Being a museum curator has great rewards as it opens up doors to collections and collectors that lead to creating public educational exhibits of those wonderful things and relationships with those wonderful individuals. Case in point; it was my honor and privilege to pay a visit to the home of John Schroeder, the youngest son of the legendary Lewes artist and art educator Howard Schroeder.
The cordial spring occasion lead to the selection of a wide variety of paintings from his Schroeder family’s collection to best represent their father in the exhibit "Legacy of Delaware, The Paintings of Howard Schroeder (1910-1995)'' currently at the Historic Odessa Foundation’s National Historic Register Bank Building and Visitor Center.
As the tour of the collection unfolded I imagined the artist painting each scene as his son gave a personal narration of each painting while describing many of the circumstances behind them. Having lived in our small state for nearly 40 years, I instantly recognized most of the places where the paintings were created.
The location of one very large painting depicting an enclave of colorful houses was a puzzle to the collector, but I recognized it as being from the little fishing village of Leipsic. The scene hasn’t changed much since the artist painted it when matched to my photograph of the same scene taken just a few days after our meeting.
After the extensive exploration of the collection, now came the hard part of a curator’s job, telling the collector which artworks should be part of the exhibit and which ones should stay at home. With hardly a push back from the collector, I briefly retoured the collection and selected which works would complement the paintings already selected from the Rehoboth Art League’s collection.
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The collector willingly took the task of jotting down the titles, media and years of the selected artworks. What an exciting and emotional experience it was for the both of us. The goal of the exhibition would be to introduce the artist to a whole new audience in New Castle County.
Who was Howard Schroeder?
Howard Schroeder was born in New York City, studied at Syracuse University and the National Academy of Design before working as a commercial artist and operating an art supply store and gallery on the Avenue of Rehoboth Beach.
During World War II, he was stationed at Fort Miles on Cape Henlopen and never left the town of Lewes while raising a family of six children. His life’s work in art producing hundreds of oil paintings, watercolors, and drawings in Delaware would keep him busy for 85 years.
The proud Schroeder family loaned 20 paintings while the RAL loaned 12 paintings. The collections include colorful self-portraits, seasonal Lewes Canal scenes, and touching portraits of family and friends.
Schroeder had a long relationship with the RAL as an art educator and supporter who was instrumental in helping to create the “sketch group” and the popular “outdoor show.” His legacy there lives on with this month’s 53rd annual Outdoor Fine Art & Fine Craft Show.
Also included with the HOF exhibition is a showcase representing the artist through a petite exhibit of family photographs, a biographical and fully illustrated Schroeder book authored by John Schroeder, and the artist’s paint box opened up to reveal dozens of worn-out paint brushes and squeezed paint tubes.
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A reception was recently held with the Schroeder family, collectors, HOF and RAL museum members, and new friends for whom Howard Schroeder was introduced to through his colorful paintings. A brief but entertaining talk highlighting some personal family stories was presented by John Schroeder that elicited numerous questions from those gathered.
Come celebrate the legacy of a Delaware artist and discover a visual collection of Delaware’s coastal landscapes, historic maritime towns and everyday life while taking advantage of this rare opportunity to view the exhibit now through Sunday, Aug. 30, in the historic town of Odessa.
Please browse the Events Calendar on the Historic Odessa Foundation’s website for Delaware art exhibits rotating every two months along with numerous other historic programs and special events.
Brian Miller, associate curator, Historic Odessa Foundation
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Open Call is hosted by regional arts and cultural groups on Sundays.If you know a group that would like to be included, please email Tammy Paolino at for details.