April 22, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, please contact:

Janet Bucciarelli, SAMA-Ligonier Valley Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

Travis Mearns, Public Relations Coordinator

(724) 238-6015

SAMA EXHIBITION TO FEATURE WORKS BY PROMINENT NATIONAL ARTISTS GRIFFING, BUXTON AND FAGAN

            Ligonier – The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley is pleased to announce the opening of its latest exhibition, Portraits of the Eastern Frontier: Featuring Robert Griffing, John Buxton and Chas Fagan. The exhibition, on view May 10 through August 30, features more than 40 historical works by the three nationally-acclaimed, award-winning artists, each of whom have roots in the Western Pennsylvania region. Augmenting their works will be paintings and sculptures by three respected local artists – J.A. Cooper, Rita Haldeman, and Mark P. Seraly – bringing the total exhibition count to 63 works.

            A reception with the artists will be incorporated into the Museum’s seventh-annual Garden Party, to be held on Saturday, June 7. The event begins at 4 p.m. with a champagne reception in the Museum gallery. Guests then will proceed outside to the Museum lawn for a gourmet dinner catered by Vallozzi’s Restaurant in Greensburg, and a silent auction featuring a variety of antiques, collectibles, artwork, jewelry, garden accessories, and vacation packages. Tickets are $125 per person. For more information, please call the Museum at (724) 238-6015. The exhibition and reception are one of four Signature Events of the Ligonier 250 celebration.

            “The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art is proud to be part of the Ligonier 250 celebration, commemorating 250 years of Ligonier’s rich history,” said Janet Bucciarelli, SAMA-Ligonier Valley Coordinator and Exhibition Curator. “This exhibition illustrates and showcases the historical events in Ligonier’s past in a truly magnificent display, one that will impress and educate the viewer.

            “These immensely talented artists combine their knowledge of history with exceptional artistic and technical skill to produce meticulously detailed, well-researched compositions that not only delight the eye and capture the imagination, but are wonderfully narrative and serve as historically and socially significant records of a fascinating period in time. We not only see the world of the Eastern Woodland Indian and Colonel George Washington, but walk through the forests with them. It is a magical exhibition that brings history to life.”

Robert Griffing

             Robert Griffing’s original oil paintings and limited edition art prints are collected world-wide. His works are characterized not only by their artistic beauty, but also for their careful attention to historical accuracy, a trait which brought the artist the prestigious John Forbes Medal, presented by the Fort Pitt Association and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Griffing, who studied design and illustration at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, refined his keen sense of design and composition during a 30-year career as a commercial artist. Today, the artist’s primary focus is on painting Native Americans of the Great Lakes and eastern woodlands during America’s colonial period, portraying how they dealt with European contact. His passion for Native American culture was developed during his childhood growing up in Western Pennsylvania, when he would discover numerous Indian artifacts while exploring the outdoors.

            Griffing’s work is used extensively in educational packages and on numerous historical documentaries, as well as on the covers of national magazines. He recently was commissioned by the National Park Service to create two large paintings, depicting the opening moments of the Battle of Fort Necessity, to be included in a cyclorama at the new visitor center at the battlefield site. A thorough researcher, Griffing gains a feel for his subjects by participating in “living history” reenactments in which participants use only authentic gear and weapons. Griffing’s heartfelt depiction of Native life also has earned him the support of several Native American groups, many of which have shown his work in their museums and cultural centers.

            With a long and impressive list of awards and accolades already to his credit, Griffing recently received the Best Painting Award for “He Speaks of the Old Ways,” featured in the SAMA exhibition, at the 2006 Quest for the West Show, held at the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis. He regularly exhibits at all the Settlers West shows, including the Couer d’Alene art auction in Reno, Nev., the Western Visions show in Jackson Hole, Wyo., the Masters of the American West Show at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, the Texas Art Gallery Auction in Dallas, and the Charleston Art Auction in Charleston, S.C., sponsored by the Morris Whiteside Gallery. His first book, The Art of Robert Griffing, has sold over 12,000 copies worldwide. He recently released a second book, The Narrative Art of Robert Griffing: The Journey Continues, which is being lauded as a must-own for both art lovers and serious students of early American history.

John Buxton

             John Buxton is widely considered one of the nation’s foremost historical painters. His historical images of the 18^th century depict scenes from the birth of the nation, giving the viewer a unique opportunity to witness momentous events and experiences from life on the frontier. Respected for his talent as well as historical accuracy, Buxton’s works are regularly featured in educational materials and documentary programs. Like Griffing, Buxton also is a re-enactor, giving him a unique perspective for his paintings.

            Buxton was born and raised in North Carolina, though he now resides in Western Pennsylvania. For more than 30 years, he enjoyed a successful career as an illustrator, working in Detroit, Cleveland and Pittsburgh. His passion for research and historical accuracy was developed in 1983, while he worked on a project for the National Geographic Society. Buxton was captivated by the organization’s dedication to documentation and research, a fascination that would plant the seeds for a highly-successful fine arts career years later. During the mid-‘90s, Buxton began moving away from commercial art and toward subjects of more interest to him. His first historical painting, Along Laurel Ridge, was completed in 1994 and sold for $10,000.

