Bucks
Baum Remembered
Dear friends,
Good morning. “It’s the most responsive committee that I’ve worked on in years,” Kathleen O’Dea began. She was referring to the “Walter E. Baum, Remembered” committee, which worked for a year to create the Quakertown Community Education Foundation’s program on May 30.
O’Dea is a fine arts consultant who helped restore the eight Baum paintings which the Quakertown school district has owned for at least four decades. She told me that the Alderfer auction house believes that the paintings could be worth nearly $300,000.
The public is in for a treat.
John Detweiler is a member of the Quakertown Community Education Foundation Board. “In addition to the eight Baum paintings, art students will be displaying their talents,” he said. “The students will act as docents [guides] for the show,” Detweiler added.
He praised O’Dea for her contribution. “Kathy [O’Dea] really made this project work,” Detweiler continued. “She brought it all together.”
“Lynn Kraft has led the school’s art program for years,” Detweiler said. “His students have created paintings in the Walter Baum style.”
Kraft has also designed a model of a permanent exhibit space for the eight Baum paintings. Hopefully, the school board will implement his suggestions.
O’Dea sang the praises of Evelyn Gerhart who chairs the Baum Committee. During our chat on May 16, we talked about the Quakertown school board as it deliberated over the choice of the next superintendent. “Put Evelyn [Gerhart] in the superintendent’s job,” O’Dea quipped.
Huzzah!
Gerhart is one of my favorite people and her telephone voice is legendary. She graduated from QHS in June of 1968 and became (then) Superintendent Richard Strayer’s secretary the very next day! She retired as the superintendent’s assistant after nearly 40 years. Gerhart’s seen five superintendents come and go.
She has a keen memory of one of the Baum paintings, “Conversation.” It was donated in memory of P.F.C. Gary Holland, QHS class of 1963, who was killed in Vietnam in 1968. “I remember this painting vividly,” Gerhart told me. “It hung at the information desk.
“The Walter Baum traveling art gallery was a big hit when I was in school,” Gerhart continued. “He was instrumental in creating the traveling art gallery. It moved from school to school.” Gerhart reminded me that each of the Baum paintings has a unique story attached to it.
Evelyn Gerhart is a very inclusive person and praised her committee: Fran Corl, Mike Clisham, Detweiler, Eric Gozzard, Tom Klee, Kraft, Bob Leight, Jim Newcomer, O’Dea, and Sue Quinque.
The Foundation is delighted that Dr. Martha Saxton will speak at the affair. She is a noted art historian and author of a book about Baum. Saxton and O’Dea will interact with students and teachers throughout the day.
The event promises to attract heavy hitters from the art world. I expect to see leaders from the Allentown Art Museum, the Baum School of Art, the Berman Museum, and the Michener Museum.
Detweiler told me that the public can buy reproductions of the eight Baum paintings. To the untrained eye, the giclees look like originals and range in price from $100 to $400. Packs of Baum paintings’ note cards are cheaper…just $15.
He spoke about our mutual friend, J. Lawrence Grim, Jr. who is a grandson of Walter Baum. The Grim law firm was one of the contributors that made the restoration and refurbishing of the eight Baum paintings possible. Like Grim, Detweiler played a key role in putting the project together.
“What are your and Larry’s [Grim] assignments at the May 30 exhibit,” I asked?
“We’ll just hold hands and stay out of the way,” Detweiler laughed in response.
Mighty Betsy and I encourage you to
attend the free exhibit and lecture about Upper Bucks County’s most famous painter.
The salute to the Sellersville artist begins at
Sincerely,
Charles Meredith
P.S. Next week, I’ll tell you about Ezra Billinkoff, the Ottsville resident who just graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. A graduate of the Solebury School ‘03, Ezra was one of Penn’s Four Honor Men of 2007. Bravo Ezra!