The Muse
Newsletter of the Slater Memorial Museum Winter 2011
The Slater Museum and Connecticut Artists: Unbreakable Bonds, Part II Revisiting the bonds between the Norwich Art School and the Slater Memorial Museum, we enter the twentieth century. The Norwich Art School targeted “adult” students by scheduling most classes in the late afternoons and evenings so that those who worked during the day could pursue their passion after hours. In this way, dozens of Norwich citizens became familiar with the Slater Memorial Museum. Third NFA Head of School, Robert Porter Keep remarked at the opening of the Art School that “The Art School is designed to promote the general advantage of the community.” From its inception, the Art School’s faculty has comprised professional artists who have become known in regional and state-wide
View of Nantucket by Margaret Triplett, watercolor, n.d.
art circles. For its re-opening, the museum is planning a new permanent exhibition of work by 20th century Connecticut artists. Many of those to be represented will be former directors or faculty of the Norwich Art School. Charlotte Fuller Eastman (1878-1965) was the fourth director of the Norwich Art School. Returning to her native city and alma mater, Eastman was a substitute teacher from 1909 to 1911. In 1912 Eastman became head of the school and remained in the position until her retirement in 1943. Her replacement, Margaret L. Triplett, had taught at the Norwich Art School for fourteen years before being appointed Director. Margaret Lauren Triplett (1905-1991) was born in Vermillion, South Dakota, and grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, where her interest in art developed. She graduated from Storm Lake High School in 1922, attended Buena Vista College and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the State University of Iowa in 1927. From 1927-1929 Triplett continued her studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and received a Master of Arts Degree from Yale University in 1942. While studying at the Museum School, Triplett was approached by a woman who was searching for a teacher to finish off a semester course at a high school. “[Charlotte Fuller Eastman] asked me to come to a place called Norwich Free Academy. And that is what happened. But as it happened, I stayed (Continued on page 3)
A Message from the Director December and the noise continues … but there is progress. In fact, those of you who pass the museum on a regular basis no doubt have noticed the skeletal structure between the Slater and Norton buildings that every day more closely resembles the illustrations with which we’ve become familiar. While still open to the elements, the structure has floors and a basement where one day the museum’s collections storage facility will reside. In the meantime, museum staff, interns and the occasional steadfast volunteer have been cleaning, painting and planning new installations. The casts, in addition to an occasional cosmetic or structural repair, are being cleaned of, in some cases, forty years of grime. With a soap specially formulated for museum collections the hand prints of countless NFA alumni are being washed away. At the same time, new interpretational materials are being drafted to accompany old favorites as well as new exhibitions. Stayed tuned and thank you all for your patience. UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS, PROGRAMS AND EVENTS Friday, April 15, 2011 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Submissions to the Lincoln Portrait Competition accepted at the Norwich Arts Center. More infomation, along with contest guidelines, are available. Please visit: www.slatermuseum.org.
Sunday, May 1, 2011 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Opening of the exhibition of works submitted for consideration in the Lincoln Portrait Competition at the Norwich Arts Center, Norwich, Connecticut. More information will be posted at www.norwicharts.org.
The Muse is published up to four times yearly for the members of The Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum. The museum is located at 108 Crescent Street, Norwich, CT 06360. It is part of The Norwich Free Academy, 305 Broadway, Norwich, CT 06360. Museum main telephone number: (860) 887-2506. Visit us on the web at www.slatermuseum.org. Museum Director – Vivian F. Zoë Newsletter editor – Geoff Serra Contributing authors: Vivian Zoë, Leigh Smead and Patricia Flahive Photographers: Leigh Smead, Vivian Zoë The president of the Friends of the Slater Memorial Museum: Patricia Flahive The Norwich Free Academy Board of Trustees: Steven L. Bokoff ’72, Jeremy D. Booty ‘74 Glenn T. Carberry Richard DesRoches * Lee-Ann Gomes ‘82, Treasurer Thomas M. Griffin ‘70, Secretary Thomas Hammond ‘75 Theodore N. Phillips ’74 Vice Chair Robert A. Staley ’68 David A. Whitehead ’78, Chair Sarette Williams ‘78 *Museum collections committee The Norwich Free Academy does not discriminate in its educational programs, services or employment on the basis of race, religion, gender, national origin, color, handicapping condition, age, marital status or sexual orientation. This is in accordance with Title VI, Title VII, Title IX and other civil rights or discrimination issues; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991.
