Chip carved from walnut cigar boxes, with two drawers and lid. The pedestal box form was primarily found in upstate New York and created in the 1930s. Our example still has the New York cigar makers imprint on the inside of the boxes. Tramp Art wasn't produced only by itinerants but by the working man and is considered Folk Art. These pieces can be simple such as picture frames and small items, or complicated such as boxes with secret compartments and furniture. A generous donation by K. Richard B. Niehoff.

Benn Pittman was born in England in 1822 and came to Cincinnati in the mid 1850's. He was a teacher at the Cincinnati Art Academy teaching decorative art and wood carving. One. of the premier Cincinnati Carvers, his work can be seen on furniture, woodwork, staircases, and small decorative items. His second wife was Adelaide Nourse, twin sister of painter Elizabeth Nourse. He was the founder of phonetic shorthand in America and one of the first shorthand reporters employed by the US Government. His most famous recorded case was the trial of the Lincoln conspirators.

- Sylvia Outland, Art Curator

Plaster maquette (model for a larger sculpture) of elegant standing female by Wayne Green. Carlysle Wayne Green lived in the old schoolhouse on Utica Road just north of Old St. Rt. 122. (This is why we named her Utica as she didn't come to us with a name.) Green was an accomplished sculptor, and artist-in-residence and instructor of sculpture at Wilmington College. Educated at the Dayton Art Institute, his works can be found in public private collections including Wilmington College.

- Sylvia Outland, Art Curator

​Cedric Michael Cox is best known for his paintings and drawings that merge surrealism and representational abstraction.  As a student at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), Cox was awarded a fellowship to study at the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland.  After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 1999, he began to exhibit regionally and nationally.

Cox’s paintings catapult color into rhythmic action with abstract and recognizable images that create compositions inspired by themes in music and the natural world.  His work remains true to sharing Cox’s innermost self as his passion radiates from the canvas.  Working under several influences which include architecture and art history, Cox’s work ranges from the geometric, to the curvilinear, to floral-like forms, all dancing within surrealistic shapes. In addition to his work being in corporate collections, Cox has executed several large-scale public murals, as well as murals in various public and private schools in The Cincinnati Region. 

Cox’s past exhibitions include: The Contemporary Arts Center of Cincinnati, The Weston Art Gallery, The Columbus Art Museum, Dayton Art Institute, Five Myles Gallery in Brooklyn, Museum of Science and Industry and Gallery Guichard in Chicago, and The Taft Museum of Art.  In 2019, Cox’s work was on exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel in Cincinnati, and in 2020, he had a solo exhibition at James Ratliff Gallery in Sedona, Arizona.  A 20-year retrospective exhibition at Caza Sikes Gallery and a commissioned body of work was created for the New Kinley Hotel Cincinnati in 2020 and in 2021, a series of 64 paintings for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was installed.

Throughout his career, Cox’s work has been featured in books, magazines, and in the media.

​Be sure to visit Cox's Art Exhibition, opening May 13th. with a free reception at 6:30p.

Rodney Veal is an independent choreographer and multi-disciplinary artist.  He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University with a B.S in Political Science and Visual Arts.  In 2010, he received an M.F.A in Choreography from The Ohio State University.  Rodney is an adjunct faculty in dance at Sinclair College in addition to serving as a Completion Coordinator for the Creative Arts Career Community.  Rodney currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Ohio Dance, as President, and on the boards of Levitt Pavilion Dayton, HomeFull, Dayton Live!, as well as the Community Advisory board of WYSO.
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Mr. Veal is the recipient of several Montgomery County Arts and Cultural District   grants and fellowships, including a MCACD Individual Artist Fellowship in 2010-2011.  He was one of five artists chosen nationwide to participate in the Blue Sky Dayton Project Artist in Residency Program held in collaboration with the University of Dayton in the summer of 2009.  Mr. Veal has choreographed and presented performance installations all over the Miami Valley; recent notable projects are: Reveal: Five Zones of Beauty presented at the Springfield Museum of Art in 2011 and the GHETTO installation at the University of Dayton’s ArtStreet in 2015.  Rodney can currently be seen as the Host of the Emmy© Award winning Television series THE ART SHOW on Think TV Channel 16, which is currently in production for its 12th season.

​Beautiful Remains: the work of Rodney Veal opens March 18 with a free opening reception at Harmon Museum. The exhibition closes May 7.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT
Sylvia Thompson Outland
 
            Inspired by color, line and form, I try to convey the beauty, personality and mood of each of my subjects. I love to garden, and am drawn to nature and like to capture the subject’s inner spirit as well as the mood of that particular moment. I feel a connection to my subjects and enjoy bringing out individual qualities, whether it is in a building, still life or landscape.  Having lived in Lebanon and Warren County most of my life I feel a deep connection with the area and its history.
 
My work is constantly evolving as I look for new ways to express my ideas.  The large variety of methods and materials available continues to challenge and expand my creativity. Each medium has its own characteristics and the subjects of my work and ideas I want to convey will usually dictate the medium I use.  I am constantly working and studying to expand my range of technical experience. I find that each work takes on a life of its own. 
 
