When Susan Marteney worked for the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center in the 1980s, a collection of artwork arrived that turned out to be the most difficult installation of her tenure.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Artist Kim Waale of Manlius describes the concept behind her work at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center show titled “Sculpture: Carved, Cast, and Constructed” to Cazenovia 3D design and sculpture students.
Artist Kim Waale of Manlius describes the concept behind her work at the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center show titled “Sculpture: Carved, Cast, and Constructed” to Cazenovia 3D design and sculpture students.
The installation, which came in huge crates, included ceramic pieces created by artists from former Iron Curtain countries. The larger works had to be assembled, but there were neither instructions nor photos, and no one could find the collection's curator.
“One piece we could never get together,” Marteney, the former associate director of the Schweinfurth, recalled with a laugh.
Though employees never assembled that one work, few will dispute that as a whole, the Schweinfurth has its act together. The center, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, continues to gain recognition for its programming on regional, national and even international levels.
Those who worked with and for the Schweinfurth over the years remain encouraged by its professional presence and the quality of its events, particularly given its location in a small city.
“You could travel many, many miles in all directions before you'd find a center that is as receptive as the (Schweinfurth) is to people, artists and ideas,” said board member Genie Barnes, who has worked with the center's quilt show since the beginning.
The center, which displays exhibits of regional artists and offers educational classes and lectures, was the brainchild of Julius Schweinfurth (1858-1931), a nationally renowned architect who never forgot his roots.
Schweinfurth's will contained instructions for creating a place for the exhibition and study of art in Auburn, his hometown. After his trust fund's principal reached $1 million, the center was incorporated.
It opened to the public in 1981.
“I can only surmise that he had fond feelings about his hometown and had this idea to leave a legacy,” said Schweinfurth Executive Director Donna Lamb.
In its first year, the center attracted just under 3,000 visitors, according to Carol Contiguglia, who was president of the center's board of trustees in the mid-1980s. That has since grown to approximately 21,000 a year, Lamb said. The number of members has also increased from 300 to 433.
“It's mature now,” said Marteney, who helped develop much of the center's educational programming. “It was very much a fledgling organization at the time (it started), and now I think it's very vital.”
One of the Schweinfurth's most popular events, the annual Quilts=Arts=Quilts, a juried show that has been around as long as the center, has been through substantial changes itself.
In its first few years, the show consisted of entrants from no further than 300 miles away, said Barnes, a professional quiltmaker.
Now, the show receives submissions from people from all over the United States, as well as Canada, Europe and Asia.
“Quilts have been used for centuries as women's voices, and now more than ever,” Barnes said, noting that she has seen the introduction of quilts with more contemporary themes, such as the Iraq war and abortion.
Yet though much about the Schweinfurth has changed in the last quarter-century, many programs - and the central mission of the center - have stayed the same.
“One of the things that Julius specified in his will is that he wanted it to be a facility that provided encouragement to artists and to people who wanted to make the arts their profession in some way,” Lamb said.
In that respect, the center has continued to focus on showing the work of regional artists, thereby giving local residents an opportunity to see the rich culture available here.
This also gives artists the chance to show their work in a professional, well-respected arena, Lamb said. That can help them with their careers.
Artist Kim Waale, of Manlius, has three pieces displayed in the most recent exhibition, “Sculpture: Carved, Cast & Constructed.” It is the second time she has been included in a Schweinfurth show.
Waale is impressed with the space the center offers - one large gallery with several smaller ones - and likes that she can display several pieces at once.
“You often end up showing pieces individually,” she said, “and people don't really get a sense for how your work fits together.”
The exhibitions are also beneficial because artists can receive feedback on their work, an essential part of the creative process, Waale added.
One of center's main goals from the outset has been its focus on a broad range of art.
“We deliberately try to come up with diverse exhibitions that can appeal to a wide variety of people,” Lamb said.
Exhibits, which are shown for eight weeks, are planned three years in advance. They vary from contemporary to traditional, and the three full-time staffers also like to find artistic works that will be interesting for their local significance.
To Barnes, the incorporation of other types of arts, such as quilting, dance and music, has been a welcome occurrence.
“I believe the (center's) function to the community is to serve as a tool to expose people in the area to what good fine arts can be, what good craft arts can be,” Barnes said, noting that the exhibits offer children a chance to engage in thought-provoking activities.
Such opportunities are not usually available in a community the size of Auburn, said Contiguglia, who is serving as a guest curator for an upcoming exhibition.
“It's very unusual for a population of 30,000-plus to have any kind of arts center of this caliber,” she added.
Local artists can display their works in smaller galleries, but they usually do not have as professional an appearance, Lamb said.
And bigger metropolitan galleries tend to focus on more well-known artists. (She noted with a smile that some people say the Schweinfurth feels akin to a New York City gallery.)
