Catalyst Spring–Summer 2021

Page 1

BRANDYWINE BRANDYWINE

CATALYST SPRING–SUMMER 2021. VOLUME 49. NUMBER 1


IN THIS ISSUE: 4

Coming up at the Brandywine

5

Member Spotlight

6

Conservation in the Time of COVID

10

Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War

12

Paul Preston Davis: Renaissance Man

14

Recipe from the Millstone Café

15

50 Years of Museum Milestones

18

In Memoriam

19

Memorials & Tributes

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. © 2021 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.

100% recyclable

This publication is printed on paper manufactured from 30% recycled fibers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).


WELCOME BACK! We’re thrilled to announce that the Brandywine River Museum of Art will be reopening to the public on June 20, 2021 with a new special exhibition, Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War. During its closure, the Museum underwent several facility renovations to its second and third floors. Upgrades included a complete refurbishment of the restrooms on the second floor, making them fully ADA accessible, as well as switching their current location with the Strawbridge Family Gallery. Opening into the Museum’s central atrium, the reimagined Gallery—complete with new stateof-the-art lighting—improves circulation within the Museum building and will enhance the visitor experience when it officially opens in July 2021 with A Passion for Pyle: The Paul Preston Davis Collection. As a reminder, the Brandywine is extending all memberships for the length of time that the building was closed for these exciting facility upgrades. Updated membership cards will be sent digitally. Please call 610-388-8341 if you prefer to receive your card in the mail. After a year with two unexpected closings, please be sure to check brandywine.org/hours before visiting.


COMING UP AT THE BRANDYWINE CRITTERS IN JULY Get a head start on the holiday season with the return of our Online Critter Shop! Beginning in mid-July, browse our online selection featuring new creations and traditional favorites—the shop will also be updated frequently as the Critter makers dream up new styles throughout the year. Shop online at www.brandywine.org/critters SAVE THE DATES: Mark your calendars for our in-person Holiday Critter Sale, December 1–5, with a shopping day just for members on December 1. This fundraising activity benefits the Volunteers’ Art Acquisition Fund.

CONCERTS IN THE COURTYARD Enjoy a live concert under the stars in the Museum’s courtyard. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. July 23:

Rob Curto and Fish Harmonics August 20:

Wicked Sycamore September 17:

Yasmin Williams Performances start at 7 p.m. Learn more and reserve your tickets at www.brandywine.org/events

4

EXPERIENCE THE BRANDYWINE Whether you’re joining us in person or online at home, you can still experience the many great events and programs the Brandywine has to offer. Bookmark www.brandywine.org/events to see upcoming virtual and socially distant in-person events planned for the months ahead, including lectures, gallery talks, family programs, creative escape and plein air painting workshops, Millstone Café dinners and more. Check back often; new programs are added frequently. You can also continue to join us online with “Brandywine at Home” featuring new virtual tours and curator-led gallery talks of our collection and special exhibitions; at-home art activities; mindful nature videos from our preserves; and other helpful resources and activities. Learn more at www.brandywine.org/at-home


MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

“Even though it’s a beautiful Museum, it has such a homey feel at the same time.” — Julie Smith

Meet the Smith Family! Brandywine mem-

bers since 2017, the Smith family of four— Tom, Julie, Benjamin and Annie—hails from Media, PA. During their first visit three years ago, the family attended the Museum’s popular Polar Express ReadAloud Pajama Night. While it was a cold December evening outside, Julie says that the Museum was warm and cozy inside. “It was like an experience you’d see in a Christmas movie.” From then on, the Brandywine’s education team have had the pleasure of watching Benjamin and Annie grow and learn while participating in many more Read-Aloud programs— including our most recent Polar Express Read-Aloud night, which was a virtual experience this year.

In addition to programs for families, Tom and Julie have also discovered the other benefits of Brandywine membership. In 2018, they celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary by visiting the Museum and touring the Wyeth Studios—without the kids! They’ve also enjoyed hiking the campus trails around the Brandywine River and the scenic trails of the Waterloo Mills Preserve. Activities like these are what keep the Smith family coming back for more. When we asked Julie what she would like other families with young children to know about the Brandywine, she answered, “There is beautiful artwork galore, but the Brandywine is also a very warm, welcoming and supportive environment for your children to learn about art and the nature that is right outside our doorsteps.” n

Want to share the spotlight? Contact Kaitlin LeRoy, Membership Manager, for details on how you can be featured in our next issue of Catalyst. Kaitlin can be reached at 610.388.8341 or kleroy@brandywine.org.

5


CONSERVATION IN THE TIME OF COVID

Photo: Aerial view of Glenroy Farm


Photo: Birmingham Hill Preserve

In the midst of the pandemic, people have found new meaning and comfort in nature.

