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The "Drawing on the Susquehanna" collection on view at the Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College

"Drawing on the Susquehanna"
Fundraising/Naming Campaign

Introduction

 

For the last 2 decades I have embarked on the exciting journey of exploring my roots as a painter of the Susquehanna River Valley. In so doing, I've uncovered a long forgotten but important artistic legacy of national significance that spans over 4 centuries and includes many of the nation's foremost painters of the landscape. In 2005 I organized the touring exhibit "Visions of the Susquehanna: 250 Years of Paintings by American Masters," which traveled to museums around the mid-Atlantic region. Accompanied by an 80 page book which I authored, this exhibit helped re-establish a spotlight on the artistic legacy of this important river. Following the exhibit tour, I worked with the Susquehanna National Heritage Area to raise the funds enabling them to acquire most of the contemporary works from the exhibit, establishing the first ever permanent collection of Susquehanna River art (which I continue to curate).

Over the last several years I have been building a vast collection of Susquehanna related artwork that includes paintings, drawings, etchings, engravings, lithographs, illustrated books, maps and decorated china spanning nearly 400 years, chronicling the unfolding of American history along the Susquehanna's shores. Forming the basis of the touring exhibition, "Drawing on the Susquehanna: Four Centuries of Artistic Inspiration and Commerce," this collection shows how artists directly engaged with their public through the dissemination of their work via commercial partnerships with various industries and businesses, utilizing the most current printing technologies available to them, not only self-promoting, but helping make the Susquehanna one of the most popular and well known rivers worldwide. Even before the Hudson River School of landscape painting took shape, the Susquehanna played a role in influencing and inspiring some of the first truly American artists, writers and poets. Although no formal "Susquehanna School" of painters has ever been delineated, this exhibit argues that such an influential school has taken shape over the last several centuries and continues to this day.

 

SNHA Discovery Center.jpg
MoSRA 1.jpg

 

A Museum for Susquehanna River Art

It has long been my dream to coalesce these collections of Susquehanna River art into a museum dedicated to the river's important legacy, much like the Brandywine River Museum does for that river's important heritage. An extraordinary opportunity has now arisen to bring this possibility to life.

This past year the Susquehanna National Heritage Area acquired the 87 acre Mifflin Farm, an historic Underground Railroad and Civil War site, located at the Wrightsville Route 30 interchange near the Susquehanna River. The farm will be the site of a future Susquehanna River Discovery Center which will serve as a visitor hub for the region, including a visitor center in the renovated bank barn, Heritage Park with interpretive trails, as well as an Underground Railroad learning center.

Earlier this year the SNHA board approved the addition of a stand alone art museum, permanently showcasing the various Susquehanna art collections, to be included in the master plan. I will now be heading up a committee (as part of the larger task force committee creating a master plan) to work with an architect and consultants to develop a mission, vision, space needs, building design, staffing requirements, programming, budget and a fundraising strategy for the museum.

I look forward with great excitement to spending considerable time over the next 2 years working on this project in all its aspects, fulfilling a dream of honoring the centuries long artistic legacy of this important and magical river.

Concept sketch for the Susquehanna National Heritage Area Discovery Center (courtesy Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects)

Concept sketch for the Museum of Susquehanna River Art  (courtesy Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects)

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The "Drawing on the Susquehanna" collection on view at the Schmucker Art Gallery, Gettysburg College

Naming Campaign for Susquehanna River Art

Over the last 5 years I have spent considerable time and resources researching, tracking down, purchasing, archiving and framing all the works in the "Drawing on the Susquehanna" collection. As a self-employed artist, this stretched our family finances rather thin, so my plan was to help offset these expenses by putting the collection on tour to museums/university galleries and recoup some of those costs through loan fees. Unfortunately, this plan was somewhat derailed by Covid, which forced the cancellation of three venues and severely cut the budgets at the other venues that eventually did host the exhibit, providing only a fraction of the anticipated loan fees.

 

In order to help offset these expenses, enable me to continue to grow and archive this important collection, and to help cover my consulting time moving forward in developing the museum to house the collection, I have come up with a creative fundraising approach based on creating naming opportunities to dedicate specific works in the collection to a person or persons of the donor's choosing. This dedication will remain with the work in all crediting on museum wall labels, catalogs, publicity, etc.

