Are you a collector? You're going to love the collection on display at the museum now
I am often asked, "Why do people collect objects?"
While reading the words and thoughts of the long-dead — especially letters and diaries — is interesting, most people connect instantly to a three-dimensional object.
For centuries, museums have collected objects of fame and note, or items that represent the day-to-day life of our ancestors. This is something I love about working in a museum — experiencing how our visitors react and relate to the things they see.
Throughout my career, I’ve seen visitors react to a collection with curiosity, and sometimes joy or surprise. Other times it’s deeply personal. At other times I’ve seen a collection change what and how someone thought about something.
Our current exhibition at the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts, “Treasures of State: Maryland’s Art Collection,” is about collecting objects.
In partnership with the Maryland State Archives, this exhibition showcases more than 90 objects including paintings, drawings, etchings and engravings, photographs, sculpture, furniture and other decorative arts. This show will be at the museum until Oct. 22.
More than two-thirds of the objects from “Treasures of State” are drawn from the Maryland Commission on Artistic Property of the Maryland State Archives, a collection that dates “from 1774 when the portrait of ‘William Pitt, Earl of Chatham’ was presented to the state by Charles Willson Peale. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, decorative arts and works on paper dating from the 13th century to the present.”
Most of these items usually adorn government buildings, but some have had limited exposure to the public. About a dozen objects came from the governor’s mansion.
The exhibition includes complementary works from the museum’s collection, often by the same artists as those in the state’s collection. Unlike the state’s collection, however, the museum’s assemblage began with the private collection of museum founders Henry William and Anna Brugh Singer.
Like many upper-class individuals of the late 19th- and early 20th century, the Singers were avid collectors of fine and decorative arts. Since that time, the museum has expanded its holdings to more than 7,000 objects.
As a public museum, our collection is meant to be shared and not to gather dust on a shelf. We strive to connect our objects to the community in meaningful ways and always think about how objects speak to one another in our galleries.
During my first year at the museum, I installed two exhibitions: “Exploring Jonathan Street: History, Art, Imagination” and “Joseph Holston: Color in Freedom, Journey Along the Underground Railroad.” Each exhibition was formed around a collection of similar objects, one archaeological and the other paintings, and both provided powerful experiences for our visitors.
Walking through those galleries and seeing how our visitors reacted was a wonderful experience in how meaningful a collection can be.
Sometimes these interactions are amusing. Last fall, we installed the painting “Mask” by Hagerstown native William Dutterer. I often see people crowded around this painting debating what the subject matter really is. "Is it really a mask? It’s a plastic bag! No, it’s an apron, er, it’s a ghost, right?” I’ve heard many opinions and love that this piece can spark so much dialogue among visitors of all ages.
I often hear that people don’t have "collections" today. But I think that is not exactly accurate. While most people do not collect art, antiquities or silver as they did 100 years ago, they do collect something.
It might start with one special piece that catches the eye or something collected with, or inherited from, a beloved older family member. It might be a sentimental object commemorating some trip or time in one’s life. One way or another that one piece grows into an assemblage with great sentimental value to the collector.
Some love the thrill of the hunt, and are enticed to sift through old attics, antique shops, auctions and flea markets. This can be seen right at the museum each November when our annual Treasures Sale event brings in hundreds of people looking for something special.
What makes something a “treasure?” I’ve met people who collect antique magic and vaudeville objects, others who collect children’s books. I even knew someone who collected old Pillsbury Dough Boy cookie jars and someone who collected pinecones. If there is something you are interested in, there is a collection in the making. If it holds sentimental value to you, it might not be a monetary treasure — but it is a treasure all the same.
If you are a benefactor of the museum and have collections of your own, look out for our special benefactor-only event this October called “Caring for Your Treasures.” If you would like to become a benefactor, contact Donna Rastelli at 301-739-5727 or draselli@wcmfa.org.
Sarah C. Wolfe is Manager of Collections and Exhibitions for the Washington County Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. Admission and parking are free. Visit wcmfa.org or the museum's pages on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Sample Maryland's treasured collection at the Museum of Fine Arts
