Off the Walls: Artwork From Our Patrons’ Collections

One of the pleasures of visiting friends in their homes is the opportunity to look at personal art collections. It is a special privilege to see artwork “at home” and to talk with collectors about pictures they have chosen to live with and admire daily.

Gathered in this exhibition at the Woodstock School of Art – and for many of us the school is home – is work from the collections of some of our special friends, our Patrons. There are many hundreds of people who have given their support and friendship over more than four decades. The school would not be here without their financial and personal support. At the WSA, Patrons are those who have demonstrated their confidence in the WSA by their extraordinary financial gifts. With their consent, we honor Patrons by placing their names on the WSA’s Patrons Wall.

We are grateful to our Patrons who generously share the bounty of their love of art with WSA friends, benefactors and the public.

Paula Nelson and John Kleinhans
Woodstock, NY, 2017

Paula Nelson and John Kleinhans are artists who have been associated with the Woodstock School of Art since the school’s founding. Nelson, a former board president, has been a part of the school since its beginning and was registrar for many years. Both have been students, volunteers, exhibitors, program directors, and have served on the Board of Directors, holding various positions until the present time.

Nelson and Kleinhans previously worked together as curators at the WSA for five exhibitions, as well as one at the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum. They ran the WSA Saturday Artists Slide Lecture Series for 25 years, and were administrators for the WSA Artists Residency Program and the WSA National and Regional Competition Exhibitions.

They have both been involved with several other arts organizations in Woodstock for decades as exhibitors, volunteers, and officers.

This exhibition has been realized largely through the effort and support of many individuals and organizations, most notably the Patrons, who have given generously of their time. Among the many others who have helped in this endeavor, we heartily thank the following: James Cox, Joe DePaul, Emily Jones, Janice LaMotta and the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum, Kathy Longyear, Tad Richards, Cornelia Rosenblum, Ed and Miriam Sanders, Derin Tanyol and the Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild.

Our thanks would not be complete without recognizing the patience, encouragement and hard work of the Woodstock School of Art staff: Nina Doyle, Mizuyo Aburano, Eric Angeloch, Mandara Calderon and Steve Hewitt.