Senior Capstone Focuses on the Tremaine Collection
The in-depth, independent research projects—capstones—required in most majors at the College are a culmination of the knowledge and skills students have gained while enrolled. Sometimes campus resources play a key role in shaping these projects. That was certainly the case for senior Nathalie Parker, who recently completed her art history special major capstone, which could not have been done without Principia’s exceptional art collection.
While taking art history classes and employed as a student worker in Principia’s Collections, Nathalie noticed that many of her favorite art pieces were part of the Emily Hall Tremaine Collection. So when it came time to select a subject for her senior capstone, Nathalie seized the opportunity to learn more not only about Tremaine but about all that’s involved in curating an exhibit. Along with diving into Principia’s Collections, Nathalie traveled to the Smithsonian Archives of American Art in Washington, DC, to researchTremaine’s collection there, which focuses on Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, and Minimalism.
As Nathalie discovered, Tremaine went to a dinner party in 1958 that Principia President William E. Morgan also attended. Evidently the two spoke, and Tremaine expressed an interest in the College and its role in the Christian Science movement. This encounter led to Tremaine’s generous donation of dozens of paintings, prints, and sculptures to the College during the 1960s. Fast forward more than 50 years, and Nathalie had a wealth of high-quality art to work with for her exhibit, An Original Eye: The Tremaine Collection at Principia College, which ran during the month of November in the Marshall Brooks Library Gallery.
“One of the most interesting stories about Tremaine's start as a collector,” Nathalie notes, “concerns her purchase of Victory Boogie Woogie." She originally saw the piece while visiting Mondrian’s studio in 1944 and “immediately connected with it,” Nathalie explains. “The painting was unfinished at the time, but Tremaine purchased it after Mondrian’s passing. It remained the most important painting in her collection, and acquiring it started a passion for sharing art with others. For her, art was not for decoration; it was meant to encourage academic engagement and the discussion of life and culture.”
Nathalie’s exhibit certainly achieved the “academic engagement” Tremaine hoped for. “Nathalie breathed new life into a segment of Principia’s art collection,” says Deb Wold, Principia’s Collections Registrar. “We now better understand and appreciate Tremaine’s gift to our community. Nathalie not only pulled together the scholarly component, with its attendant research, but also learned about curation, project management, promotion, and collaboration with multiple departments.”