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A Collective Endeavor: Three Decades of Acquisitions
September 16, 2006 through March 25, 2007

Krieble Gallery

Visit the Calendar for related programs.

A Collective Endeavor: Three Decades of Acquisitions was organized in conjunction with the thirtieth anniversary of Jeffrey Andersen’s tenure as the Museum’s director, the exhibition features forty-five carefully selected paintings and objects that educate visitors on what the Museum collects and the process it uses to acquire objects and works of art.

From historical artifacts that tell the story of Lyme’s past to treasured paintings of the Old Lyme School to the magnificent gift of the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection, this exhibition portrays the breadth and diversity of the Museum’s holdings in an entirely new manner.  The philosophy and reasoning behind some of the acquisitions may come as a surprise to visitors.  A Collective Endeavor also highlights several examples of promising new directions of collecting at the Florence Griswold Museum. The exhibition is co-curated by trustees and longtime Collections Committee members Charles T. Clark and Hedy Korst with research assistance by Caroline Zinsser. 

Autograph Album of Reverend William B. Cary (1841-1923)
Inscribed by the Griswold sisters, 1876
Ink on paper
Museum purchase with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. David W. Dangremond 2005
William Brackett Cary, minister of the Old Lyme Congregational Church from 1876 to 1884, purchased this autograph book during a trip to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876. The Griswold family was closely associated with Cary’s church; Louise, the oldest daughter of Robert and Helen Griswold, was the church organist. Miss Florence Griswold’s inscription includes adrawing of a harp, an instrument she was known to have played.

William Chadwick (1879-1962)
Tropical Harbor, undated
Oil on canvas
Gift of Elizabeth Chadwick O’Connell 1984
The landscape and figurative painter William Chadwick spent summers in Old Lyme from 1902 to 1910, and became a permanent resident in 1915. Elizabeth Chadwick O’Connell, the artist’s daughter, was an important and early benefactor of the Museum. Tropical Harbor was one of three paintings she gave to the Museum in 1984. The family moved Chadwick’s Old Lyme studio to the grounds of the Museum in 1992.

Walker Evans (1903-1975)
Brookfield Center, CT, circa 1965-1975
Photograph on paper
Gift of the Walker Evans Estate 1981
It was during Evans’ years in Lyme that he captured the brightly-lit street signs juxtaposed against the dim façade of a Greek Revival church in Brookfield, in the western part of the state. Evans was fascinated by signs, and recorded them throughout his long career.

CoMments from the Director

Museums are special places with the power to inspire and even transform people’s lives.  A large measure of how this is done revolves around the breadth and quality of a museum’s collection.  Over the past thirty years I have had the privilege of working with teams of colleagues, trustees, collectors, and donors to strengthen the impact of this Museum’s collection on the thousands who visit each year.  Apart from the occasional heartbreak of a missed opportunity, the process is a joyous one.  It is, truly, a collective endeavor that relies on many working toward common goals. 
Andersen with group in the Krieble Gallery

Much of what the Museum has achieved during this period stems from the dedication of its former curators, whose names and dates of service are listed:  Bonnie MacAdam (1978-1983) , Debbie Fillos (1983-1996), Jack Becker (1996-2001), Amy Ellis (2002-2003), and Emily Florentino (2003-2004).  Each contributed keen judgment and careful scholarship toward the growth of the collection.  Many times a seed of a possible gift that is planted by one curator finds fruition under his or her successors.  Our curators have always worked closely with the Museum’s Collections Committee, a standing committee of the Board of Trustees that is charged with oversight of the collection.  Its members are passionate and knowledgeable about the collection and eager to support the acquisition and interpretation of works of art and historical artifacts that will further the Museum’s mission.  Until recently, the Museum had scant funds for acquisitions.  As a result, it has relied almost entirely on the generosity of collectors, members, and an interested public in adding to its collection.  Over the years the Museum has developed a close relationship with many of the descendants of the artists associated with the Lyme Art Colony.  In addition to the pleasure of their friendship, descendants have made significant gifts of works of art and related archival materials.  A Collective Endeavor includes important examples from each of these areas but by no means all of them.  There are literally hundreds of worthy gifts that could not be included in this exhibition.  The Museum is grateful to all of its donors for contributing to the richness of the collection.

