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RAL to mark Preservation Month with special exhibit May 1-8

April 28, 2018

May is Preservation Month, and from Tuesday, May 1 to Tuesday, May 8, the Rehoboth Art League will present Preservation Matters, an exhibition that focuses on the RAL permanent collection and the recent focus of the organization to actively treat works in need of conservation. 

This exhibition will be on display at the Peter Marsh Homestead house, located on the campus of the Rehoboth Art League at 12 Dodds Lane in Henlopen Acres. Homestead hours are 11 a.m to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday. This historic home, built in 1743, serves as a showcase for RAL’s permanent collection of furniture, fine art and artifacts, as well as an exhibition space for both RAL members’ work and special exhibits.

The Rehoboth Art League is one of just a few actively collecting art institutions in Delaware. The permanent collection contains more than 900 items, including approximately 600 works of art in various media, colonial furniture, artifacts and decorative art collected by the Corkran family when they resided at the Homestead, and an array of RAL organizational archives. The permanent collection maintains a focus on early to mid-20th century works of art created by all 22 RAL Heritage Artists. These artists were instrumental in the development of the Rehoboth Art League; members include Ethel P.B. Leach, William Leach Orville, Jack Lewis, Howard Pyle, Edward Grant and Howard Schroeder, to name a few.

“On display will be selected paper and painting works that are in the most need of conservation treatment, as well as samples of previously treated works,” said RAL Artistic Director Jay Pastore. “Alongside each of these will be a conservator’s report on the extent of the damage and the cost of treatment. Patrons will have the opportunity to adopt a work of art and sponsor the cost of its treatment. Following its treatment, each sponsor will receive a giclée print of their selected work. They will also be recognized in a future exhibition of these works. Patrons may also choose to support a fund specific for conservation treatments.”

Pastore explained, “Treatment costs vary depending on the medium used and the extent of damage, with paper pieces being more costly than paintings. In the decades that these works were housed in less-than-adequate conditions, many of them have suffered extensive damage. RAL’s permanent collection storage facility, kept at museum-standard temperature and humidity conditions, will serve to ensure each work’s long-term survival. Patrons will not only be helping preserve the history of the Rehoboth Art League, but also the cultural history of the State of Delaware.”

The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to teaching, preserving and inspiring the arts in the region. For more information on the art league, its classes, events and exhibitions, go to www.rehobothartleague.org or call 302-227-8408.

This organization is supported, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.