A new, exclusive exhibit of works by Kacey Sydnor Carneal (1935-2022) was recently unveiled in the Shoreline Gallery at Riverside Walter Reed Hospital in partnership with The Cook Foundation.
The Cook Foundation has for the past 18 months been providing artwork for the Shoreline Gallery, according to a press release from the foundation. During that time, the gallery has featured plein air, botanical, and other works, including a self-portrait by Virginia artist Sukenya Best.
Riverside Walter Reed Hospital also donates the use of the lawn on Main Street to the Cook Foundation for the Virginia Symphony Under the Stars concert each June during the Gloucester Arts Festival, said the Cook Foundation release, “making this a true, year-round partnership in support of the arts in Gloucester.”
The new installation at the gallery features 13 paintings by Carneal, who was a local, self-taught folk artist. The Cook Foundation acquired more than 300 of the late artist’s works and artifacts in 2022, and 90 of them are featured in the inaugural exhibit at the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester as part of a 50-year retrospective.
Carneal began painting at the age of 50, said the release. Working in oil on wood or canvas, she used the frame as an extension of the painting or an accent.
“Her distinctive style made her art unique and provides joy to all who view it,” said the release.
The artist painted eight hours a day, seven days a week while listening to music. Her work reflects the things, the people, and the causes she loved, delivering thought-provoking and inspirational themes in her signature whimsical style, said the release.
Pieces by Carneal have been displayed in numerous juried art exhibitions, winning awards throughout the United States, said the release. Images of her paintings are on file with the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., the Abby Aldrich Folk Art Museum in Williamsburg, and the Museum of American Folk Art in New York City.
Carneal was also an Artist-in-Residence at the Kluge Children’s Rehabilitation Center in Charlottesville, where many of her works are on display. Additional works are often on view at the University of Virginia Medical Center.
The Cook Foundation created and funds the Gloucester Arts Festival and the Fine Arts Museum of Gloucester, said the release. It additionally supports community-led arts and cultural initiatives to enhance the quality of life in Gloucester and across the region.
Other noteworthy projects by the foundation are the murals on Main Street in the Court Circle district, including the Pocahontas mural, Daffodil “Narcissi” mural, T.C. Walker mural, Watermen mural, and Main Street Beecycles mural; the Main Street flower baskets; Chalkfest; original theater productions; the Beehive Project; the display of statues during the Gloucester Arts Festival; and supporting art education scholarships for graduating high school students.
The Cook Foundation has also invested in the arts and culture of Gloucester through the support of organizations like the Fairfield Foundation, Arts on Main, the Woodville Rosenwald School Foundation, and other organizations that enrich the lives of Gloucester’s citizens and visitors alike.