Cincinnati's Art League Showcases Paintings Returned To Hartwell School

From Cincinnati Public Schools:

December 3, 2019

Cincinnati's Art League Showcases Paintings Returned To Hartwell School

Hartwell School's collection of fine-art paintings are back in the building's hallways and classrooms, and will be the star of an Art League event on December 14, 2019.

The Art League's Holiday Breakfast — from 9 to 11 a.m. at Hartwell School, 8320 Vine Street, (45216) — will feature tours of the newly hung artwork. There will be holiday gifts for sale and a visit from Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus; admission is $3 at the door.

The paintings, including The Country School by American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910), were purchased by the Art League between the 1920 and 1960s. The Art League famously collected pennies from schoolchildren to help fund the art purchases, which were placed in many Cincinnati Public Schools.

In 2002, Cincinnati Public Schools began its 10-year, $1-billion Facilities Master Plan that would rebuild, fully renovate or close school buildings as needed throughout the district. The Art League teamed up with the Cincinnati Preservation Association to do an inventory of art in the schools, using dozens of volunteers to document and compile a database. The Art League then teamed up with CPS' Facilities Department to carefully pack hundreds of paintings and prints for storage while schools were under construction.

The final phase was to refurbish and reinstall the art in the schools. Hartwell is the first school to get its artwork back.

Funds for this project were provided by The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile U.S. Bank Foundation and the Gladys Lazarus Endowment for The Art League, managed by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.

This press release was produced by Cincinnati Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.