2
(Continued from page 1)
much longer.” Triplett was an instructor at the Art School from 1929, became director in 1944, and remained in this position until 1970; her career at NFA spanned over forty years.
James Francis Wilber, Jr., Blanche’s nephew, recalls that she was always “almost” late. When James, Jr., was 5, Blanche insisted that his father send him to the Saturday Morning Art classes at the Slater. He enjoyed the pottery and Blanche Browning, 1941 jewelry classes best. Browning’s father was a close friend of Head of School Henry Tirrell, and through this friendship, Wilber created a scholarship still awarded today.
A prolific painter, Triplett studied at summer art colonies with such artists as George Bridgeman, Grant Wood, Hans Hoffman, Robert Brackman, and Kimon Nicolaides. She attended the Art Students League in New York for workshops and never ceased exploring new techniques and subject matter in her work. Her original intent was to be a portrait painter, working in oils. She gradually became interested in working with transparent watercolor. Triplett once explained that “Expression of movement, reflections and double images, as well as the emotional qualities of color, became important to me. The best paintings captured the ‘look’ of a place and at the same time made an abstract design an expressive emotional statement.” The artist’s extensive travels throughout the United States and abroad greatly influenced her work. She kept detailed journals and diaries in sketch books as she traveled. Her paintings were shown in many local and national exhibitions beginning in the early 1930’s. Her first single-person show took place in 1939at the Morton Galleries in New York. She became a trustee of the Hartford Art School of the University of Hartford, a former member of the Connecticut Watercolor Society and a former Active Artist Member of the Mystic Art Association. Throughout her career, Triplett received many prizes and medals and recognition in many juried shows. She had several one-person shows in New York and New England including a retrospective of fifty years of work, held at Eastern Connecticut State University in 1985. Triplett died in Norwich in 1991 at the age of 85, but her work can occasionally be found in local galleries.
Blanche Browning bought and restored three 18th c. houses on Mediterranean Lane. She sold at least two of these, becoming friendly with her neighbor “Chief” Raymond Baily Case, long-time science and math teacher at NFA. They comings and goings wore a path between the two houses. Much beloved, Case was an avocational historian who donated many important family objects to the Slater Museum. Browing lived on one side, and Slater Museum director Hannah Dodge lived on the other side of Chief Case. Blanche started collecting furniture, house parts, windows and doors, accumulating the materials in a barn that was only a few feet from the street. She worked on her house on Mediterranean Lane for years, hanging rugs over the unfinished walls. She engaged a cabinet maker who worked for her for many years installing wood trim, paneling, stairs and a kitchen addition on the side.
Blanche Browning followed Mrs. Triplett as Acting Director from 1970 to 1977. Her family’s homestead was an 18th c. house on a large piece of land on Elizabeth Street on the west side of Norwich. The house was torn down and rebuilt by Browning’s father in the 1890’s. She had two siblings, James Francis Wilber and her sister Hecla. Blanche was born in 1908. She attended Rhode Island School of Design, focusing on textile design. In addition to using wood and linoleum block prints to create textile ornament, Browning used the process to make her own Christmas cards each year.
She was a strict martinet; her brother’s children were terrorized in her home. Blanche’s nephew recalls being asked by his father to bring a message to Blanche in her classroom, in the days before telephones were ubiquitous in homes. The boy, still in elementary school, climbed the stairs and entered her classroom on the top floor of Norton Gym at the back of the building. “Hello, Aunt Blanche,” he called out. To which, Mrs. Browning curtly declared “Young man,
3
hereafter when you come into my classroom you will call me Mrs. Browning!”
which helped to create and restore the Nation’s parks, trails and wildlife sanctuaries, while employing youth from impoverished families. In Norwich, the Novacks bought an old barn on Harland Road, dismantled it, and re-used the framing to build a new house. Since Frank’s family didn’t have much, he created things, amusing himself with few resources. His parents, hands-on people who could fix anything, tried to discourage him from art, recommending that the younger Novack attend trade school. Yet Frank’s parents encouraged all endeavors – not necessarily art, but they had a “go-do-it” attitude.
