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JANUARY 2008

Spartan Natives Bring
Art Exhibition to New Museum

Growing up in Spartanburg, South Carolina during the 1950s and 60s presented challenges for those who were interested in the Arts. There were few, if any, venues for residents to enjoy the beauty and thrill of seeing original artwork on a regular basis. For those who were unable to adventure away from the area, the school system became the provider for introducing art to its students.

The current exhibition at the Spartanburg Art Museum (SAM), Leon Makielski, American Impressionist, is a “gift” from two former Spartans who believe that art should be made available to all people. Janice Elder and her husband Larry, current residents of Charlotte, have worked closely with the staff at the new Spartanburg Art Museum to bring a body of historic paintings to their hometown. “Janice and I feel that this exhibition allows us to give back to the community who helped foster a love for art and music in our lives as young students growing up in Spartanburg” says Larry Elder, curator of the exhibition and owner of Elder Gallery in Charlotte.

The exhibition consists of forty paintings and drawings from the collection of an American artist who achieved international success over the course of his lifetime. Leon Makielski was born in Morris Run, Pennsylvania and grew up in South Bend, Indiana as one of thirteen children of Polish immigrants. With the financial support of J.M. Studebaker in South Bend, Makielski was able to work his way through the Chicago Art Institute where he was awarded their prestigious John Quincy Adams Traveling Scholarship to study in Paris from 1909 through 1913. He was part of the second wave of American painters to study with the French Impressionists in Paris and Giverny where Monet and his fellow artists introduced the world to a new style of painting.

Visitors to the museum will get a glimpse of life in Europe during the early years of the 1900s as well as life in the United States from 1913 through the 1950s. In addition to the paintings and drawings visitors will see original letters from the artist’s friend, American poet, Robert Frost. In the letters the poet inquires about a Makielski painting which he had purchased from the artist. Of other historic significance is Portrait of Penelope Peterson which hung in Le Salon 1911 in Paris.

The exhibition opens to the public on January 22nd and will run through March 23, 2008. Spartanburg Art Museum is located in the Chapman Cultural Center at 200 East St. John Street, Spartanburg, SC 29306.