Brader exhibit update

This is one of the Brader drawings in our collection.  All of ours have been photographed, and reproductions are on view in the first gallery of The Stark County Story exhibit.

Yesterday I met with Kathleen Wieschaus about the Ferdinand Brader exhibitions planned for December 2014 at the Canton Museum of Art, the Little Art Gallery, and here in our Keller Gallery.

In the past two years, Kathleen has identified more than 200 Brader drawings in museums and private collections all over the country!  Her biggest challenge has been narrowing down what to include in general, and then what to include in each exhibition.

The theme for the Keller Gallery, as of right now, will be Ohio drawings -- mostly those from Stark County.  We would also like to include a section of drawings that feature trains, since we have the HO model train layout.  The exhibit will also include the Stark County Infirmary books that show Brader as a patient, and the Essig family tree to accompany two Essig family farm drawings.

We have decided to shoot for 25 drawings in our space.  That number will allow enough room in between them, and will add an additional 25 drawings to the total number that will be displayed in the community which would not be included otherwise.

All of this is tentative at this point, and of course things could change.  But right now, that is our preliminary plan.  We have also discussed moving the opening of our exhibit to December 5, rather than December 4, so we don't have opening events at the same time as the Canton Museum of Art.  December 5 is our Holiday Open House, so we plan to incorporate the exhibit opening into that event.

Since the Keller Gallery can be configured in endelss combinations, the next step will be to figure out where to place our walls.  Kathleen will be working on selecting the 25 drawings we will show.

This collaboration marks the first time a retrospective of Brader's work will be exhibited.  We're all very excited to be working together to bring these amazing drawings to the public!