A new exhibit at.the State Museum of Pennsylvania features the work of a late Harrisburg-based artist who chronicled scenes in all 67 Pennsylvania counties for a U.S. bicentennial project completed unveiled in 1976.
Pennsylvania in Watercolor: Revisiting Nick Ruggieri’s Bicentennial Series, showcases the county-by-county series of paintings the artist began in 1970.
The series was commissioned by The Patriot News to commemorate Pennsylvania places for the country’s bicentennial celebration.
Ruggieri’s water colors and oil paintings are a snapshot in time of Pennsylvania’s rural, small town and industrial landscapes from battlefields and town squares to historic mansions, barns, bridges and coal fields.
Ruggieri travelled to all the counties to paint a representative scene he chose for each one – an octagonal schoolhouse in Chester County, a circular barn in Fulton County and the state Capitol in Dauphin County, among them.
“It’s a time capsule of the 1970s,” said exhibit curator Amy Hammond. “You could walk up and see some of the places that are just the same while others are completely gone.”
The exhibit features 52 paintings from 49 counties. Not all the county paintings are included because of space and some of the artwork is undergoing conservation.
“The paintings help connect people to their communities,” said Hammond, ticking off some of the landmarks featured in Ruggieri’s artwork, including Independence Hall in Philadelphia and architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece, Fallingwater in Fayette County.
Exhibit at the Pennsylvania State Museum celebrates the bicentennial series by the late artist Nick Ruggieri.Pennsylvania State Museum
Ruggieri, who was born in Italy, spent most of this life as an artist and educator in the Harrisburg area, including more than 40 years as a commercial artist working in newspapers. He retired in 1980 as art director of the Patriot News.
“He really did show his admiration for Pennsylvania the way he painted it,” said Hammond, who urged visitors to study the details in the paintings. “That’s where you see his masterwork.”
Ruggieri was active in the Scholastic Arts Awards, a president of the Art Association of Harrisburg, and founder of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society.
The exhibit runs through June 16. On May 5, at 2:00 p.m., the State Museum will host an informal discussion with Rosemary Baer, Nick Ruggieri’s daughter and Peter Durantine, an area writer familiar with Ruggieri’s work.
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New exhibit celebrates historic bicentennial project of renowned Harrisburg artist - PennLive
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