The William T. Trego Exhibit, Publication, and Catalogue Raisonné Project
One hundred years after his tragic death, the story of American history painter William T. Trego has yet to be told. Now the James A. Michener Art Museum is launching a multi-year effort to ensure that the extraordinary life and work of this once-famous Pennsylvania artist are recognized and remembered. Working with the museum on this project is historian Joseph P. Eckhardt, who will be curating a major exhibit of Trego’s art scheduled to open in June of 2011. The museum also plans to produce a publication devoted to the artist as well as the definitive catalogue raisonné of his work.
We are pleased that Joseph Eckhardt has agreed to accept the position of Helen Gemmill Research Fellow for the years 2010 and 2011. This will be our third project associated with the Gemmill Fellow program, which is made possible by the Warwick Foundation of Bucks County. Previous projects on painters Louis Bosa and R. A. D. Miller were carried out by Dr. Cher Knight, Associate Professor of Art History, Emerson College. While the Michener has completed many significant research projects on Bucks County artists, this is our first catalogue raisonné, and we are pleased that a scholar of Professor Eckhardt's caliber has agreed to take on this project. It's especially appropriate that the project is occurring under the aegis of the Gemmill Fellow program, since Professor Eckhardt is building on the pioneering work of Helen Gemmill, who was the first scholar to look seriously at the life and work of this underappreciated but highly gifted artist.
Brian H. Peterson
Gerry and Marguerite Lenfest Chief Curator
James A. Michener Art Museum
Joseph P. Eckhardt holds the title of Emeritus Professor of History at Montgomery County Community College, where he taught history and art history from 1968 until his retirement in 2007. He holds degrees in history from Clarion State College and Lehigh University. Since his retirement from full-time teaching, he has been at work on the first in-depth study of the American history painter William T. Trego, and he plans a full-length biography of the artist. He was instrumental in arranging for the State of Pennsylvania to install a State Historical Marker at the former home of William Trego in North Wales, PA, in 2008. He is a member of both the Bucks County Historical Society, and the Montgomery County Historical Society.
Professor Eckhardt’s previous publications include a biography of film pioneer Siegmund Lubin (The King of the Movies, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1997), and numerous articles on the early film industry published both in the United States and Europe. He founded and maintains the Betzwood Film Archive at MCCC, where he also plans and hosts an annual silent film festival. He is working on a PBS documentary based on his early movie research. He often lectures on the subject and has even staged re-creations of early Nickelodeon shows with movies, songs, slides, narration, and sound effects.
In addition to these projects, Eckhardt has also researched and written an article on artist/actress Wilna Hervey, a beloved figure of the Woodstock, NY, art colony. He hopes to eventually flesh out her life in a full-length biography as well.
Eckhardt says he especially enjoys finding and researching the “famous and forgotten” figures of American history and making sure their memories are preserved for posterity.
Contact Joseph P. Eckhardt at jeckhardt@williamttrego.org