            Buxton’s work regularly appears in exhibitions at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles; the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art in Indianapolis; Settlers West Galleries in Tucson, Ariz.; and the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa, Okla. Several museums and historical sites permanently display his extensively researched paintings, including the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, which keeps on display his only 19^th-century painting, an 8-foot standing portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

Chas Fagan 

            Chas Fagan has gained national prominence and recognition as an acclaimed portraitist, sculptor and painter. Considered one of the nation’s premier portrait artists, Fagan was commissioned to paint a complete set of Presidential portraits for C-SPAN’s 2001 Peabody Award-winning program, “American Presidents.” Fagan is a magna cum laude graduate of Yale University, where he received a degree in Russian and East European studies. A self-taught artist, he spent much of his childhood in Brussels, Belgium, where he was artistically influenced by the works of the great European masters. This interest in traditional art, coupled with his incomparable skill in form and color, fuels his distinctively elegant style. A native of Ligonier, Fagan currently resides in Charlotte, N.C.

            In recent years, he completed a life-size portrait of former First Lady, Barbara Bush, which hangs in the ground floor corridor of the White House. Former President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Bush were impressed with Fagan’s artistic prowess, saying “Chas Fagan is one of the most gifted individuals we have known. There is an inspired integrity in the way he approaches his crafts in each medium, and given his age it is only a question of time before he takes his rightful place as one of America’s leading artists. Count us as two of his most appreciative admirers.”

            The Bush portrait was only one in a long series of high-profile commissions, a list that also includes an eight-foot bronze sculpture of former President Bush for Houston’s Sesquicentennial Park and a 7-foot bronze sculpture of former President Ronald Reagan for the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Fagan’s work also can be seen locally, as his life-size bronze statue of Nathanael Greene stands in Greensburg’s St. Clair Park.

J.A. Cooper, Rita Haldeman, and Mark P. Seraly

            Ligonier artist J.A. Cooper is quickly developing a reputation as one of the region’s fastest-rising historical painters. Steeped in the tradition of the Flemish Realists, Cooper uses layers of glazing to create the glowing colors in her works. A single painting may take several months to complete. Despite her meticulous process, she already has amassed a large volume of work and has exhibited the last two years in the invitational, History Meets the Arts Festival in Gettysburg, the largest gathering of historical artists in the country. Despite her natural talent, art was an afterthought for the self-taught Cooper, a descendent of American author James Fenimore Cooper. She graduated from The Pennsylvania State University in 1998 with a master’s degree in genetics. After a couple of years working in the medical research field, she changed directions and started a business painting toy soldiers. Cooper now focuses on painting military and historical subjects, as well as portrait commissions. She recently was commissioned by the Ligonier 250 committee to create a poster commemorating the 250^th anniversary of the French and Indian War. Cooper has won several People’s Choice Awards at exhibitions at the Greensburg Art Club and in the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council on the Art’s 11^th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition at SAMA-Ligonier Valley.

            A lifelong resident of Western Pennsylvania, Rita Haldeman has been painting since childhood. After receiving an art degree from The Pennsylvania State University, she did graduate studies at the Vermont Studio School, and also studied at the Cape School of Art in Cape Cod. Having a strong interest in the environment, she also attended the Artists for the Environment Program at the Delaware Water Gap. Haldeman has a long list of awards to her credit, including winning First Prize in the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh. She also won first prize in the St. Vincent Monastery Run Competition, and won the Landscape Award in the 2005 Arts for the Parks exhibition in Jackson Hole, Wyo. She also was selected to paint the first Loyalhanna Watershed Association limited edition print. In addition to being a prolific artist, Haldeman has strong teaching credentials, and is currently a directory artist with SAMA and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) for the Artist-in-Residence program.

            Pittsburgh artist Mark P. Seraly has gained notoriety for his historical bronze sculptures. He began dabbling in the medium a little more than ten years ago, but his hobby has quickly turned into a second career, with his works having been rapidly accepted into numerous public, private and corporate collections. As a child, Seraly had an opportunity to visit Italy, where he was able to witness monumental works such as Michelangelo’s Pieta and Bernini’s Fontana del Tritone in Rome. A doctor, Seraly considers those visits, along with his background in human anatomy, to be not only a guiding force, but an invaluable tool in his sculptural endeavors. The artist’s current focus is on researching projects on the Eastern frontier tribes, a body of work that has been virtually untouched in bronze. Seraly’s goal is to capture the Native American people, their customs and traditions in a realistic and historically accurate manner. His work is cast at Coopermill Bronze Foundry in Zanesville, Ohio, one of the country’s premier bronze foundries. Each piece is cast using the lost wax technique.           

            This year, Ligonier is marking the 250^th anniversary of the French and Indian War, with its celebration, “The Fort – The Town – The Valley.” The year-long commemoration provides an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to discover the town’s beginnings, its important place in history, and all that has happened since. Chaired by Charles A. Fagan, III, the committee has planned four signature events aimed at celebrating the area’s rich heritage and history. Beginning with the Portraits of the Eastern Frontier exhibition, Ligonier also will boast the American Eagle Outfitters Tour of Pennsylvania bike race on June 27-28, a national encampment of the Brigade of the American Revolution at Fort Ligonier on August 16-17, and the 48^th annual Fort Ligonier Days on October 10-12. A lecture series will commence in the fall. SAMA’s Portraits of the Eastern Frontier exhibition was supported in part by a grant from the Ligonier 250 Committee.

            The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley is located at One Boucher Lane and Route 711 South in Ligonier. Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1 to 5 p.m. weekends. The Museum is a handicapped-accessible facility and is open to the public free of charge. For more information, call the Museum or visit www.sama-art.org.