And yet, the adult James Wilber, Jr., now recalls that she gave the best Christmas gifts he received each year. James Wilber, S. Risley crock, mid-19th century, Sr. worked on donated to the Slater Museum by Blanche Browning the railroad, so money was not plentiful. Christmas gifts from his parents were mostly useful and utilitarian objects like coats and shoes. Nephew James, Jr. recalls receiving from Aunt Blanche a bobsled with a steering wheel that he still has.
Frank was recognized early for his artistic talent. A teacher brought him to the Slater Museum in third or fourth grade. He remembers seeing a big ladder in the cast gallery; possibly left by workers cleaning the casts, an activity then-Director Hannah Dodge mentioned in reports to the Head of School. Frank recalls seeing the annual NFA student exhibition which included bizarre and fantastical creations. Around the same time, his school recommended that he attend the Slater Museum/ Norwich Art School’s Saturday Morning Art Classes. However, his parents wouldn’t allow him to attend, as they were unwilling to pay the $10 or $15 fee.
According to James, Jr., Blanche’s husband, Lawrence Browning, “had the patience of a saint.” She was totally dedicated to The Academy, working often seven days a week. She dragged her husband to all arts activities and events. And yet, he was devoted to her. The Brownings had no children. In addition to donating many pieces of 18th c. furniture and decorative arts to the museum, Browning created an acquisitions fund.
After elementary school, Frank came to NFA where the environment deeply affected him. He recalls the Norwich Art School teachers as being “wonderful,” but young Frank was a clown who was always in trouble with Art School Directors Margaret Triplett and Blanche Browning. Nonetheless, at the Art School, he recalls a strong feeling of being “at home – being accepted by people of like mind.” Recalling the influences on his life and work, Frank Frank T. Novack credits former
In the Norwich Bulletin, on the other side of a “clipping” announcing the Brownings’ wedding ironically appeared Frank Novack’s birth announcement. Frank T. Novack was appointed to the permanent post in 1977. He served as Director of the school for twenty years, becoming Headmaster for the Art School and the Arts. Frank Novack was born in Norwich in 1940. He grew up on the city’s West Side and graduated from the Norwich Free Academy, a Fine Arts major. Novack’s parents were farmers, hardworking survivors of the Depression, who were extremely careful with money. An orphan, Frank’s father was a member of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps,
4
(Continued on page 6)
their theme was to use a yellow ochre on the Greek statuary and grey on the Roman. The water based (most likely latex wall) paint was brushed on and then wiped with rags to give it the look of antique stone.
CAST CONSERVATION UPDATE
Years of an occasionally leaking roof and the combination of high heat and humidity with settling dust bonded the dirt to, in particular, the horizontal surfaces of the casts. Add to that the areas reachable and attractive to the greasy hands of visitors and you have an unattractive presentation. Enter a HEPA vacuum and Vulpex soap! When the work to install a new fire suppression (sprinkler) system required a personal lift, museum staff asked that it remain in the museum until construction is complete. Using this, a sort of stationary “cherry-picker,” we were able to reach even the Nike of Paionios who received a thorough suction-dusting. Next in line was Nike of Samothrace. She required both thorough vacuuming and cleansing with a very mild solution of water and Vulpex soap, made especially for sensitive museum objects. It is truly remarkable how great our girls look when they’re relieved of simple dirt! The Laocöon came next and we will proceed on so that upon our re-opening, the casts will gleam once again.
Museum Director Vivian Zoë uses the NFA lift to clean the Nike of Paionios.