Record numbers have taken to outdoor spaces around them—including the Brandywine’s campus trails and preserves—to find solace and sanctuary. During this time, the Brandywine Conservancy’s work has never been more important—and despite the current challenges, it never skipped a beat. Over this past year in particular, there were three projects of note that illustrated the different ways in which the Conservancy activates, facilitates and expands the protection of key landscapes to fulfill its mission.

Activating a Historic Landscape For the last 25 years, one of the Conservancy’s main focus areas has been protecting the Brandywine Battlefield National Historic Landmark. As the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the legendary Battle of Brandywine, Birmingham Hill Preserve represents the most recent stretch of historic battlefield lands the Conservancy has protected.

With this 113-acre property preserved for the future, the Conservancy—with input from community advisors—completed a comprehensive master plan to transform Birmingham Hill into the organization’s first publicly accessible preserve. In addition to currently being open for passive recreation, the Preserve will be an important location for the interpretation of the Battle of Brandywine. The plan includes restoring the cultural landscape as it may have been during 1777 and working with partners to provide future facilities and educational opportunities to enhance interpretation of the site. This marks an exciting new chapter of a decades-long endeavor to protect a landscape critical to our nation’s history.

Facilitating the Deal While Birmingham Hill is owned and administered by the Brandywine, sometimes the Conservancy’s role is to facilitate the preservation of landscapes that will ultimately be stewarded by others. Recently, the Conservancy was approached to help

develop a plan for protecting a farm held for generations by the Thouron family. Glenroy Farm is situated along the Octoraro Creek in Lower Oxford and West Nottingham Townships. The acreage and diversity of resources made this property a priority for conservation in southeastern Pennsylvania. The Conservancy identified the family’s wishes for the property, then worked to acquire funding sources while matching the owners with the Oxford Area Foundation (OAF)—whose goals and vision aligned to ensure that the property’s open meadows, woodlands, streams, wetlands and trails would be forever protected and open to the public. Transitioning this property into a public preserve that is owned locally—with plans to open this summer—will create a unique public open space that will provide exceptional recreational and educational opportunities for the community. The protection of these lands will also have lasting effects on the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay—a national priority for conservation.

7


Expanding a Beloved Natural Resource As Brandywine members know all too well, the Laurels Preserve offers the rare opportunity to be completely immersed in nature. This pristine property of meadows, forests and creeks is filled with iconic views, quiet sounds and hidden paths to wander and discover. In late 2020, the Conservancy was presented with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the Laurels Preserve for the first time since its founding in the 1980s. The Conservancy launched a successful $2.6 million fundraising effort to purchase more than 80 acres, which were originally part of the late Ralph and Suzanne Roberts’ farm. The campaign was fueled by an initial $1 million challenge from Brandywine Trustee Herb Kohler and has sustained momentum thanks to the generous support of many on the Brandywine’s Board of Trustees, the Buck & Doe Trust, the Cheshire Hunt, and so many of you— our members. Once the transaction is completed this summer, this critically important and stunningly beautiful landscape will be incorporated into the broader Laurels Preserve, eliminating the threat of further sub-division or new development in critical view sheds and ensuring access to trails that have long been enjoyed by the neighbors and Brandywine members. Once finalized, the acquisition will also add an additional 10% of protected land to the Laurels. This acquisition is emblematic of the organization’s mission—to protect and conserve the land, water, natural and cultural resources of the Brandywine-Christina watershed. Rarely does an opportunity arise to acquire a property that contains all matter of resources, let alone one that is adjacent to one of the Conservancy’s most beloved Preserves. n The Glenroy Farm acquisition was generously funded by grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Chester County Preservation Partnership Program, Oxford Area Foundation and the Brandywine Conservancy.

8

Photo: Laurels Preserve

BE A PARTNER IN PRESERVATION While the Brandywine has achieved its fundraising goal to finalize the purchase of over 80 acres of the 145-acre Roberts property adjacent to the Laurels Preserve, we still need support to fund capital improvements such as trail construction, entry gates and new trail markers and maps. Additional dollars raised will be directed to the Laurels Improvement and Maintenance Fund. Interested in learning more or donating? Contact the Brandywine’s Director of Development, Kim Reynolds, at kreynolds@brandywine.org or 610.388.8349.


SHARING THE GOOD NEWS It may have been a challenging year, but there were also plenty of “good news moments” in conservation that cannot be overlooked. Take a look back at a few of our favorites below!

PENGUIN COURT PRESERVE: WHERE THE BOBCATS ROAM

With help from Chester County and PA DCNR, the Brandywine and the Oxford Area Foundation collaborated on the preservation of the Glenroy Farm property resulting in the creation of a future public preserve—expanding the lands permanently preserved in Chester County to more than 30%.

William Penn Foundation announced an extension of its 10-year Delaware River Watershed Initiative to include an 11th year of additional funding, which the Conservancy coordinates in the Brandywine-Christina watershed.

The federally funded Delaware Watershed Conservation Fund increased its annual grant program from $5 million to $10 million for 2021, providing crucial funding for organizations like the Brandywine to provide assistance to landowners for conservation activities.

