Two art exhibitions exhibiting works from the collection of Mary Margaret Stewart (1931-2021) continue on the Gettysburg College campus.
Stewart was a professor of English at the college from 1959 until she retired in 1996. Stewart passed away in 2021, leaving her sizeable art collection of 187 two-dimensional artworks and 23 pieces of sculpture and ceramics to Gettysburg College’s Fine Arts Collection and Musselman Library.
“A Collector’s Eye,” on display at the Gettysburg Majestic Theater Gallery through Aug. 31, showcases 24 large works including oil and acrylic paintings, lithographies, watercolors, oil pastels, and mixed media works.
A second exhibition of smaller pieces entitled “A Closer Look” is on display in the Stair Tower Gallery at Musselman Library through June 2024.
The collection includes many works by regional artists as well as pieces she bought when she traveled.
Stewart was a fixture among those in the community who appreciated art.
“I could always count on Mary Margaret Stewart attending every lecture and reception in Schmucker Art Gallery. I would watch her engaging visiting artists, scholars, and students with astute questions and warm, insightful conversation,” said former Schmucker Gallery Director Shannon Egan. “She had an extraordinary eye for art and an open-mindedness toward the gallery exhibitions.
“From her earliest years as a young professor, and even with a modest budget, Mary Margaret made buying and collecting art a priority. She collected widely, supporting both local and emerging artists, as well as acquiring works by more prominent artists whose subjects, styles, and historical periods intersected interestingly with her own literary and scholarly interests.”
The collection also includes prints by renowned twentieth-century artist Leonard Baskin, as well as notable eighteenth-century prints by English artists William Hogarth and George Graves, and English botanist William Curtis.
An exhibition focusing on literary themes from Stewart’s collection, “Reading Mary Margaret Stewart,” will be on display beginning Sep. 6 at the college’s Schmucker Art Gallery.
Featured image caption: Mary Margaret Stewart [Special Collections and Archives, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College]
Charles (Chuck) Stangor is Gettysburg Connection's Owner, Publisher, and Editor in Chief. I would like to hear from you. Please contact me at cstangor@gettysburgconnection.org.
I ‘ve known Mary Margaret for many years, but I really got to know her through the Land Conservancy’s Art Auction. She was with us from the beginning, buying a couple of pieces every year and eager to support a cause in which she so strongly believed. About fifteen years she asked if I minded that she donated a piece or two and apologized that she had so much art that she couldn’t buy any more…she walked out of that auction with three or four new purchases. And she continued to donate and buy for the rest of her life.… Read more »