Paintings Added, Permanent Art Collection Rehung at Parsons Government Center

New paintings have been added to the City of Milford’s William Meddick Permanent Art Collection in Parsons Government Center, and most of the artwork in the Collection has been rehung.

“We are delighted to welcome all the new art to the Collection, but especially two of the new paintings”, said Marion Morra, curator of the Permanent Art Collection, “-- the watercolor Carriage House Laurel Beach by lifelong resident and Milford artist Andrew Duhaime, donated by Martha Tynan, and the oil Old Town Hall Lobby by Elena Gerard, winner of the 375th anniversary Plein Art Project Mayor’s Choice Award. In addition, rehanging the Collection has allowed us to feature the works of major artists, such as Roger Van Damme and William Meddick, as well as to cluster similar artwork subjects.

“We also are indebted to June Benson, owner of Milford’s Gallery on the Green, for generously continuing to contribute her talents in cleaning, making needed repairs and restorations and reframing the City’s artwork.

“The Permanent Art Collection Committee has inspected and inventoried all the art, which is enjoyed by Town employees who admire the Collection daily, as well as by Milford citizens and others who come to the Parsons Government Center to conduct business with the City. Our Committee is also working on raising funds to restore They Shall Pass This Way But Once, a WPA mural which will hang in the Library”, noted Marion (http://milfordarts.org/visual- arts/adopt-a-mural/ ).

About the Artists
Andrew Duheime, a graduate of Milford High School and Quinnipiac College, was an accomplished artist who worked mostly in watercolor. He would often sketch as he traveled and at family gatherings and his sketchbooks were filled with memorable scenes. Duheime, who furthered his education later in life by attending the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts, spent many years using his artistic talents working for the Famous Arts School in Westport.

Elena Gerard, a self-employed artist, graduated from the Paier College of Art, with a BFA degree in Illustration and design. She is a décor specialist at JoAnn Stores in Milford, specializing in window treatments. Elena is an active member of the New Haven Paint & Clay Club, a member of the New York Art Student’s League and of the Brush and Palette Club in New Haven.

Roger Van Damme, a skilled painter and consummate artist, painted landscapes, seascapes, still lifes, human figures, interiors and abstract works. He is best known for his paintings of white and black enamel cups. During World War II, when he was in severely wounded in Belgium, he survived mostly by drinking liquids from metal field cups.

A former student of the American master Edwin Dickinson, Van Damme taught locally at Southern Connecticut State University, the Creative Arts Workshop in New Haven and at Paier College of Art in Hamden. Van Damme, who won many prizes and accolades, was awarded an Edward MacDowell Residence Fellowship at the MacDowell Art Colony in New Hampshire, and the Grand Prize of the National Art Competition of Modern Maturity, juried by Susa Larson, Curator of the Permanent Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art. His art is included in numerous private and permanent public collections, including the Williams College Museum of Art, the Washington County Museum in Hagerstown, MD, and several major collections in Connecticut.

William Meddick (1950 - )

Meddick a life-long, self-proclaimed ‘blue collar painter’, Is an oil painter whose subjects include landscapes, still lifes, portraits and interiors. A native of Ohio, he studied at Pratt Institute in New York and at Silvermine Art School in Connecticut.

Meddick worked as a scenic painter for numerous Broadway and off-Broadway productions in the early 70s and designed several community theater productions throughout Connecticut and New York from 1974-1985. In the late 1970s he was funded by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) as an artist-in-residence to go into Milford schools and paint scenes of the classrooms. After school he would work with the youngsters developing their art. His oils painted during that time are displayed in Parsons.

In 1984, Meddick was chosen became the Director of the Milford Fine Arts Council, the third n its 40-year history, a position he held for 30 years. During his Directorship, Meddick inaugurated the Permanent Art Collection and is responsible for its breadth and depth.

Meddick has had several one-man shows of his work including exhibitions at the Slater Museum in Norwich, Kershner Gallery in Fairfield, Gallery in the Woods in South Windsor and the Manhattan Athletic Club-George Billis Gallery in New York City.

Meddick’s two-person shows include those at the John Slade Ely House, Gallery at the University of New Haven, Creative Arts Workshop, Munson Gallery, River Street Gallery, Park Avenue Atrium in New York as well as numerous New Haven Paint & Clay exhibitions, Milford Fine Arts Council juried exhibits, Academy of Fine Arts and Silvermine shows.

About the Collection

The City of Milford’s Permanent Art Collection, curated by The Milford Fine Arts Council, consists of over 200 works by artists ranging from the celebrated to the recently discovered. Media also span the gamut – oils, acrylics, pastels, etchings, charcoal, murals, watercolors, pen and ink. There are bronzes and wooden sculptures and some clay pieces. Subjects portrayed vary from landscapes and shorelines to portraits and cups. The Collection is named in honor of William Meddick, Executive Director of the Milford Arts Center for over 30 years who retired in 2012. Meddick inaugurated the Collection and is responsible for its breadth and depth. Much of the artwork in the Permanent Art Collection was purchased by the Milford Fine Arts Council, with other pieces donated to the City of Milford or to Milford Fine Arts. A Jury Committee, composed of June Benson, owner of Milford, Gallery on the Green, Tom Ivers, former Director of Community Block Grant Coordinator for the City of Milford and Milford artist AL Leiper, reviews all donations to the Collection and juries the artwork for acceptance into the Collection.

Caption: Carriage House Laurel Beach by lifelong resident and Milford artist Andrew Duhaime, donated by Martha Tynan,