The Brandywine officially launched an organizationwide effort to assist municipalities, communities and landowners with tools and strategies to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

The U.S. Great American Outdoors Act was enacted in 2020 which provides permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)—the single largest funding source for land conservation, preservation, historic and cultural resource protection, and state/local recreation opportunities.

The Brandywine received an anonymous donation to its long-range plan to construct a campus High Trail—which will renovate the old railroad tracks and trestle bridge across the Brandywine River adjacent to the Museum.

Throughout the pandemic, people sought refuge in nature and the outdoors in record numbers, including on the Brandywine’s campus trails and member preserves. The campus trails alone welcomed over 58,000 users from March 2020 through March 2021.

Located in the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania, the Brandywine’s Penguin Court Preserve boasts

923 acres of land that is largely forested and home to a diverse population of wildlife. Among the many creatures that roam the wooded hills of the preserve, Penguin Court staff have been thrilled to observe one elusive mammal in particular—the bobcat! After repeated sightings, staff teamed up with Duquesne University professor Dr. Jan Janecka, and graduate student James Neugebauer, to document the bobcat population on the property as part of the latter’s ongoing research. In 2020, bobcats were documented on five of 12 game cameras placed throughout the property during a winter survey. Commenting on the results at Penguin Court, Dr. Janecka noted that “having so many frequent photo captures and observations of bobcats is very uncommon in the Northeast region.” By studying bobcats in undisturbed areas like Penguin Court and comparing it to areas with more frequent human activity, Dr. Janecka hopes we can better understand their ecology and response to human factors. The group is replicating the survey at the Preserve this year and looks forward to comparing the results. Future forest management and use decisions will consider the expansiveness of wildlife at Penguin Court, which will complement the spirit of the late Richard M. Scaife’s gift of this property to the Brandywine Conservancy—who wished for the grounds to be preserved for their conservation values with minimal interference on wildlife. n

9


Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War is a remarkable exploration into U.S. aviation and military history through the work of a thoughtful and singular artist. Organized by the Vilcek Foundation, in collaboration with the Brandywine River Museum of Art, this landmark exhibition features an extensive collection of nearly 80 works by the artist, including drawings, photographs, paintings and lithographs that narrate his involvement with aerospace and World War II. Highlighting Crawford’s encounters with aviation and war from many angles, the collected works illustrate the influence of the artist’s own military service in the U.S. Army Air Force, as well as the commissions he undertook at the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant in Buffalo, and his assignment to document nuclear weapons tests conducted by the U.S. Joint Army/Navy Task Force at Bikini Atoll for Fortune magazine in 1946. “The exhibition traces the dramatic evolution of Ralston Crawford’s art in the 1940s, which was influenced by aviation—from his personal experiences in flight, to his exposure to the construction of airplanes and his knowledge of the destruction they wrought in war,” said Emily Schuchardt Navratil, curator for the Vilcek Foundation. As a result of his commissions and experience, his insights into warcraft “forged the themes that he would explore for the rest of his artistic career,” added Vilcek Foundation President Rick Kinsel. “His mature works vibrate with tension, rendering elements of war, culture, and ritual, with horror and awe—and beauty.” In the late 1920s, Crawford studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Barnes Foundation in Merion, and then later lived and painted in Exton and Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in the late 1930s. In World War II, he served in the Weather Division of the U.S. Army Air Force, heading the Visual Presentation unit, and continued working as an artist throughout the war. These experiences had a profound impact on 10

Crawford and marked a major turning point in his life and art. In the Army, Crawford created pictorial representations of weather patterns for airplane pilots and was exposed to “endless plane tragedies,” which he recorded in works like Bomber, 1944, and Air War, 1944. These powerful images of chaos and devastation were followed by ordered and precise paintings of airplane assembly. In December 1944, Crawford received a commission from Burton Tremaine—President and Chairman of the Miller Lighting Company—to commemorate the installation of nine miles of continuous fluorescent lighting in the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Plant. Crawford found the commission “stimulating” and spent three days in the Buffalo facility photographing and sketching. The visit gave him “quite a jolt emotionally and endless ideas,” which resulted in multiple related paintings.

Above: Ralston Crawford (1906–1978), Untitled (Blue and White), 1938, oil on canvas, 20 1/8 x 24 1/8 in. Collection of John Crawford