 

Donations will be facilitated through the Roundtop Trust (more info about the trust on this website here ), a private charitable trust established by a group of my patrons 12 years ago to preserve, for posterity and for educational/curatorial use, a collection of my most notable works spanning my career. The scope of the Trust collection has now been expanded to include historic Susquehanna River art, enabling the Trust to acquire all the works from the "Drawing on the Susquehanna" collection. The Roundtop Trust will subsequently, once the museum is established, donate, or place on long term loan, all of these works for permanent display in the museum.

As a result, as works are transfered from my collection to the Trust, this provides a naming opportunity for donors to dedicate specific key works. Below is a list of available works for naming along with corresponding donation amouts. If desired, multiple donors may join together to name a single work with several names. It should be noted that, although the Rountop Trust is a charitable trust, it is not a 501c3 non-profit, and therefore donations are not tax-deductible.

Cpntributions can be made via check (payable to the Roundtop Trust) to:

 

Rob Evans Studio

7152 Roundtop Lane

Wrightsville, PA 17368

Or you can make a contribution here through Paypal:​​​​​

 

 

 

 

Also payment can be made through Venmo (you can contact me here for instructions)

 

Please send a notice via the contact form here to notify as to which work is being dedicated and the name(s) desired to be listed or if there are any other questions regarding this exciting project.

Thank you so much for your support!

 

Naming Opportunities 

(the most prominent/valuable works in the collection are at the highest

contribution levels and then scale downward accordingly)

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These works can be dedicated with a contribution of $15,000 or more:

a1.John Smith Map 1627.jpg

 

 

Matthaus Merian the Elder

John Smith Map of Virginia

From Theodore De Bry's "Grand Voyages"

copper plate engraving with hand coloring, 1627

Cooper1.jpg

 

 

James Fenimore Cooper

The Pioneers - or the Sources of the Susquehanna

First edition, published by

Charles Wiley, NY, 1823

Cropsey - American Autumn 1865.jpg

 

 

After Jasper F. Cropsey

American Autumn, Starucca Valley, Erie R. Road

signed by the artist

19 color chromolithograph, c.1867

These works can be dedicated with a contribution of $10,000 or more:

Wyoming__Darley_edited.jpg

 

 

After Felix Octavius Carr Darley 

Wyoming

engraving, 1852

Edwin Whitefield - Embury Title page.jpg

 

 

Edwin Whitefield

Study for Title Page of "Nature's Gems"

pencil and watercolor, 1845

ag-obj-44147-001-rpd-large.jpg

 

 

After Abner Reeder

An Attempt to Burn John Harris

lithograph with hand coloring, 1839

These works can be dedicated with a contribution of $5,000 or more:

769815 (1).jpg

 

 

Francis H. Schell

View of a Railroad Track Across the Susquehanna, at Havre de Grace, Maryland, on the Ice

 lithograph,1852

Currier and Ives - Valley of the Susqueh

 

 

Nathaniel Currier and James Ives

The Valley of the Susquehanna

large folio, hand colored lithograph, c.1870s

Kuhler - Harnessing the Susquehanna, Saf

 

 

Otto Kuhler

Harnessing the Susquehanna: Safe Harbor Dam

etching, 1930

Portage.jpg

 

 

Jacques Gérard Milbert 

Machine for the Portage on the Susquehanna 

From Milbert's "Itinéraire Pittoresque du Fleuve Hudson" 

lithograph chine colle, 1828

a2.Sasquesahanok 1673.jpg

 

 

Arnoldus Montanus

Sasquesahanok

From "A New and Unknown World: A Description of America"

copper plate engraving with letterpress, 1673

American%20Scenery_edited.jpg

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

Nathaniel Parker Willis

American Scenery; or Land, Lake and River

Illustrations of a Transatlantic Nature

First British Edition. Published by George Virtue, London 1840

B2a. Ridgway - Bartlett - Vale of Wyomin

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

Wilkesbarre, Vale of Wyoming

blue transferware ceramic pitcher

Part of the "Catskill Moss series based on images from "American Scenery"produced by William Ridgway and Sons,

Stffordshire, England, c.1844

 

C3_edited.jpg

 

 

Nathaniel Currier and James Ives

After George Catlin

Hunting on Susquehanna

hand colored lithograph, circa 1872

a9.William Adams and Sons, Head Waters o

 

 

After Thomas Cole

The Headwaters of the Juniata

red transferware ceramic soup plate produced by

William Adams and Sons, Staffordshire, England, c.1831 - 61

Kuhler - Harnessing the Susquehanna, Con

 

