NEWS RELEASE Media contact:
Colleen Schafroth, Executive Director
(509) 773-3733, colleen@maryhillmuseum.org
Dr. Steve Grafe Appointed Maryhill's Curator of Art
(GOLDENDALE, Wash., August 11,
2009) -
Maryhill
Museum of Art today announced the appointment of Steve Grafe to
curator of art.
Dr. Grafe comes to the museum from the National Cowboy & Western Heritage
Museum in Oklahoma City, where he has served as curator of American Indian Art
since January 2004. He brings a wealth of curatorial experience and scholarly
expertise to the post, which he will assume on September 1, 2009.
"We
are thrilled that Steve has accepted the position. His extensive knowledge of
Native arts and the Columbia River Plateau dovetails nicely into Maryhill's collection
and local history," says Colleen Schafroth, the museum's executive director. "Steve's
tremendous interest and understanding of all the arts, will allow him to work
with Maryhill's unique and diverse collections."
During the course of his
career, Dr. Grafe has served as Acting Curator of Native Heritage at the High
Desert Museum in Bend, as Visual Resources Librarian at the Oregon College of
Art and Craft in Portland, and cared for collections at Colorado's Mesa Verde
National Park and at Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. From
2001 to 2003, he was Chief Curator at the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles.
In addition, he is a respected scholar,
serving as a consulting
curator for the
traveling exhibit "Craft in America: Expanding Traditions," which complemented the
PBS series "Craft in America." He is author of Peoples of the Plateau: The
Indian Photographs of Lee Moorhouse,
1898-1915 (2005) and Lanterns on the Prairie: The Blackfeet Photographs of Walter McClintock
(2009). Dr. Grafe holds a BA in studio art from Oregon State University and
MA and Ph.D. degrees in Art History from the University of New Mexico. His
doctoral dissertation analyzed pre-1880 American Indian beadwork from the
southern Columbia River Plateau.
"Maryhill is a
unique and wonderful institution," says Grafe. "Several of the museum's core
collections represent subjects that are particularly important to me and I am enthusiastic
about the prospect of developing exhibits and educational opportunities related
to both regional and international art."
On a personal
note, Grafe adds: "My family and I are thrilled to be returning to the Pacific
Northwest. My extended family and many friends are here, and the Columbia River
Plateau has been my primary area of research interest for almost 20 years."
Dr. Grafe
replaces Lee Musgrave, who retired at the end of July after 14 years as
Maryhill's curator of exhibits.
###
ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF
ART:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high
above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art is one of the Pacific Northwest's most enchanting cultural destinations. Founded by
Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, Maryhill opened to the public in 1940; today the museum boasts a world-class permanent collection,
rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that
provide
opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages.
The museum's collection includes more than 80 works by
Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d'art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the
renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in
designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Sam Hill;
today the museum's Native American collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from
prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill's Outdoor Sculpture Garden features work
from the permanent collection by Tom Herrera, Mel Katz, Heath Krieger, Alisa Looney, Jill Torberson, Julian Voss-Andreae, Jeff Weitzel and Leon
White.
Each year the museum also hosts an Outdoor Sculpture Invitational showcasing artists of the Northwest. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific
sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized
replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County
War Memorial honors those who have died in service of their country since World War I.
The museum was placed on the National Register of
Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited
by the American Association of Museums.
VISITOR
INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
March 15 to November 15. Admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 for children age 6-16. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is
open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.
Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly
baked desserts and pastries are available at Café Maryhill; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and
other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of
Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from
Yakima. For further information, visit www.maryhillmuseum.org.
Images above: Dr. Steve Grafe, who will
become Maryhill's curator of art on September 1. Maryhill Museum of Art, Photography Nayland Wilkins.
To request an
image, click here.