In the midst of creating these images of construction (albeit of a tool of destruction—the Curtiss-Wright plant in Buffalo manufactured P-40 Warhawk fighters), Fortune magazine sent Crawford on assignment to witness and document the atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll on July 1, 1946. Crawford’s relationship with Fortune began in 1944, and he created cover illustrations and charts related to weather, flight and radar for several issues. He captured his impressions of the “moral and physical” destruction wrought by the bomb in drawings and paintings including Bikini, Tour of Inspection and Test Able, both 1946. The evolution of many of Crawford’s works can be traced from photographs and drawings to the finished paintings, revealing Crawford’s decisions about form and space, undoubtedly informed by his personal understanding of airplanes and flight. For Crawford, the war “developed rather than changed” his style, allowing him the means to express “highly abstract concepts” pictorially. He felt his work was “a fuller thing,” due in part to the sensory reactions he experienced in flight, “the practically complete destruction of space and time became more than an idea to me. I perceived it through my own sense from the nose of a B-25 (non-combat).” This unforgettable new perspective opened a freedom of expression that would inform Crawford’s work for the next three decades. Following its debut at the Brandywine, the exhibition will travel to the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio, in October 2021. n Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War was organized by the Vilcek Foundation in collaboration with the Brandywine River Museum of Art and the Dayton Art Institute

Clockwise from top left: Ralston Crawford (1906–1978), Test Able, 1946, oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 17 5/8 in. Georgia Museum of Art, University of Georgia, Athens, Eva Underhill Holbrook Memorial Collection of American Art. Gift of Alfred H. Holbrook, GMOA 1946.140 Ralston Crawford (1906–1978), Bikini, Tour of Inspection, 1946, oil on canvas, 24 x 34 in. Vilcek Collection, VF2015.01.01

Upcoming Events Member Appreciation Day Saturday, June 19, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Visit the Museum for an exclusive, members-only first look at Ralston Crawford Air + Space + War, prior to its public opening.

Ralston Crawford: A Conversation Tuesday, June 22, 5 p.m. (EDT) on Zoom Explore the dramatic impact aviation had on the evolution of Ralston Crawford’s art during this online program with curator Emily Schuchardt-Navratil, from the Vilcek Foundation, in conversation with the artist’s son, John Crawford, and moderated by Brandywine curator Amanda C. Burdan, Ph.D. Register at brandywine.org/events Please note: Event dates/times are subject to unexpected changes. Check online for the most up-to-date information. Ralston Crawford: Air + Space + War presentation at the Brandywine is supported locally by donors to the Brandywine River Museum of Art Exhibition Fund, including the Davenport Family Foundation, William C. and Laura Buck, Ms. Mary Graham, Mr. and Mrs. Anson McC. Beard Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Robert V. Duprey/Hamilton Family Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Michael R. Matz, Dr. and Mrs. John Fawcett, and Morris & Boo Stroud.

11


PAUL PRESTON DAVIS: RENAISSANCE MAN derstanding of one of Brandywine’s core artists. Highlights from these holdings will be the focus of the exhibition, A Passion for Pyle: The Paul Preston Davis Collection, on view beginning this July—the first exhibition that will be presented in the Museum’s recently renovated and reimagined Strawbridge Family Gallery.

Pyle scholar Paul Preston Davis, ca. 2004. Photograph by Barbara Schmidt.

In addition to his distinguished career as an

executive at Delmarva Power—from which he retired in 1990—the late Paul Preston Davis (1931-2021) was also an authority on and collector of materials relating to nineteenth-century Delaware. A native of Wilmington, DE, Davis’s collection included long-forgotten objects that revealed the lively history of business in that state; documents providing an overview of African American life; rare and early photography; and Civil War memorabilia. These were gifted to the Delaware Historical Society in 2018. The other subject that inspired Davis was artist and illustrator Howard Pyle (1853-1911). For 10 years he undertook meticulous research on the artist culminating in his two-volume book, Howard Pyle: His Work – His Life (2004). While conducting research for this definitive publication, Davis assembled an extensive archive that provides fascinating insight into Pyle’s remarkable career. In one of the largest donations ever made to the Museum’s Walter & Leonore Annenberg Research Center, Paul Preston Davis gifted his Pyle archives in 2019, which add great nuance to the un12

The exhibition will include nineteenth-century first edition books and periodicals with Pyle’s illustrations featuring medieval subjects, American Colonial and Revolutionary War history, pirate scenes, and much more. Special focus is given to Pyle’s classic works that he wrote and illustrated: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood (1883), Men of Iron (1892) and The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (1903). Other unique items that will be on view include a rare copper printing block for “Robin Hood”; the artist’s proposal for his “King Arthur” series to a Scribner’s editor; and an 1897 edition of

Robin Hood with the illustrations carefully colored in by a young fan. There is also material that speaks to Pyle’s enduring appeal, such as colorful examples of twentieth-century reprints of Pyle’s classics, comic books and early audio recordings of his books. Additionally, the exhibition will reveal how Pyle’s Men of Iron not only inspired comic books and teenage literature but led to the 1954 movie, The Black Shield of Falworth. Virginia O’Hara, the Brandywine’s Research Center manager, has been working on the Davis collection for the past two years with research assistant and archivist Eileen Fay—whose position has been generously funded by a grant from the Starrett Foundation. In addition to the books and periodicals mentioned above, they found items gathered by Davis that provide intriguing context for Pyle’s active role as a teacher. These materials revealed Davis’s keen eye and the pleasure