Harry Hoffman (1871-1964) A Mood of Spring, circa 1914 Oil on canvas Gift of Mrs. John Hoffman and Family 2003 Harry Hoffman was born in Pennsylvania and studied at the Yale University School of Art and the Art Students League. He pursued further study at the Académie Julian in Paris, where he met Everett Warner, who would, like Hoffman, become a frequent participant in the Lyme Art Colony. A Mood of Spring won a Gold Medal at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco in 1915, competing against hundreds of other American artists (the painting, the medal, and the exhibition catalogue were given to the Museum by Margaret Hoffman, the artist’s daughter-in-law, and her family).

I hope you enjoy this opportunity to explore what this Museum has collected over the past thirty years.  The process is, of course, far from complete.  As we look ahead with vigor to add depth and new dimensions to the collection, we intend to address our increasing responsibility to care for a growing collection.  Like many museums, there are works of art here that languish in storage because of inadequate funds for conservation and framing.  In response to this need, the Museum’s Board of Trustees recently initiated the formation of the Wilson Wilde Art Conservation Fund.  Named for a visionary leader who founded the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection, this fund will contribute to the stewardship of the Museum’s art collection in perpetuity.   
Jeffrey Andersen
Director

Jennie Stark (1901-2003) Rug, 1998 Wool Gift of Artist 1999 Jennie Stark, a resident of Lyme, was a schoolteacher for over forty years. She began making colorful hooked rugs in the 1930s. A friend of several members of the Lyme Art Colony, and a neighbor of the painters Oscar Fehrer, Robert Vonnoh, and Eugene Higgins, Miss Stark made over 150 rugs during her life, contributing to a long tradition of craftsmanship that dates to the earliest days of the region.

Collecting at the Florence Griswold Museum               

The Florence Griswold Museum is dedicated to “promoting the understanding of Connecticut’s contribution to American art, with emphasis on the art, history, and landscape of the Lyme region.” Since the 1960s, the Florence Griswold Museum has distinguished itself as an active collecting institution as a means of fulfilling this mission.  But what should the Museum collect?  And how does it go about acquiring works for its permanent collection? 

Ivan Olinsky (1878-1962) Red-Headed Woman, circa 1918 Oil on canvas Gift of Leonore O. Miller, John L. Miller, and Richard H. Miller, the daughter and grandsons of the artist 1999 Ivan Olinsky was born in the Ukraine and came to the U. S. in 1890. He studied at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League in New York, later becoming a member of the faculty at both institutions. From 1900 to 1908 he assisted artist John La Farge in the design of stained glass and murals. The artist and his family rented a house in Lyme in 1917, and the following year built a house and studio nearby. Around 1925, when working on commissions at Loomis Institute in Windsor, Connecticut, Olinsky painted a portrait of sculptor Evelyn Beatrice Longman Batchelder (its present whereabouts is unknown). In a nice bit of creative tit-for-tat, Batchelder followed suit by completing the bust of Olinsky on display in this gallery.

In addition to the professional knowledge and vision of the Museum’s director and curator, we are fortunate to benefit from an active Collections Committee of trustees and advisors who have expertise and a particular interest in the collections.  Their role in this “collective endeavor” is to review proposed acquisitions for the permanent collection, whether by gift or purchase.  The committee is also responsible for the occasional deaccessioning of items within the collection, and for overseeing the management policies that pertain to the registration, care, and loan of the collection.  At its quarterly meetings, the Collections Committee carefully considers each object or work of art on its individual merits and relevance to our collecting mission, guided by a set of written criteria and informed by background information provided by the professional staff.  Lively discussions surround the following questions: is this object or work of art consistent with the Museum’s goals?  Is it of high quality?  What is its condition? Is the object suitable for exhibition or more likely to serve principally for study and reference?  Does it have educational value?  How will it add depth to the Museum’s collections? Decisions are based upon majority vote by those members present.

Since its founding, the Museum has had limited funds for the purchase of works for the permanent collection. As part of our recent capital campaign, Robert and Nancy Krieble gave $1 million to the Acquisitions Fund, greatly increasing the Museum’s ability to pursue acquisitions in all areas as the market for American Impressionism continues to soar.

Gifts to a collection have the singular power to transform a museum.  For a prime example, we need look no further than Hartford Steam Boiler’s magnificent gift in 2001 of 190 paintings, prints, and sculptures by American artists associated with Connecticut from the 18th through the 20th centuries.  With a heightened sense of responsibility, the Board of Trustees embraced this thrilling opportunity by devoting significant resources – both financial and staff – to the care and public access of this collection.  A Collective Endeavor is a perfect illustration of how this new collection complements and enhances the Museum’s earlier holdings.