“We're doing things here they'd have to travel for if we weren't here,” she said.
In the next few years, Lamb wants the center to add more art classes, and she is also in the process of making technical and environmental upgrades so that the facility can take on traveling exhibits of well-known artists.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
“One piece we could never get together,” Marteney, the former associate director of the Schweinfurth, recalled with a laugh.
Though employees never assembled that one work, few will dispute that as a whole, the Schweinfurth has its act together. The center, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, continues to gain recognition for its programming on regional, national and even international levels.
Those who worked with and for the Schweinfurth over the years remain encouraged by its professional presence and the quality of its events, particularly given its location in a small city.
“You could travel many, many miles in all directions before you'd find a center that is as receptive as the (Schweinfurth) is to people, artists and ideas,” said board member Genie Barnes, who has worked with the center's quilt show since the beginning.
The center, which displays exhibits of regional artists and offers educational classes and lectures, was the brainchild of Julius Schweinfurth (1858-1931), a nationally renowned architect who never forgot his roots.
Schweinfurth's will contained instructions for creating a place for the exhibition and study of art in Auburn, his hometown. After his trust fund's principal reached $1 million, the center was incorporated.
It opened to the public in 1981.
“I can only surmise that he had fond feelings about his hometown and had this idea to leave a legacy,” said Schweinfurth Executive Director Donna Lamb.
In its first year, the center attracted just under 3,000 visitors, according to Carol Contiguglia, who was president of the center's board of trustees in the mid-1980s. That has since grown to approximately 21,000 a year, Lamb said. The number of members has also increased from 300 to 433.
“It's mature now,” said Marteney, who helped develop much of the center's educational programming. “It was very much a fledgling organization at the time (it started), and now I think it's very vital.”
One of the Schweinfurth's most popular events, the annual Quilts=Arts=Quilts, a juried show that has been around as long as the center, has been through substantial changes itself.
In its first few years, the show consisted of entrants from no further than 300 miles away, said Barnes, a professional quiltmaker.
Now, the show receives submissions from people from all over the United States, as well as Canada, Europe and Asia.
“Quilts have been used for centuries as women's voices, and now more than ever,” Barnes said, noting that she has seen the introduction of quilts with more contemporary themes, such as the Iraq war and abortion.
Yet though much about the Schweinfurth has changed in the last quarter-century, many programs - and the central mission of the center - have stayed the same.
“One of the things that Julius specified in his will is that he wanted it to be a facility that provided encouragement to artists and to people who wanted to make the arts their profession in some way,” Lamb said.
In that respect, the center has continued to focus on showing the work of regional artists, thereby giving local residents an opportunity to see the rich culture available here.
This also gives artists the chance to show their work in a professional, well-respected arena, Lamb said. That can help them with their careers.
Artist Kim Waale, of Manlius, has three pieces displayed in the most recent exhibition, “Sculpture: Carved, Cast & Constructed.” It is the second time she has been included in a Schweinfurth show.
Waale is impressed with the space the center offers - one large gallery with several smaller ones - and likes that she can display several pieces at once.
“You often end up showing pieces individually,” she said, “and people don't really get a sense for how your work fits together.”
The exhibitions are also beneficial because artists can receive feedback on their work, an essential part of the creative process, Waale added.
One of center's main goals from the outset has been its focus on a broad range of art.
“We deliberately try to come up with diverse exhibitions that can appeal to a wide variety of people,” Lamb said.
Exhibits, which are shown for eight weeks, are planned three years in advance. They vary from contemporary to traditional, and the three full-time staffers also like to find artistic works that will be interesting for their local significance.
To Barnes, the incorporation of other types of arts, such as quilting, dance and music, has been a welcome occurrence.
“I believe the (center's) function to the community is to serve as a tool to expose people in the area to what good fine arts can be, what good craft arts can be,” Barnes said, noting that the exhibits offer children a chance to engage in thought-provoking activities.
Such opportunities are not usually available in a community the size of Auburn, said Contiguglia, who is serving as a guest curator for an upcoming exhibition.
“It's very unusual for a population of 30,000-plus to have any kind of arts center of this caliber,” she added.
Local artists can display their works in smaller galleries, but they usually do not have as professional an appearance, Lamb said.
And bigger metropolitan galleries tend to focus on more well-known artists. (She noted with a smile that some people say the Schweinfurth feels akin to a New York City gallery.)
“We're doing things here they'd have to travel for if we weren't here,” she said.
In the next few years, Lamb wants the center to add more art classes, and she is also in the process of making technical and environmental upgrades so that the facility can take on traveling exhibits of well-known artists.
Staff writer Linda Ober can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 237 or linda.ober@lee.net
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