Public schools' art collection coming back together piece by piece

If you were once a student in a Pittsburgh public school, you may remember hallways and classrooms having original paintings on the walls.

With 325 paintings, sculptures and other works of art, the Pittsburgh Public School's art collection is one of the largest of its kind in the country.

Many of the pieces from the collection have hung in the halls and common areas of the schools over the past 100 years, in the hopes that they will inspire an appreciation for art and a “love of the beautiful” among school students.

Likewise, the Greater Latrobe School District has a similar collection, spanning 80 years. One only need walk the halls of Greater Latrobe Senior High School to see the more than 200 paintings (as well as a few photographs and pieces of sculpture) that make up the collection, which is on display year-round.

But the Pittsburgh Public Schools collection may not only be the largest in the country, it may also be the oldest, according to Anne Madarasz, director of the curatorial division and chief historian at Senator John Heinz History Center in the Strip District.

The first pieces purchased for the collection were made by Friends of Art, which was founded in 1916 by Pittsburgh businessman John L. Porter, president of the Union Cold Storage Co., who was interested in making Pittsburgh an art center as well as a steel center.

“This is the only national example I can find where a group has sustained the purchase of regional art for the public schools over such a long period — a century,” Madarasz says. “While there are other examples of citizens working to bring art and arts education to the public schools, none has sustained a philanthropic enterprise like this one over such a long period of time.”

Now through mid-June, visitors to the history center will get to see 80 works from this magnificent collection displayed in the new Barensfeld Gallery on the History Center's fifth floor in an exhibit entitled, “The Gift of Art: 100 Years of Art from the Pittsburgh Public Schools' Collection.”

Organized by artists Adrienne Heinrich and Patricia Sheahan, the exhibit boasts vibrant works by such notable Western Pennsylvania artists as Roy Hilton, Will J. Hyett and Rachel McClelland Sutton, among many others.

The one thing that most have in common is that they were purchased from the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh's annual exhibitions, which have been held every year since the group was founded in 1910.

Madarasz says the collection has evolved as the Associated Artist's annual show evolved, “so in the early years you primarily see oil paintings and watercolor pieces, largely portraiture and landscapes added to the collection.”

Some of those early landscapes are industrial images; beginning with a mill scene by George Sotter purchased as one of the first two pieces in 1916.

“As the annual changes and as the art world changes, you see changes in the collection,” Madarasz says. “Beginning in the 1960s, a few sculptural pieces are added. As acrylics are used in fine art, you see that reflected in the collection.

“In more recent years you see mixed media, fiber arts, photography and even video pieces added. Also, the evolution in artistic style is reflected, so more abstract art as you move into the 1950s.”

In 2009, Heinrich and Sheahan, both members of Associated Artists, were asked to create a memorable project to celebrate the group's 100th year in 2010.

“We were aware of the Friends of Art purchases for the Pittsburgh Public Schools and we decided to take a closer look at those works of art,” Sheahan says. “During the years 2009 to 2012, with the support of Heinz Endowments, Fine Foundation and the Buhl Foundation, we visited every school in the district to locate the works of art, engage students in taking a closer look at those works, as well as integrating a writing and artistic response to those works.”

The Friends of Art Collection has grown over the years. In some instances, the board of the Friends of Art could afford to purchase one or two pieces, and in other years, the board could purchase nine or 10 pieces. In 2012, there were at least 12 works of art gifted to Pittsburgh Public Schools, including an installation by Heinrich.

“What is unique about the collection is that it springs from artists residing in southwestern Pennsylvania while the work was created,” Heinrich says. “Only artists residing within 150 miles of Pittsburgh could enter the AAP annuals, from which all of the art was selected.”

Heinrich says the collection once numbered around 600 pieces, but over the years many had been lost or taken home at the end of the school year. Some have been recovered serendipitously, such as Hilton's painting “The New Dress,” which was purchased at a yard sale in 2006 for $28. It was identified as belonging to the collection and returned to the schools after the purchaser took it to a gallery to be appraised.

Since then, Heinrich and Sheahan have put in a more concerted effort.

“We started by searching all of the schools for the lost work, researching all of the artists in the collection and beginning a project of creating art ambassador students in each school where the collection resided,” Heinrich says. “The students many times were not noticing the art on the walls. We wanted to make the students aware of the work, write about the research on each artist, the artists' own message and give their own reaction while studying the work. They were then empowered to point out and talk about the work with their fellow students knowledgeably.”

There are now 325 pieces in the collection, which is housed in six of the district's 13 schools, each in a gallery setting. “It is updated as to framing, repaired where needed, and secured to the walls,” Heinrich says.

The exhibit includes a “Lost and Found” section, identifying pieces known to be lost or missing, in the hopes that visitors will recognize having seen a work in a relative's home or second hand shop.

“Amnesty has been offered for the return of the lost work, and four or five have been returned,” Heinrich says. “We are hoping that more will be returned when people see the ‘lost and found' area in the exhibition.”

This no-questions-asked amnesty program was initiated in March. Drop off locations are Concept Art Gallery, Regent Square; BE Galleries, Lawrenceville; Sally Gehl Art Loft, Mt. Lebanon; and James Gallery, West End.

Kurt Shaw is the Tribune-Review art critic.