Museum Exhibition Showcases Works of Nature Artist, Former Director
Cleveland . . . A new Cleveland Museum of Natural History exhibition highlights the artistic legacy of the late William E. Scheele. The retrospective exhibition “A Passion for Nature: The Art of William E. Scheele,” goes on display in the Museum’s Fawick Gallery Oct. 15. The exhibition runs through Jan. 11, 2009.
Scheele’s artwork includes drawings, paintings and illustrated books. His works reflect his love of nature, from detailed studies of plants and animals to images of prehistoric life and wilderness landscapes. Many paintings are related to Ohio wildlife and Museum-related subjects. Artwork in the exhibition is arranged chronologically and recounts his life’s story.
Scheele was born in Cleveland in 1920. He later graduated from Western Reserve University and the Cleveland School of Art. He served in World War II from 1942 to 1946 as an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and received a Silver Star for action in support of Gen. George S. Patton’s Third Army.
In 1949 at the age of 29, Scheele was appointed director of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, a post he would hold for 23 years. Under his leadership, the Museum’s programs and collections were greatly expanded. Scheele supported field expeditions that resulted in major acquisitions including a Haplocanthosaurus delfsi giant sauropod dinosaur in 1954. In 1958, Scheele helped move the Museum from its original location in an old Euclid Avenue mansion to its present home in University Circle.
The Museum’s world-renowned collection of Devonian marine fossils was expanded as researchers excavated the shale exposed during the construction of Interstate 71 in the 1960s. Scheele was also instrumental in the acquisition of the Hamman-Todd Osteological Collection of human and non-human primate skeletons, which has become one of the world’s most studied Museum collections.
Scheele was an early advocate for conservation and environmental issues. He developed innovative Museum programs and publications, such as The Explorer, a quarterly magazine edited by his wife, Joann, for which he wrote and illustrated many articles. Several examples of this publication are included in the exhibition.
Scheele wrote and illustrated seven books on natural history, which will also be on display. His best known, Prehistoric Animals, The First Mammals and Prehistoric Man and the Primates, were written for young adults. The dynamic illustrations in these works excited the imaginations of his readers. Throughout his adult life, Scheele heard from individuals whose exposure to these books as young people had guided them toward professions in the natural sciences.
During the early days of the contemporary environmental movement, Scheele was a voice for issues related to the natural world. He brought influential scientists and thinkers to speak at the Museum. Concerned about changes to the land locally, he acquired Fern Lake, the first parcel of land in what is today the Museum’s Natural Areas Program. Scheele’s efforts and ideas helped shape the Museum into the world-renowned institution it is today. In 1972, Museum trustees awarded him the Museum’s most prestigious honor, the Harold T. Clark Medal, in recognition of his outstanding service to the Museum.
When Scheele left the Museum in 1972 to head the World Wildlife Fund in Washington, D.C., a reporter from The Cleveland Press wrote, “For nearly a quarter of a century, William E. Scheele has been the local prophet, expounding the beauties of nature and warning us about the evils we are doing to our surroundings.”
“A Passion for Nature: The Art of William E. Scheele” is sponsored by The Louise H. and David S. Ingalls Foundation. The exhibition is included in the Museum’s general admission fee: $9 adults; $7 ages 7-18, college students with IDs and seniors; $6 children 3-6. Wednesday evening admission is $5 after 5 p.m. Shafran Planetarium shows are $4 per person with admission.
The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is located at 1 Wade Oval Drive in University Circle, just 15 minutes east of downtown Cleveland. Museum hours are: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call (216) 231-4600 or 800-317-9155. Visit the Museum’s Web site at www.cmnh.org [1].
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| WES_Kingfisher.jpg [2] | 145.68 KB |
