Percy L. Manser (1886–1973) Fall Landscape, ca. 1960 Gift of Mr. and Mrs. James Foster

This Month
Beware the ides of March, Shakespeare warned. Well, despite the obvious fact that he was writing a good 400 years before any of us even knew what “ides” were, he couldn’t have been thinking about Maryhill Museum of Art. We welcome the ides — March 15 in the ancient Roman calendar. That’s when we open doors again after our winter hiatus, and roll out an abundance of art and activity from 1 to 8 p.m. that day. Of singular note, we debut a stellar exhibit of work by regional naturalist Percy Manser, a longtime orchardist in the Hood River area. We enrich your exhibit experience with the tutelage of Jim Tindall, an expert on all things Manser, and a guided tour of Manser’s work by our own Lee Musgrave, who curated the exhibit.

Family Fun Day...
Fresh air, brisk winds, bright sunshine – that’s March at Maryhill Museum of Art. Nothing stuffy, that’s for sure, and there’s nothing stuffy, either, in our view that the love of art crosses generational bounds. So, bring the family March 15, and join art educator Mary Cooper from 1 to 4 p.m. for our first Family Fun Day. Straight out of the chute, Cooper tells kids of all ages “All About Collage.”

Tour to Seattle...
Just because we work at Maryhill Museum of Art doesn’t mean that we don’t love other museums, and their art. Which is why Maryhill has organized a tour March 28–29 to the Seattle Art Museum. The tour will provide participants a chance to view three panels from Lorenzo Ghiberti’s 15th century Florentine “Gates of Paradise,” which inspired Auguste Rodin in developing his own “Gates of Hell.” A separate docent tour will explore the museum’s “Roman Art from the Louvre” exhibit. The Seattle tour includes a reception, slide presentation by Maryhill exhibits curator Lee Musgrave about Ghiberti, and dinner at McCormick’s Fish House & Bar. On Saturday, March 29, the tour will visit the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, to view 169 pieces from 40 years of work by Italian Lino Tagliapietra, regarded in some quarters as “the world’s greatest living glass blower.” The tour includes travel on a luxury bus provided by Columbia Gorge Limo, and lodging at the Executive Hotel Pacific, near the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market. Cost is $239.95 per person, double occupancy, or $279.95 for singles. To reserve, call the museum at 509-773-3733 or e-mail Education at Maryhill.

Current Exhibitions
Percy Manser, who died in 1973, had a solo exhibition at Maryhill Museum of Art 60 years ago. It’s fitting, then, that his striking work should return to launch our 2008 season. A native of England who migrated through Canada before settling in the Hood River valley, Manser focused his talents on the dramatic landscapes at his door. Numerous private collectors, along with the Portland Art Museum and Oregon Historical Society, have graciously loaned their share of Manser’s legacy to  Maryhill Museum of Art for this exhibit.

The paintings, of course, are only part of the story. Jim Tindall has been focused on the work of Percy Manser for the last 10 years. Share his discoveries at 2:30 p.m. March 15, in a talk he has titled,“Percy Manser, the Man and His Art.”

Manser exhibit curator Lee Musgrave follows Tindall’s talk with a guided walk through the exhibition, sharing history of each painting and how Manser approached his subject matter.

Looking Ahead
Each year since 1996, Maryhill has presented an exhibit of large-scale sculpture in its annual Sculpture Invitational showcasing some of the Northwest’s best-known artists. This year is no exception. See work from such luminaries of imagination gone 3-D as Dennis Peacock, Alisa Looney, Mylan Rakich and others.

From 9 a.m. to noon on May 10, join Hood River resident and nationally recognized oil painter Eric Jacobsen conducts a workshop for those who want to break their art out of the box — and put it, as the French would (and do) say, “en plein air” (in the open air). Ten students (for $50 each) will join Jacobsen in the Maryhill garden to explore technique and territorial views.

We celebrate you who help us celebrate great art during Members Day. From 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., museum members are welcome to join us for any or all of several events created to inform, engage, entertain and inspire. Drive the Maryhill Loops Road. Learn about the relationship between naturalist Percy Manser and Maryhill’s director for 32 years, Clifford Dolph. Study — and create your own — landscape paintings. Or marvel at the vision behind our outdoor sculpture. It’s all for members, and members only.