Historical Society of West Caldwell Hosts Opening Reception for May's "Art of Our Ancestors II" Exhibit; Saturday, May 2, 3pm to 5pm; West Caldwell Library, 30 Clinton Road, West Caldwell

by Carolyne Volpe Curley / Carolyne@WestEssexNOW.com
Published 9:28pm

"Old Church in Caldwell", NJ, 1933
World-renowned artist Richard Hayley Lever
American, 1876-1958
Oil on canvas laid to board
10 x 12 inches 
Signed Hayley Lever (lr); inscribed Old Church in Caldwell/New Jersey 1933/Painted on canvas. on a old label affixed to the reverse
Loan of Janet and Bob Markman

WEST CALDWELL, NJ - Throughout the month of May, the Historical Society of West Caldwell is hosting a new exhibit of early-to-mid 20th-century local art. On Saturday, May 2, the "Art of Our Ancestors II" exhibit will kick-off with an Opening Reception held from 3pm to 5pm in the  Richard R. Cass Gallery of the West Caldwell Public Library. The public is welcome to attend the free event; the library is located at 30 Clinton Avenue, West Caldwell.

The first "Art of Our Ancestors" exhibit was created and organized by the Historical Society in 2013 and was enthusiastically received by the public. Since that time, the groups as acquire new items, including watercolors, oil paintings and textiles - all of which capture moments in time of life in the Caldwells.

 "Many of the images, and a few of the artists,
were well-known and commercially successful,"
commented Beverly Chisolm, a spokeswoman for the organization.
"Other pieces were created for personal use or adorning homes.
Long time Caldwell residents Janet and Bob Markman,
both interested in local history,
have lent a 1933 oil painting by renowned impressionist
Richard Hayley Lever, who lived in Caldwell during the 1930’s
as well as another painting from North Caldwell artist, Janet Sperber.
Additionally, retired pharmacist, photographer and historian,
John J. Collins, has loaned his watercolor still life
by former Caldwell resident and artist Nat Lewis."

Art of the Ancestors II Featured Works
The collection will be exhibited at the Library from May 2 until May 30. 
Highlights of the exhibit include:

• “Old Church in Caldwell”
  Richard Hayley Lever
  (1876-1958)
  Lever’s “Old Church in Caldwell” shows a church that once stood on Fairfield Avenue. Lever was also teacher of local artist, teacher and historian Josephine Mahon (1863-1949). Mahon’s oil of the revolutionary-period West Caldwell Corey House, which stood on Bloomfield Avenue across from Lane Avenue until it was moved after Mahon’s death, is also included in this exhibit. 
  
  
• “County Farm Laborers”
  Janet R. Sperber
  (1892-1964)
  Sperber, a resident of North Caldwell, painted local scenes. Her September, 1946 painting, “County Farm Laborers,” depicts a scene that many local residents will remember: prisoners at the Caldwell Penitentiary working in the prison fields along Mountain Avenue. 
  

The Historical Society received an operating support grant from the NJ Historical Commission, a Division of the Department of State and a project grant from the Essex County Division of Cultural and Historic Affairs.  

Further Information
Historical Society of West Caldwell
President Roxanne Douglas
973-364-0155
Email 

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