Howard Pyle: His Life—His Work, Vols. 1 & 2 by Paul Preston Davis (2004)


he took in finding objects other researchers had overlooked. Fascinating tidbits on view will be postcards from 1907 showing Drexel Institute (now Drexel University) as it would have looked when Pyle taught there; his student Frank Schoonover’s illustration of cuts of beef for Drexel’s cooking course book; and clippings and photographs of the 1990s renovation of Turner’s Mill in Chadds Ford—now the township building—where Pyle held his summer school. The exhibition will also share much of Davis’s material on Pyle student Angel De Cora, a member of the Winnebago Nation from Nebraska, and her little-known career in illustration, design work and teaching. The Brandywine is grateful to the late Paul Preston Davis, who passed away in March 2021, for bringing such depth of knowledge to one of its beloved artists. His passion for Pyle—a luminary of America’s Golden Age of illustration—and his dedication to scholarship will be on view in Brandywine’s exhibition this summer. n

Clockwise from top left: The illustrations in this 1897 edition of Howard Pyle’s, The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, were carefully colored in by its child owner, Hazel Kirk Huckel, in 1899. Attached inside the front of the book is a letter written by Pyle in 1905 to Hazel’s father, Carle Wentworth Huckel, citing Pyle’s source for his version of Robin Hood. Cookbook published by Drexel Institute for Science, Industry, and Art, ca. 1898, with a diagram of cuts of beef drawn by Pyle student Frank Schoonover. The Boys Book of Pirates and the Great Sea Rovers, written and illustrated by George Alfred Williams. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1913. The illustrations are close adaptations of Pyle’s most famous illustrations of pirates.

13


SPRING PEA RICE PILAF A recipe from the Millstone Café

For more in-depth cooking techniques from Chef Liz, register for our upcoming Virtual Cooking Demonstration on June 10, 2021! Join Chef Liz as she teaches you how to make a delightful and robust meal featuring the Spring Pea Rice Pilaf recipe. The Millstone Café will also be hosting two Chef’s Table Dinners this year on June 25 and September 10, featuring menus inspired by foods grown at our local farms and seasonal favorites. Learn more and register for these events at www.brandywine.org/events

From our kitchen to yours, enjoy this delicious and buttery dish from the Brandywine’s Liz Sempervive, Executive Chef of the Millstone Café. Rice Pilaf is a great recipe to incorporate fresh spring vegetables into every bite for flavor and added nutrients. Ingredients: • 2 Tbs butter • ½ cup onions, small dice (or 1 small onion) • ½ cup carrots, small dice (or 1 large carrot) • ½ cup peas • 1 cup Basmati rice • 2 cups water • ½ tsp salt • 2 Tbs chopped parsley

14

Steps: Dice up all of the vegetables to about the same size as the peas. Then measure out the rice, water, salt and chopped parsley—keep all of these ingredients separated. On medium heat, melt the butter in a large pan (a Dutch oven works great, or any large pot with a tight-fitting lid) and then add in the onions, carrots and fresh peas. Cook until the onions are translucent and a little brown on the edges. Next, add in the rice and stir until coated with the butter and vegetables. Stir in the water and salt, and bring to a boil uncovered. Once boiling, stir the rice only once and cover with a lid, then turn the heat to low and let cook for 15 minutes (or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender). Once ready, turn off the heat and keep it covered for five minutes before serving. When ready to serve, fluff with a fork and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Enjoy!


50 YEARS OF MUSEUM MILESTONES To mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Brandywine River Museum of Art, we are looking back at some of the remarkable accomplishments and highlights of the last five decades. From major acquisitions for the collection to the expansion of the Museum building and the addition of National Historic Landmark properties, here are a few of the milestones reached over the last 50 years.

1970s Prior to opening in June 1971, the Museum receives a gift of nine paintings from Andrew and Betsy Wyeth that includes works by N. C., Henriette, Carolyn and Jamie Wyeth. The Museum’s inaugural exhibition, The Brandywine Heritage, receives more than 170,000 visitors. Two major tempera paintings by Andrew Wyeth, Roasted Chestnuts and James Loper, are donated by Harry G. “Hal” Haskell Jr. and family. Clockwise from top left: Andrew Wyeth, Roasted Chestnuts, 1956, tempera on panel. © 2021 Andrew Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York Andrew Wyeth, James Loper, 1952, tempera on Masonite panel. © 2021 Andrew Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York George A. Weymouth, Carolyn Bockius Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth at the Museum’s grand opening of The Brandywine Heritage, 1971, photographer unknown. Courtesy Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art archives.

The Museum purchases a group of five paintings by Andrew Wyeth depicting Siri Erickson. The Brandywine Railroad model train display and the Ann Wyeth McCoy doll collection have their premiere at the Museum during the holidays.