The current closure of the museum, coupled with the immense amount of insidious dust produced by the construction has provided an opportunity for museum staff to clean the casts. This has not been done in any significant way since the 1970’s when then-museum director Joe Gualtieri, together with a group of teachers on summer break re-patinated the casts. In a recent interview with Mr. Gualtieri, still bright and very active at 94, he described their process. He said the decision to paint them was triggered by their being very dirty. Most likely, they had not been cleaned since the late 1940’s when then-museum director Hannah Dodge’s reports to the head of school indicate some sort of treatment. At that time, tents were used to cover the casts, so it is likely that they received their first patina then. Joe recalled that in the 1970’s
Detail of the Apollo Sauroktonos with visible patina treatment.
5
CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Progress is evident in visible and measurable terms on the new ADA Atrium. At this writing, the steel framework and concrete floors are in place and museum staff offices are taking shape. It is now possible (though not advisable) to scramble out a window on the North side of the Cast Gallery and land safely on the Mezzanine level of the new Atrium. Concrete is being poured to create the floors, ramps and stairs that will make the museum and gymnasiums fully accessible. Special measures have been taken during the extreme cold of recent days to allow safe concrete pouring. By mid-winter, the museum’s staff offices will move one floor up to new quarters and work will begin on the new visitors’ center. Already, windows covered decades ago with wood and an early form of drywall have been reclaimed, adding natural light and a view into the new atrium. The Gualtieri Gallery on the main level of the museum has been split into two separate, but connected spaces to accommodate new exhibitions according to new interpretation of the museum’s permanent holdings. The museum is still many months from re-opening, but the promise of a fresh look married to the strong traditions of the Slater Museum is evident.
Left: Assistant Director Leigh Thomas prepares the pedestal of the Ludovisi Ares for refinishing. Right: Newly exposed windows in the center mezannine gallery on the Museum’s north side. (Continued from page 4)
NAS teacher and Slater Museum Director Joe Gualtieri as having had a huge influence on him.
ing art school became too much however, so he joined the Navy.
His parents didn’t have money for college, so Frank began working directly out of NFA. A friend from the NAS brought him to the Hartford Art School for the entrance exam with his portfolio. When asked why he didn’t apply for a scholarship, he said he didn’t have a recommendation from Miss Triplett -- “too much fooling around!”
The Navy was a good choice for Frank, whose dreams of world travel were realized in deployments to Europe and Cuba. While stationed in Chicago, he attended art school and visited the Art Institute of Chicago regularly. Although the Navy tried to teach him electronics, Frank remained true to his artistic aspirations.
Nonetheless, he was accepted and attended when the Hartford Art School was at the Wadsworth Atheneum. He studied under Slater Museum benefactor Paul Zimmerman and worked full time at Travelers, inserting early IBM cards after hours. Working from 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 a.m. and attend-
Stationed in Boston, he brought his portfolio to the Boston Museum School and was accepted. He rented – at the princely sum if $1 a day - a garret on Beacon Hill, with a spectacular view of Boston Harbor. Finishing his Navy service at the age of 24, he continued at the Boston Museum, consider-
6
Despite his early reputation as a callow fellow`, Mrs. Browning sought him out at “The Gris” to ask if he would be interested in teaching at NAS. When ready to retire, Blanche Browning sent Joe Gualtieri to ask Frank to take over the Directorship of the Art School. When he joined the NAS faculty, he lived in an apartment in The Henry Norton mansion and had a studio in back, describing the portion of the house he and his wife occupied as “huge.” He was married in the mid-nineteen seventies, divorced 18 year later; and has two daughters, Kate and Anne. Around 2000, Frank’s father took the family on a cruise at Christmas to the Caribbean. Frank became immediately enthralled and started cruising three times a year at Christmas, spring and summer. While in Cancun at Club Med, he took advantage of the SCUBA diving certification course. Seeing the “landscape” under water opened his eyes to a new universe and gave him the idea to paint it. He views these paintings as colorist.
Plant, Plate and Jar by Frank T. Novack, oil on panel.
ing it a gift to have a second chance at a career in art. Living near the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum on Louis Prang Street, from his apartment he overlooked Mission Hill and worked at Hatfield’s Art Supply.
Currently, Frank is combining three-dimension work with his interest in German expressionism. Artists and mentors he credits with a positive influence include Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani, Ensor and Paul Zimmerman. Traditional landscapes don’t appeal to him, but he enjoys experimenting with materials and color. He reports being more busy than ever after retirement, teaching, sculpting and building fantastical characters for movie-making.