Otto Kuhler

Harnessing the Susquehanna, Conowingo Dam

etching, circa1929

These works can be dedicated with a contribution of $2500 or more:

a7.Cole - Headwaters of the Juniata 1834

 

 

After Thomas Cole

The Headwaters of the Juniata,

Allegheny Mountains, Pennsylvania

From John Howard Hinton's "History

and Topography of the United States"

Published and engraved by

Fenner Sears and Co.

steel plate engraving, 1831

Hintons.jpg

 

 

John Howard Hinton

History and Topography of the

United States of North America

First American Edition. Edited by John Howard Hinton. Printed and published by Samuel Walker, Boston 1834

a8.Cole - Head Waters of the Juniata - v

 

 

After Thomas Cole

The Headwaters of the Juniata,

Allegheny Mountains, Pennsylvania

From John Howard Hinton's "History

and Topography of the United States"

Published and engraved by J & F Tallis 

steel plate engraving, 1850

Currier and Ives - A Scene on the Susque

 

 

Nathaniel Currier and James Ives

A Scene on the Susquehanna

hand colored lithograph, c.1875

Currier%2520and%2520Ives%2520-%2520On%25

 

 

Nathaniel Currier and James Ives

On the Owago

hand colored lithograph, c.1875

Lloyd Mifflin.jpg

 

 

Lloyd Mifflin

Sketch of the Columbia Bridge on the Susquehanna

pencil and ink on board, c.1878

daniel-garber-conowingo-dam-1939.jpg

 

 

After Daniel Garber

The Conowingo Dam

offset lithograph, c. 1939

published by the Philadelphia Electric Company

Adolph%2520Dehn%25201_edited_edited.jpg

 

Adolph Dehn

The Susquehanna (or Winding River)

lithograph, circa 1946

These works can be dedicated with a contribution of $1500 or more:

a3.A View on the Juniata - Columbia Mag

 

 

Artist unknown

A View on the Juniata River

From August 1788 issue of "Columbian Magazine"

copper plate engraving, 1788

b3. Bartlett - View on the Susquehanna c

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

View on the Susquehanna

From Bartlett's "American Scenery"

steel plate engraving, 1838

B1. Bartlett - The Descent Into the Vall

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

The Descent into the Valley of Wyoming

From Bartlett's "American Scenery"

steel plate engraving, 1838

B4. Bartlett - View From Glengary Lawn c

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

View From Glenmary Lawn (on the Owago)

From Bartlett's "American Scenery"

steel plate engraving, 1838

B7. Bartlett - View on the Susquehanna,

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

View of the Susquehanna, at Liverpool

From Bartlett's "American Scenery"

steel plate engraving with hand coloring, 1838

B6. Bartlett - View of Northumberland c1

 

 

After William H. Bartlett

View of Northumberland (on the Susquehanna)

From Bartlett's "American Scenery"

steel plate engraving, 1838

Port Folio - View on the Susquehanna 1815a.jpg

 

 

William Strickland

From December 1815 issue of "The Port Folio"

View on the Susquehannah

aquatint, 1815

Granville Perkins - The Susquehanna (at

 

 

After Granville Perkins

The Susquehanna (at Hunter's Gap)

From William Cullen Bryant's "Picturesque America"

steel plate engraving, 1873

George Smillie - On the Susquehanna.jpg

 

 

After George H. Smillie

On the Susquehanna (Near Great Bend, NY)

From "Gallery of Landscape Painters - American Scenery"

steel plate engraving, 1869

Great Bend.jpg

 

 

Joseph Yeager

The Great Bend of the Susquehanna River

From April 1811 issue of "The Port Folio"

engraving, 1811

solomons creek.jpg

 

 

Artist unknown

Lower Falls of Solomon's Creek

From November1809 issue of "The Port Folio"

engraving, 1809

Burning Bridge 1863.jpg

 

 

Artist Unknown

Invasion of the North - Destruction of the

Bridge Over the Susquehanna,

at Columbia, PA

From p. 453 of the July 18, 1863 issue

of  "Harper's Weekly Newspaper"

wood engraving, 1863

Artist Unknown

Invasion of the North - Destruction of the

Bridge Over the Susquehanna,

at Columbia, PA

From p. 453 of the July 18, 1863 issue

of  "Harper's Weekly Newspaper"

wood engraving, 1863

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