The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College and the Dutchess County Historical Society have formalized a partnership around their shared goals of community engagement and education through the visual arts, with a view to offering more inclusive and insightful historical narratives as context.
The first collaboration is the November and December 2022 exhibition, “They Suppose You Are a Gentleman:” Caroline Clowes’ Exceptional Path to National Artistic Acclaim, which is being held at the Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie.
Important financial support comes from the Members’ Fund of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College. Other support comes in the form of the involvement of students, graduates and Ph.D. candidates. There will be an expansion of both short and long-term loans of DCHS Collections for exhibition at the Loeb.
Bart Thurber, Director and Lecturer in Art at the Center said, the goal of the partnership is “to shine a light on the long overlooked histories in the region.”
Bill Jeffway, Executive Director of DCHS said, “the two organizations have the perfect balance of shared goals and complimentary skills and resources; together we will have a much greater impact than we could individually.”
Below see Clowes’ issues relating to her gender, and her relationships with early Vassar College founders.
A long relationship becomes formal and focused
Executive Director Bill Jeffway speaks at the May 22, 2022 dedication of the historic marker at Vassar College, citing the 1908 suffrage rally held by Vassar students in an adjacent cemetery given a ban on such activities on campus. From the Pomeroy Foundation, the sign is part of the National Votes for Women Trail developed by the National Collaborative for Women’s History sites.