Teacher Jan Cox influenced him, as did living in Boston where he was exposed to a multitude of the arts – museums, galleries and symphony. He applied for the 5th year of study and received two traveling scholarships, returning to Europe each time for a year. He remembers this period in his life with pleasure, recalling driving to Reims and Paris meeting other scholarship students in Amsterdam, seeing his first real Michelangelos while in the Navy and being in Europe during Jackie Kennedy’s wedding to Aristotle Onassis. He learned and adopted the European rhythm of life.
In 1997 Melody Leary succeeded Frank as Director of the Art School and Music and the Performing Arts. Melody Knight Leary was born in Norwich and raised in Baltic, Ct. The oldest of eight children, she was responsible to help care for the younger ones; either babysitting or helping with housework. Any free time was devoted to schoolwork, art making, or some type of needlework project. Leary also loved to explore the nearby woods, collecting “treasures,” engaging in a little tree climbing and just enjoying the solitude of nature.
Returning from Europe, he opted to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Art Education at the Boston Museum School and never regretted it, saying, “it served me well.” When he was in Boston, relatives of the owners of the Dock & Dine in Old Saybrook helped him get a job there for the summer. He returned several summers and through the maitre d’hotel, who was related to the owners of the Griswold Inn in Essex, he got a job making breakfast and keeping the bar there.
At a very early age Leary discovered that making art gave her “magical powers.” Always involved in some creative project, she recalls spending many happy hours at a large old wooden desk on her front porch. She regards this as “my space – my first studio
7
you could say. There are photos of me at two years old standing at that desk ‘working.’ As a young child, it was evident that I had an insatiable need to make ‘art.’”
on her as an emerging artist. She describes her elementary school art teacher from the moment he stepped into her first grade classroom: “this debonair gentleman, with a suit, tie and mustache. I knew he would be a special person in my life. No matter what level he was teaching, it was obvious that art was a serious and important topic. He never talked down to his students and we were always presented with challenging lessons. When I was preparing to move on to high school, he made it a point to tell me about the Norwich Art School and advised me to sign up for art classes as soon as I got to NFA. I did as he said and never looked back.”
In elementary school, Leary considered her one hour weekly art period the best part of the week. Over the course of eight years art teacher Friedo Urbinati encouraged her love of art and provided her with the fundamentals of creative expression. When Leary was in 7th grade, Mrs. Beard, a neighbor, held weekly oil painting sessions in her home with a group of women friends. Beard knew of Leary’s interest in art and invited her to join the group. Beard helped Leary purchase her first set of oil paints and brushes, and once a week after school, Melody joined the women to paint. Here she received encouragement; she credits the group with validating her artistic inclinations and serving as role models. Fondly, she recalls, “I still have the wooden box my father made me to hold those first painting supplies, and, in fact I used it all through college.”
Donald Leary, Melody’s high school sweetheart. eventually became her husband and wholeheartedly understood and accepted her passion for art and years later, when she was asked to be Director of the Art School, he emboldened her to take the position saying, “I always knew you’d have Mrs. Browning’s position one day.” She credits her husband as a very special man who continues to be a sensitive sounding board and ardent supporter.
Her announcement that she wanted to go to art school after high school wasn’t met with much enthusiasm. Not having gone to college themselves, her parents couldn’t justify spending money they didn’t have on higher education. In addition, she attributes to her parents a sexist attitude: “that girls really didn’t need to go to school because they were only going to marry and raise a family; an ethos of their generation.” But becoming an art teacher she had dreamed of since second grade, so it was through sheer determination and perseverance that she achieved her goal. “I worked hard, produced a strong portfolio of artwork, and made it a point to apply for any and every scholarship available to me. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I was accepted to my top choice; the Hartford Art School.”
