National Museum of the Great Lakes hosts temporary exhibit Great Lakes Masters: 150 Years of Marine Art – February 8-March 22
Published: Thursday, February 5, 2015
Toledo, Ohio- The National Museum of the Great Lakes’ second temporary exhibit will open to the public on
February 8, 2015 in the community room at the museum. Great Lakes Masters: 150 Years of Marine Art will
feature original works of art by Nickerson, Huntington, Sprague, Stoll, Shogren, Cook, McGreevy and LaMarre.
“The National Museum of the Great Lakes has a strong art collection with over 250 pieces of two-dimensional
art. The collection covers a wide variety of mediums, topics and skill sets. What we present in Great Lakes
Masters: 150 Years of Marine Art are some of the best the Great Lakes has to offer, but it is certainly not a
complete representation.” said Christopher Gillcrist, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Historical Society
which owns and operates the National Museum of the Great Lakes. “Temporary exhibits like this provide us
the opportunity to continually bring new and exciting changes to the public.”
"The practice of marine art goes back centuries. On the Great Lakes it truly begins to take off around the mid
19th century as the region became more populated," said Gillcrist “Three of the 19th century artists featured
are V. D. Nickerson, Howard Sprague and Huntington. Biographical information on these artists is limited, but
Huntington is the most elusive of these early ship portrait painters.”
In the first seventy-five years of the 20th century, Kinley Shogren became one of the most prolific Great Lakes
portrait painters delivering hundreds of private commissions. Rolf Stoll, not typically considered a Great Lakes
painter, delivered two fascinating Cleveland lakefront scenes in the early 1930's.
Living artists in the exhibit are Alexander Cook, Paul LaMarre, Jr. and Robert McGreevy. Cook is an artist
member of the American Society of Marine Artist. His works have been used to grace the covers of several
Great Lakes books as well as at the museum. LaMarre's talents, often compared to those of Shogren, are highly
sought by shipping companies and private collectors. McGreevy's exacting detail often defines his work. Many
consider his work to be the most historically researched paintings today.
Admission to the exhibition is included in the cost of admission to the Museum and is FREE to museum
members. To become a member of the museum, please call 419.214.5000. Memberships start at just $22 per
year. NMGL members are invited to attend a private Member’s Only Sneak Peek and Living Legends
Reception, featuring Lamarre and McGreevy, on Saturday, February 7 from 5:30-7:30. Complimentary beer,
wine and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.
The National Museum of the Great Lakes is owned and operated by the Great Lakes Historical Society.
Founded in 1944, the Great Lakes Historical Society has been preserving our shared cultural history by
publishing a quarterly journal Inland Seas since 1945; by operating a maritime museum and research library
since 1952; by offering educational programs to the general public since 1956; and by conducting underwater
archaeological research across the Great Lakes since 2001. The opening of the National Museum of the Great
Lakes enables the Great Lakes Historical Society to continue its mission to preserve and make known the
important history of the Great Lakes. For more information, call Anna M. Kolin at 419.204.8947.
WHAT: Great Lakes Masters: 150 Years of Marine Art – Temporary Exhibition
WHEN: February 8 – March 22
Tuesday-Saturday: 10am-5pm; Sunday: 12-5pm; Monday: Closed
WHERE: National Museum of the Great Lakes
1701 Front Street, Toledo, OH 43605
COST: Admission to view the Temporary Exhibition is included in the cost of museum admission.
$7 – children 6-17, seniors 65+, AAA and active military
$8 – adults 18-64
FREE – children 5 and under
FREE – NMGL/GLHS Members
* The Col. James M. Schoonmaker Museum Ship is closed for the season.
tags: History