Judy Cotton (b. 1941 )Rower, 1998 Encaustic and oil on paper Acquisition Fund Purchase 2004 Born in Australia, Judy Cotton studied at Sydney University, East Sydney Technical College, Victoria University (New Zealand), and the Institute of Fine Arts in New York City.  She has exhibited internationally and her work is represented in a number of public collections, notably the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Australia, and the Phillips Collection.A resident of New York City and Lyme, her recent, representational work is inspired by nature. Her “Rower,” “Boat,” and “Swimmer” series derive from an interest in water and in particular by the life near the Connecticut River. She works primarily in encaustic, a method where pigment is mixed with beeswax or resin and applied with heat.

Thanks to the extraordinary generosity of its donors, the Florence Griswold Museum can look to the future of its collections with optimism.  But what will this institution collect in the years ahead?  There are two directions currently being considered: one is to further enhance the Hartford Steam Boiler Collection by collecting additional works by those historical artists represented in this collection and by adding works by Connecticut artists not yet represented.  Secondly, with the recognition that our collection is not strong in either modern or contemporary art, we have begun to look for opportunities to add the work of more recent artists who have made significant contributions to the arts in this state.  A Collective Endeavor highlights several examples of these promising new directions in collecting.  

David W. Dangremond
Collections Committee Chair

Unknown Maker Continuous-arm Windsor Chair, circa 1790-1805 Vicinity of Norwich, ConnecticutWood Gift of Mr. and Mrs. George B. Tatum 1976 The Florence Griswold Museum has been given a number of important decorative arts from southeastern Connecticut, a prime example of which is this continuous-arm Windsor chair from the late 1700s or early 1800s.Windsor chairs were very popular in America in the last half of the eighteenth century. They are distinguished by a wood plank seat that supports a back and legs; variations of style and construction technique place this example from the vicinity of Norwich. It is unusual for having a continuous bow-arm, braces, and a comb. Windsor chairs were based upon English precedents and their strong sculptural qualities are amply displayed in this example.  Mr. Tatum inherited the chair, which according to family legend may have been purchased in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, during the early 1900s. He and his wife, Alma, gave this chair and four others to the Museum in 1976.  From 1978 to 1983, Mr. Tatum served as President of the Museum’s Board of Trustees.

Thomas Watson Ball (1863-1934) Chinese Twilight Oil on canvas Gift of the Trustees and Director in Honor of Tony and Sandy Thurston For their Lasting Devotion to the Museum 2002 With the help of many, Chinese Twilight, a fantasy nocturne of a Chinese junk seen through a decorative screen of lanterns, has been transformed from a tag sale find to a prized exhibition picture.  This painting had suffered years of neglect and was found at a Hartford area tag sale by a private party shortly before it was offered for sale to the Museum.  Recognizing its close relation to Ball’s painting of the same title and subject in the dining room of the Florence Griswold House, the Museum purchased the painting.  Curatorial staff worked with conservators and framers to bring it back to its original condition.  Trustee (and American art dealer) Jeff Cooley donated a period appropriate frame that framer Eil Wilner was able to refit to this picture, again as a donation to the Museum.  The entire project, both the acquisition cost and the conservation, was funded with gifts from the trustees in honor of Tony Thurston’s service as the Museum’s President from 1997 to 2003 and Sandy Thurston’s volunteer leadership here. Thomas Watson Ball was a New York painter and muralist who studied at the Art Students League with James Carroll Beckwith, H. Siddons Mowbray, and Frank Vincent DuMond, the latter of whom may have introduced him to Old Lyme.   Ball lived in Old Lyme from the 1920s to his death in 1934 and was active in the Lyme Art Association.

Abigail Marvin (d. 1782) Gentleman’s Purse, 1767 Lyme, Connecticut Bargello embroidery in wool with silver claspClasp inscribed “Marshfield Parsons, 1767” Gift of the Estate of David Parsons Samson, Jr. 1997 Abigail Marvin, who embroidered this rare needlework purse, was the second of four wives of Marshfield Parish (1733-1815). Parish ran a tavern located near the Congregational Church, was a selectman, and was one of the signers of the commission papers listing the men who marched from Lyme to Boston in 1775. The purse descended in Parsons’ family. It was a cherished heirloom, and included within an unsigned note that claimed that Abigail Marvin carded, spun, and dyed the wool used in its making. Although such purses are not uncommon, this is the only one currently known from this region.  The term “bargello” is derived from the Bargello Palace in Florence, Italy.