Of influences on her work, Leary says “nature, the environment, my everyday surroundings and life in general, influence my work …Sometimes I work on a piece for weeks, but I can’t explain what I’m searching for, or for that matter, what is finally resolved. I know I’m not interested in producing an art of purely formal concerns, but neither am I at peace with work bent solely on representation. I’m caught between the formal, the representational, and the expressionist content. This exchange often leads me to unexpected revelations about feelings and ideas.”
Art school exposed her to new media and techniques and provided a nurturing environment for unrestricted creative exploration. She was stimulated by the competitiveness among the art students, seeing it as pushing everyone to exceed expectations. Critiques were eye opening and productive. She enjoyed the feedback and conversations about art and ideas and later made it a point to hold regular critiques with her own students.
Melody Leary
Leary says that Mr. Urbaniti had the greatest impact
8
making my own clothes. I enjoy quilting, needlepoint, embroidery and crocheting and some of these crafts occasionally carry over into my work. I’ve included decorative stitching in my prints, stitched prints together, or combined printed and stitched fabric components into prints.” Melody Leary retired in 2007 and, current NAS Director, Melissa Smith, succeeded her. Sources cited: Abbott, Agnes, The Department of Art at Wellesley College, Art Journal, Summer 1962. Avery, Myrtilla, untitled work, Wellesley Alumnae Magazine, June 1930. ____________, The Art Museum, Wellesley College Bulletin, June 1937. Converse, Florence, The Story of Wellesley, Welles- ley College, 1915. ____________,Wellesley College, A Chronicle of the Years, 1939(?). Constantine, Lois and Wright Pratt, Priscilla, Mystic Art Association, Historical Committee, 2010. Der Nersessian Sirarpie, The Direct Approach in the Study of Art History, Art Journal, March 1942 Falk, Peter Hastings, (Editor), Who Was Who in American Art, 1564-1975, 1999. Gerdts, William H., Art Across America: New Eng- land, New York, Mid-Atlantic, 1990. Hall, Mary-Anne and Gualtieri, Joseph P., Charlotte Fuller Eastman, 1996. Leary, Melody, autobiographical sketch, December 8, 2010. Novack, Frank, interview, Vivian F. Zoë, December 8, 2010. Scudder, Vida, Alice Van Vechten Brown (Obituary), Wellesley Alumnae Magazine, April 1950. Roscoe, Jean, interview, Vivian F. Zoë, December 16, 2010. Wilber, James Francis, interview, Vivian F. Zoë, December 14, 2010.
Night Visit by Melody Leary
Melody majored in painting in college and later taught herself printmaking. Of this mode, she states, “like art itself, printmaking is about discovery, experimentation and process. Ultimately, it is the process that draws me to the medium, figuring out what I want in an image and then creating the circumstances and processes to achieve that goal.” Leary credits Keith Howard as an important mentor and another influential individual in her continuing artistic development. In 1995, she participated in a master printmaking workshop with Howard in Peace River, Alberta, Canada. From Howard and his research, she learned of new materials, processes and techniques that replicated the look of traditional prints but were safer for artists and healthier for the environment. Embracing this new approach to printmaking and adopting contemporary “non-toxic” practices in her home studio, she did the same in her classroom studio at NAS. Melody loves to spend time at the family cottage on the Rhode Island shore. “I find being by the ocean calming and restorative. It provides the perfect backdrop for reflective meditation, drawing, or sitting back with a good book. If I hit a creative slump, a little beach time gets me back on track.” In addition to being a shameless collector of interesting “junk,” Melody also lists sewing, various types of needlework, cooking, and occasionally spending some time in the woodshop as hobbies. “It’s that whole thing about working with my hands and being able to create something beautiful. I started sewing for my dolls as a young child and then moved on to
99
View down from the mezzanine onto the hindquarters of the centaur (shown in the image at left) and new supports.
Conservator Bob Shure and son Michael assess the condition of a centaur.
Robert and Michael Shure of Caproni Studios reinforcing the casts of the centaurs from the Western Pediment of the Parthenon. As is so often the case with older equines, their bellies had begun to sag, causing vertical, circular cracks. Luckily the wall immediately behind them formed the perfect support for additional bracing. Many thanks to the Langrock Foundation for their continued support of our conservation efforts.
SERVICE CHANGE REQUESTED