15


1980s Three important women collectors donate works to the Museum. Amanda Berls and Ruth Yerion generously gift 40 works and Jane Collette Wilcox gives the first of 350 works to the Museum. The N. C. Wyeth House and Studio—now a National Historic Landmark—are donated by the artist’s children and later open to the public in the 1990s. The Museum expands its footprint by adding a glass-clad, three-story atrium, offering visitors panoramic views of the river. Portrait of Pig by Jamie Wyeth and Saying Prayers by Horace Pippin enter the collection. An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art exhibition, organized by the Brandywine, travels to five countries and nine cities.

Clockwise from top left: Horace Pippin, Saying Prayers, 1943, oil on canvas The Museum’s riverside expansion Interior of the N. C. Wyeth Studio

1990s Upon her death, Carolyn Wyeth bequeaths over 80 paintings and 150 drawings to the Museum. N. C. Wyeth’s mural William Penn, Man of Vision · Courage · Action is donated by Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and becomes a central focus of the artist’s studio. Jamie Wyeth’s Draft Age is purchased by a group of seven donors. N. C. Wyeth’s iconic endpaper illustration for Treasure Island is purchased in 1997 with funds given in memory of Hope Montgomery Scott.

Clockwise from top left: Mural in the N. C. Wyeth Studio Jamie Wyeth, Draft Age, 1965, oil on canvas. © 2021 Jamie Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 16

Kuerner Farm

Kuerner Farm—the site where Andrew Wyeth found inspiration for more than seven decades, and now a National Historic Landmark—is donated to the Brandywine by Karl Kuerner Jr. and Karl J. Kuerner.


2010s Betsy Wyeth generously donates the Andrew Wyeth Studio to the Museum, which later opens to the public and becomes a National Historic Landmark. At his death, Richard Mellon Scaife—publisher, philanthropist and former Brandywine trustee—generously arranges for the Museum to select 44 works as a gift from his personal collection of American art. After working for years on his Wyeth portfolio of photographs, contemporary artist James Welling debuts his work—the Museum’s first major photography exhibition.

Clockwise from top left: Martin Johnson Heade, New Jersey Salt Marsh, ca. 1875–1885, oil on canvas Norman Rockwell, The Fiddler, 1921, oil on canvas Installation view of N. C. Wyeth: New Perspectives, 2019

Important gifts of the decade include N. C. Wyeth’s Island Funeral, donated by the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company; Norman Rockwell’s The Fiddler, the first painting by the artist to enter the collection, given by Mr. and Mrs. Andrew J. Sordoni III; and N. C. Wyeth’s last tempera, Nightfall, a bequest from Helen and John Kenefick. Major career retrospectives of Wyeth family artists are presented at the Museum: Jamie Wyeth, 2015; Andrew Wyeth: In Retrospect, 2017; and N. C. Wyeth: New Perspectives, 2019.

2000s A major collection of 125 works by renowned illustrator Howard Pyle is donated by artist and naturalist Howard Pyle Brokaw—the grandson of Pyle—and his wife, Mary Taylor Brokaw. A consortium of donors aids the Museum in purchasing Jamie Wyeth’s large group of Nureyev portraits. The Museum undergoes a second expansion, adding two new galleries, a new classroom and more space for art storage. The Museum presents Unique Force: The Art of Carolyn Wyeth—a career retrospective and the first exhibition of the artist’s work in 30 years. After Andrew Wyeth’s death in 2009, his masterwork Christina’s World is displayed at the Museum in tribute.

Clockwise from top left: Howard Pyle, The Wolf and Doctor Wilkinson (Once it Chased Doctor Wilkinson into the Very Town Itself), 1909, oil on canvas Jamie Wyeth, Curtain Call, 2001, combined mediums on archival cardboard. © The Wyeth Foundation, 2002 Carolyn Wyeth, Mask of Keats, ca. 1940, oil on canvas 17


IN MEMORIAM Earlier this year, the Brandywine lost two dear friends and supporters with the deaths of Sally T. Duff and Pete Davenport. Sally T. Duff (March 28, 1943-January 23, 2021) was the wife of James H. Duff, Execu-

tive Director Emeritus of the Brandywine Conservancy & Museum of Art. As the Brandywine’s “first lady” for nearly 40 years, Sally was always on hand at exhibition openings and other special events. She was also active behind the scenes, welcoming important visitors, cultivating donors and representing the Brandywine in the community. She enjoyed her de facto role through which she made many wonderful friends, among them Andrew Wyeth, who often walked from his studio to the Duffs’ house specifically to visit with her, and Luciano Pavarotti. Brandywine chairman, George A. “Frolic” Weymouth frequently said of her, simply, “She makes me laugh,” which was high praise from someone known for his humor. Sally had an eye for beauty and skills to match. She was an expert knitter, a wonderful cook, an exceptional pianist, and could really make a garden grow. She also had a way with numbers and a talent for languages that she shared freely by helping others learn English. Professionally, Sally held many positions over the years. She was a hospital administrator, beloved math teacher, piano instructor, and a township clerk for East Marlborough Township—well respected wherever she worked. For all her abilities, Sally was known for her quiet humility and generosity. Her wit, warm smile and spirit will be missed but long remembered by her many friends and former colleagues and especially cherished by her husband, daughters and grandchildren upon whom she doted. In honor of her life, the family asks that contributions be made to the Sally T. Duff Art Acquisition Fund at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

