This weekend I attended the show and auction of Greg Weaver artwork at the Penn State Campus in Center Valley. Although the show was very well done, I didn't stay long. Although the bidding was high, none of the money will benefit Greg or his wife, who have both passed away. Greg and I were friends in the 70's. He would frequent my photo shop, and I would enjoy his loft parties. Greg's loft moved from one low rent location to another over the years. It's fair to say that he made virtually nothing from the art that people were bidding against each other for this past Friday night. Those now benefiting from his mystique, an artist who went blind and continued producing art until he died young, hope to establish an alternative museum for local artists. I would like to see a permanent Weaver collection and designated room at the Allentown Art Museum.
His work and his legacy certainly deserve to live on.
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteThe world is a cruel place. The longer we live the more apparent this truism becomes. We should be thankful your friend chose to create some beauty in the face of such facts. Perhaps one or several buyers will in time choose to donate their purchases to the Allentown Art Museum so that future generations may enjoy his work.
Scott Armstrong
scott@6:37, the art museum, not unlike the allentown park department, keeps conducting national searches and comes up with migrant directors who seem to travel from one city to the next, with no feel what so ever, for local artists or local park features. the organizers of the weaver show believe that an alternative museum would give past and present local artists the exposure they deserve. i favor a local arts gallery within the allentown art museum, which would be funded and manned full time. if the art museum board was so inclined, weaver pieces would be available. these boards are not easy to influence. so far i have not managed to get the trexler trust to insist that allentown maintain the wpa structures
ReplyDeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteLocal might be OK for beer or produce but for heaven's sake not Art!
Scott Armstrong
scott@7:36, local certainly would be good for the park department. as for the art museum, i find these national searches far over rated. one city after another is too anxious to give a good recommendation and pass their bad decision on to another. i would think that in the tri-state region, especially being so close to nyc, a good museum director could be found who might also have an interest in local artists. we now have a local historical society that has one show after another on abraham lincoln, while all the expertise on our past disappears and dies off.
ReplyDelete