When St. Paul’s students returned to school this fall, their art gallery had returned, too. Heading toward the second term, a new exhibit will be opening in the renovated space.
Two years after the St. Paul’s School art gallery closed in Hargate, a new gallery reopened in September in a new space called the Crumpacker Gallery.
The move brings the gallery from the middle of campus to an area in close proximity to the other arts programs, adjacent to New Space theater and the music and dance buildings, as well as newly renovated art classrooms and studios. The gallery space was formerly the Freeman Student Center and Tuck Shop.
The first show in the new space celebrated Thomas Barrett, a faculty member who founded the school’s arts program, and his wife, Leni Mancuso Barrett, who was a fellow arts teacher. The show featured 50 of their pieces curated by their son, painter Kedron Barrett, who is an alumnus of the school.
“It is a nice tribute to him and his family,” said Crumpacker Director Colin Callahan.
The next exhibit, opening Jan. 11, will feature the work of David Petersen, a comic book creator known for Mouse Guard. It will be on display through Feb. 23.
The Crumpacker Gallery is divided into split levels, which comes in useful for showing process, said Callahan. For the Petersen show, the first level will be a display of his high school comics and the second level will be Mouse Guard illustrations.
“It’s truly a teaching gallery,” Callahan said. The set up allows students to see behind the scenes.
The works included in this show will explore Petersen’s evolution from an art student to a professional illustrator and author. In addition to creating the award-winning comic book series Mouse Guard, he is also the co-creator of The Plotmasters Project, where he revisits and revises old projects with fellow artist Jesse Glenn.
Most of the exhibits connect to a subject in the academic program and Callahan said they try to have ones where the artist will come to visit or work in residence.
With Petersen’s exhibit, the sophomores will be doing a class on graphic novels.
Also housed below the Crumpacker Gallery are two classrooms and a storage area for the school’s art collection, which an upcoming curatorial class will be working on. The class will be coming up with a plan to display and rotate pieces throughout the school.
During shows, the gallery is open to the public Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Wednesday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to noon. Parking is available outside Memorial Hall or the nearby athletic fields. It is recommended you call ahead to be assured the gallery is open and not being used for a private gathering.
For more information, visit sps.edu or call 229-4644.