Fralin Catalog (6-21-23) - Flipbook - Page 11
50 Arts Inspiration Award” honorees by the Virginia Commission for
the Arts in 2017, for significant art contributions to their communities
and influence in creating a sustainable environment for artists and arts
organizations throughout the Commonwealth.
As we enjoy the magnificent works featured in Treasures of American
Art, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to those who helped make
this exhibition possible:
Debra Force, owner of Debra Force Fine Art, Inc., whose expert
guidance and advice were important, not only in helping the Fralins
grow this phenomenal collection over the years, but also in helping
us present this exhibition in a way that best showcases the depth and
breadth of the collection in its entirety.
Dr. Karl Willers, the Taubman Museum’s Chief Curator and Deputy
Director of Collections and Exhibitions; the Museum’s staff across
departments who together have worked tirelessly on every phase
of this project; and Museum volunteers whose services always help
make exhibitions such as this possible.
Student interns from our institutional partners Hollins University,
Radford University, Roanoke College, and Virginia Tech, who
provided key exhibition support to the Taubman team, while gaining
invaluable on-the-job museum experience.
The Taubman Museum of Art’s Board of Trustees, whose leadership
makes it possible to present exhibitions of this caliber.
And, of course, we are especially grateful to Cynthia and Heywood
Fralin, not only for generously sharing their collection with us, but also
for all they have done and continue to do to make Virginia a leading
arts and cultural destination, and for helping make the Taubman
Museum of Art a world-class, award-winning destination for art lovers
throughout Southwest Virginia and beyond. Although Robert Henri’s
book The Art Spirit was originally published nearly a century ago, I think
if Henri were alive today, he would observe that the following passage
from his book describes the Fralins with striking accuracy:
When the artist is alive in any person, whatever his kind of work may be, he
becomes an inventive, searching, daring, self-expressive creature. He becomes
interesting to other people. He disturbs, upsets, enlightens, and opens ways
for better understanding. Where those who are not artists are trying to
close the book, he opens it and shows there are still more pages possible.
— Robert Henri (1923)
Thank you, Cynthia and Heywood, for always providing more pages
to the story. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds.
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