Bushnell Park Carousel Paintings On Display At Hartford Library

Press release from Hartford Public Library Blogs:

Lily Sweeney

September 1, 2022

HARTFORD, CT — Hartford Public Library will be displaying the paintings of Ellen Sinclair Junger in an exhibition from Sept. 1 to Oct. 12 at the Downtown Library, 500 Main St.

The collection, entitled “Carousel Memories,” showcases the hard-carved wooden ponies of the Bushnell Park Carousel.

Junger had a deep connection to the carousel throughout her entire life.

The Bushnell Park Carousel’s original home was Meyer’s Lake Park, a popular amusement park in Canton, Ohio that was owned by Carl Sinclair, Junger’s father.

Junger always wanted to be a painter, and at age 18 she moved to Boston to study painting at Endicott College.

She then worked with Expressionist painter Hyman Bloom after graduation.

Junger always carried fond memories of the carousel, which she called the Merry-Go-Round, and it was a major inspiration for much of her artwork.

“Years later the Merry-Go-Round became the ‘Carousel’ of my first oil paintings,” said Junger. “I had been inspired to paint because I wanted to capture the wonder and magic that those prancing horses held for me. Then, after the Merry-Go-Round was sold to Bushnell Park, I again painted it, this time in pastel.”

This collection of Junger’s paintings was originally exhibited at the Canton Art Institute in 1987 in a memorial tribute to her late brother George C. Sinclair.

After Junger’s passing in 2021, her family donated the paintings to the City of Hartford and the Bushnell Park Foundation.

Hartford Public Library will be hosting the exhibition of these paintings.

This press release was produced by Hartford Public Library Blogs. The views expressed here are the author’s own.