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Fan Fare: Good as Gold
View the Photo Gallery for Good as GoldAimee Obidzinski/For the Tribune-Review
The museum is in the midst of a splendid exhibit of Hudson River School paintings that only polishes its reputation as an important showcase of American art. And, thanks to the society, the museum has added an important piece to its permanent collection each year since 1987. There's always a flurry of excitement surrounding the acquisition. Only one of three oil paintings in this year's running made the cut and, as is the custom, members decide the winner by secret ballot at the party.
We were 120 deep in black ties on Friday at cocktails in the McKenna Gallery where Director Judy O'Toole joined society President JoAnne Boyle (she also heads Seton Hill University) and a throng of well-wishers to honor Dick Scaife (there with Ritchie in a divine Yves Saint Laurent burgundy velvet gown and rubies to match) who was being tapped with the museum's gold medal for his influence on the history of American art.
Although the owner and publisher of the (ahem) Tribune-Review Publishing Co. is a collector and benefactor of note, which is putting it lightly and politely, Dick prefers bamboo shoots under his fingernails to any mention of his gifts to the art world. But since they made such a big fuss over it, I can tell you he recently donated a major Audubon canvas to the National Gallery of Art in D.C. To say nothing of the Sarah Scaife Galleries at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
"He's building collections that are a gift to America," remarked Brandywine River Museum Director Jim Duff of Chadds Ford about Dick's contributions to many museums as well as continuing his family's tradition of supporting the WMAA.
Dick's late sister, Cordelia Scaife, had made an anonymous gift of exquisite wood panels from the family's legendary homestead, Penguin Court, that now line two rooms in the museum.
Basking in the glow of masterpieces in the Robertshaw Gallery (that had my head whirling), guests sat at long-long tables that were covered in either silky sage green or taupe and centered with a series of giant pinecones or hand-blown amber glass balls nestled in sprigs of fir. Bob Sendall of All in Good Taste was at the top of his game in creating the bravura ambience and menu of a demitasse of winter squash bisque, a salad dressed with pumpkin vinaigrette and yummy chicken potpie as the entree. For bravehearts who never count calories, there was warm bread pudding as a finale with his signature Toffee Taboo that's worth an Atkins meltdown.
And here's an idea of who was there: Brandywine River Museum board Chair George "Frolic" Weymouth; Frick Art Museum Director Bill Bodine; WMAA Chair Jack Smith with Georgia; Pittsburgh History & Landmarks' Arthur Ziegler; Harley Trice; past gold medal winners Jack Robertshaw (with Anne), Bud Gibbons (with Pat), Diana Jannetta, Linda Boxx (with Bill), and Harvey Childs; Jane and George Greer; Linda and Martin Kuzmkowski (he brought down the house by delivering the treasurer's report in rhyme!); Ranny and Jay Ferguson; Janie and Harry Thompson; Jere Gallagher and Yale Gutnick; Sande and Rich Hendricks; Art Boyle; Kevin O'Toole; and Bill Boyd.
As well as omelet king Rudy Stanish; Linda and David Assard; curator Barbara Jones; Ginny Grosscup and Connie White; Pat and H Childs; Dee and Jim Thomas; Jean and Jack Snodgrass; Matt Groll; Greg Yochum; Trudi and Chuck Booth; Pat and Lou Costello; Christina and Ellis Schmidlapp; Jennifer and Michael Gleba; David Ludwig; Louise Sturgess; Fran and Dan Harbaugh; Nancy Scott; McCook Miller; Joan and Lou Derose; Chriss and Gwen Swaney; Anita and Charles Manoli; Mark Smith; Kaye Rowe; Helene and Tom Long; Louise Kilgore; Janet Nigrelli; Judy and J.R. Ross; Sally and Charles Loughran; and several of the Trib's top brass.
Had you had been there, you might also have voted for Ernest Fiene's "Coal Breaker," the WMAA's newest acquisition. It's another reason to visit the museum.
