineconservancy @brandywineconservancy @branconservancy