Pete Davenport (January 11, 1938–February 16, 2021) first introduced himself to the Bran-

dywine in 1998 and became a trustee a few years later. Particularly interested in the Museum and its publications, over the years—personally and through the Davenport Family Foundation—he gave generously to support a variety of its projects, including the production of Brandywine Catalyst and many museum exhibitions and catalogues. In 2015, harkening back to his own fascination with model trains as a child and his family’s desire to support a beloved community tradition, he directed the draw from the Davenport Family Foundation Fund for Exhibitions to support the Brandywine’s annual holiday railroad display. While trains were an interest from youth, his passion as an adult was cars. He loved all aspects of the automobile—collecting, driving, racing, and even car art. He visited Brandywine often and readily offered his expertise in the field of marketing, honed during his long career with well-known glass manufacturers like Corning and Thomas Scientific. He and his wife, Sylvia (herself a former Brandywine board member), were a fixture at Brandywine openings and special events, from galas to costume parties, where they delighted in dressing in the spirit of the event and dancing among the crowds. One particularly memorable All Hallows’ Eve Ball found both Pete and Frolic Weymouth dressed in denim and leather, taking turns posing on a motorcycle, and laughing until they cried. We will miss Pete’s sage counsel, quick wit and bold costumes, but are delighted that Sylvia and their children continue to be part of the Brandywine family.


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 MEMORY OF BARBARA OAKES BARBER

Jonathan Barber IN MEMORY OF RUTH BASSETT (in addition to previous gifts)

Mr. & Mrs. Albert Mayer IN MEMORY OF MRS. VALERIE BOZZONE (in addition to previous gifts)

Mr. & Mrs. Ed DeMario Jo & Joe Lurquin Ms. Julie Robinson Dr. Donna W. Upchurch, Ph.D. IN HONOR OF THE DEDICATION OF THE BRANDYWINE CONSERVANCY STAFF

Ms. Ellen M. Ferretti Bill & Kay Iredale Mr. & Mrs. Douglas P. Marshall IN HONOR OF THE BRANDYWINE CONSERVANCY & MUSEUM OF ART’S STAFF

Mr. & Mrs. Roberts W. Brokaw III Mr. & Mrs. Mark Klinger Jo & Joe Lurquin IN HONOR OF THE WEDDING OF MARY CANDLER & THOMAS RUSSELL LIND

Mr. & Mrs. Peter C. Fulweiler IN MEMORY OF LISA DANG

Becky Roberts IN MEMORY OF MATTHEW JAMES DAVIS

His Loving Parents IN MEMORY OF DOLE W. DONOVAN

Jo & Joseph Lurquin IN MEMORY OF MRS. SALLY T. DUFF

Francis & Frances Abbott Susan D. Beach Mary and Patrick Cronin Nancy Crooker & George Siscoe Hannah & Eric Christopher Mr. & Mrs. Christopher B. Crosman Kendra & Allan Daniel Mr. & Mrs. Henry L. Dorkin James H. Duff Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence A. Dunbar Ms. Janet F. Eager James & Carol Ellis East Marlborough Township Mr. & Mrs. Wendell Fenton John & Betsy Field Mr. & Mrs. Steven Franklin Margaret J. Geller & Scott J. Kenyon

George & Maralee Glatz Donna & Mark Gormel Mr. & Mrs. Jack M. Hines Jr. Andrew & Elizabeth Johnson Mr. & Mrs. Michael Landa Jo & Joe Lurquin Mr. & Mrs. Michael Matz James M. Nowlin & Suzanne Duff Nowlin Virginia & Christopher O’Hara Susan B. Parker Gail L. Pitone Suzanne Regnier & Greg Papiernik Dawn & Ray Shore Joyce Hill Stoner Mr. & Mrs. Morris W. Stroud II Richard Tozier & M. Carol Gillette Mr. & Mrs. Robert F. Tredwell Waterfall Arts Mrs. Patricia Trent Wells Christine White Dennis Wint & Debra Bjornard Wyeth Foundation for American Art IN HONOR OF HEATHER EVANS

Ms. Mary E. Mulligan IN MEMORY OF MR. BROWNELL FERRY

Mrs. Elizabeth Buckley Mary and Patrick Cronin Patricia P. Devitto Mr. & Mrs. Lawrence A. Dunbar Mrs. Mary Nell Ferry Ms. Simone M. Fine and Mr. William Langlois Mr. & Mrs. Mark R. Gormel Ms. Michelle Heinrich Larry & Carol Lantz Mr. Christopher Lupone Jo & Joe Lurquin Mr. & Mrs. James Matthews Ms. Etha McDowell and Mr. James G. Sumner Mrs. Mary Powers & Ms. Maureen Powers Mrs. Sara Speer Mrs. Lisa Winn Linda P. Woodward IN HONOR OF GRANT FOLIN