This exhibition is made up of some of my favorite works done over the last 20 years.  Recently, I’ve been working with line and color, as shown in my “Hosta’s Gone Wild” and “Graphics” series and flowers in quick color sketches. My earlier work centers around my “Vanishing Landscape” series of pictures of old barns and buildings as well as still life studies.
 
My current work is more experimental using new ideas and different techniques letting serendipity dictate the design.  I still most enjoy the mediums of pencil and pen because, when working with them, I find a calmness and peace.
 
Inspired by my Grandmother and parents, my love of nature and history continues to this day as a great source of inspiration for my work. An early exposure to fine craftsmanship and building design has inspired my love of old barns, architecture and fine art crafts.
 
The mediums used in the works in this exhibition are oil/acrylic, watercolor, color and graphite pencils, India ink in black and color markers.
 
Work held in Private & Corporate Collections including:
The Harmon Museum, Warren County Historical Society, Lebanon, Ohio
Lebanon Citizens National Bank, Lebanon, Ohio
GMI Companies, Lebanon, Ohio
Butler County Republican Party
Warren County, Ohio government

Sylvia's show will be held from April 30, 2021 to June 5, 2021 at Harmon Museum

- Sylvia Outland, Art Curator
 
March 14th marked the return of the portrait, featured on Antiques Roadshow, of John Milton Charters and William Morris Charters (1846 - 1848) twin sons of Dr. William Morris Charters (1806 - 1883) and Cynthia Dutton Seely (1809 - 1860).  Both portraits were painted,  circa 1849, by Marcus Mote a Quaker artist living and working in Warren County. The Betsy H. Maple Trust, represented by Karri Hamilton daughter of Betsy Maple, (second wife of William Chester “Chet” Maple) personally delivered the painting the family gifted to the Harmon Museum. Both paintings descended in the family of Charters Dyche Maple (1899 - 1958) to his sons William Chester Maple (1935 - 2009) and Dixon Charters Maple (1929 - 2001).

​Since childhood, I have always been drawn to antique objects; they bring a relevance and history which contemporary objects do not offer.   This experience led to my exploration of historical drawings and etchings from the Victorian period, starting with Edwin Landseer, who was one of the most popular animal illustrators during this time period. 

Images of animals and children started to proliferate at the turn of the century as people sent greeting postcards and also read magazines like Harper’s Weekly which contained stories written and illustrated in serial fashion.  Printed magazines were available all over the country as reading became an important cultural activity and literacy increased.  In addition, life was documented and shared in wonderfully illustrated children’s books.  One can imagine domestic scenes by the fireside involving reading and the slow activity of embroidery.

Artwork and literature are rife with cultural symbols; they are a tool which teach our youth as well as shape adult behaviors.  Morals abound in these tales, both about humans and animals.  At this time, animals started to be seen as domestic companions and valued for their loyalty and compassion.  Many of these prints show scenes of tenderness and altruism, while others illustrate acts of aggression and barbary. 
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These stories and the prints which accompanied them, had a profound effect upon public perception of the treatment of animals and children leading to new organizations for their protection including the Society for the Care and Protection of Animals (SCPA) and new child labor laws.  Using research from this important historical period, I created a series of embroidered drawings on wool.  There is a kind of nostalgia in these images, not of a perfect world, but a slower paced life with some sweetness.   It is also important to note that the cultural awareness which awakened regarding children and animals unfortunately did not extend to all humanity, especially African Americans and immigrants.  The resulting embroideries seek to shine light upon our collective potential for acts of altruism and bravery, amidst the presence of depravity.  How can we extend the generosity of animals and children into contemporary society so that all people can find tenderness, sensitivity to others and begin to understand our collective value?

- written by Jeanne Doan, Assistant Director

The Warren County Historical Society began 2019 with lots of plans: a series of Lunch and Learn presentations, new programs, and traditional events. Then came Covid-19. No one predicted what a dramatic effect it would have. At the time of the shutdown, the Archaeology and Native American Artifact room, on the ground floor of the museum, had become a depository for overflow from other storage spaces.

During the shutdown, volunteer time was used effectively to clean and reorganize multiple storage spaces. The now clutter-free artifact room badly needed a make-over. Damp, dark, and outdated, the room cried out for help. Enter Mr. Doug Baird, a specialist in fossils and Native American artifacts.
 
After inspecting all the artifacts in the display cases and boxes in the vault, Mr. Baird informed us that WCHS has "the finest collection of fossils and Native American artifacts I have seen outside of the Smithsonian."

WCHS staff and volunteers have been working hard to clean, repaint, and rearrange. Display cases were resurrected from the basement of Glendower. Mr. Baird and his assistant sorted and relabeled the artifacts. The project was completed late November.
 
We want to extend our thanks to everyone who has been key to this transformation. The Harmon Museum looks forward to unveiling our new comprehensive display honoring our ancient Ohio beginnings.