Mr. David Tschachler IN MEMORY OF MATTHEW GENK

Mr. Peter Guman IN MEMORY OF LILLIAN W. GREEN

Brian, Harlan & Carl Green

IN MEMORY OF JOHN M. HICKMAN

IN MEMORY OF CATHY REDD &

Patricia P. DeVitto Rebecca & Joe Matos Mr. Greg Poehlmann The Puerta and Reyes Family Mr. & Mrs. John W. Pusey Ms. Mary Semmelhaack Mr. & Mrs. Charles F. Weiss Jr. Ms. Mary Withington

BYRON WOODBURY

IN HONOR OF ANGELA BENJAMIN & JOHN HODGES

Miriam Maxwell IN MEMORY OF SOPHIE RODNEY

Lori Woodbury IN MEMORY OF KATHARINE DRAPER “PUSS” SCHUTT

Mr. & Mrs. Thomas F. McCoy IN MEMORY OF PAUL SEMMELHAACK

Mary Semmelhaack IN MEMORY OF GEORGE E. SIPALA (in addition to previous gifts)

Mrs. Harriett H. Imbierowicz Ms. Catherine Quillman

PYLE HOMSEY

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Homsey

IN HONOR OF CLARK STEIN

Kathy Stein IN HONOR OF MARTHA JO & JERRY KATZ’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

IN HONOR OF JOHN THEILACKER

Mr. & Mrs. Alan L. Goodman

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Fleischmann V

IN MEMORY OF KATHLEEN M. LEAHY

IN HONOR OF THE TINSMAN FAMILY

Jacqueline Leahy & John Vernon

(BOB, MICHELLE, COLIN AND CLAIRE)

Jeanne Tinsman IN HONOR OF LIESL MAHONEY

Jennifer Johann Kendall

IN MEMORY OF EDWARD TRAHAN

Mrs. Susan B. Trahan IN MEMORY OF EDWARD WAYNE MANDITY

Debra & John Ondeyka

IN MEMORY OF CAROL GETZ TUCKER & JOHN E. “JACK” TUCKER

IN HONOR OF THE WEDDING OF ANNIE MCFADDEN AND BROOK STROUD

The Harry Miller & Richard Guerrein Charitable Fund

(in addition to previous gifts)

Dr. August Kerschner

IN MEMORY OF LOUIS C. AND BARBARA R. WASHBURN

IN HONOR OF AMY MCKENNA

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Fleischmann V

Ms. Elizabeth W. Pesce IN MEMORY OF MR. PETER

IN HONOR OF TOM PADON

Mr. & Mrs. Jack Markel

SCOVILLE WELLS

Mrs. Patricia Trent Wells

IN MEMORY OF MR. JOHN W.

IN MEMORY OF GEORGE A. “FROLIC”

PAUL, DVM, MS

WEYMOUTH

Ms. Patricia P. Smith

(in addition to previous gifts)

Ms. Diane P. Cook

Mr. & Mrs. Albert Mayer Ms. Meemie Sullivan Mr. Cuyler H. Walker, Esq.

IN MEMORY OF DR. FRANCIS POWER

IN MEMORY OF MRS. BETSY WYETH

PARKER & ROBIN HICKMAN PARKER

(in addition to previous gifts)

(in addition to previous gifts)

Mr. & Mrs. Michael Landa Mr. & Mrs. Albert Mayer David Michaelis Sanderson Museum Weymouth, Swayze & Corroon Ins., Inc.

IN MEMORY OF JEAN & ERIC PENNELL

Jennifer Hutchins

19


P.O. Box 141, Route 1 Chadds Ford, PA 19317

MUSEUM HOURS Visit www.brandywine.org/hours Upon reopening, safety precautions for visitors will remain in effect, including face mask requirements, timed ticketing and capacity limits.

INFORMATION brandywine.org/museum information@brandywine.org 610.388.2700 FOLLOW THE MUSEUM @brandywinerivermuseum @brandywinerivermuseum @branrivermuseum

EXHIBITIONS Ralston Crawford: Air & Space & War June 20–September 19, 2021 America’s Impressionism: Echoes of a Revolution October 9, 2021–January 9, 2022 Brandywine Christmas November 26, 2021–January 9, 2022 Wayne Thiebaud 100: Paintings, Prints, and Drawings February 5–May 8, 2022

PRESERVE HOURS The Laurels, Waterloo Mills & Birmingham Hill Preserves Visit www.brandywine.org/preserves INFORMATION brandywine.org/conservancy information@brandywine.org 610.388.8340 FOLLOW THE CONSERVANCY @brandywineconservancy @brandywineconservancy @branconservancy

Cover image: Laurels Preserve


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.