Opening of The Sterling Strauser Gallery

Posted by: admin on April 23, 2012, No Comments

The works of  the late acclaimed self-taught artist, Sterling Strauser, who lived and painted in East Stroudsburg from 1928 to 1995, will be featured on Tuesday, May 1, when East Stroudsburg University opens its new Sterling Strauser Gallery.  The gallery was made possible thanks to a generous donation of 114 of Strauser’s paintings by Grey and Linda Carter and family of McClean, Va. The collection of paintings will be featured in a temporary gallery located in the ESU Innovation Center, 562  Independence Road, East Stroudsburg, Pa. The collection will be displayed in a permanent gallery upon completion of the university’s Keystone Center, Phase I, scheduled to open in 2015.

ESU President Robert J. Dillman and donor and philanthropist Grey Carter, along with his family, will be among those participating in the gallery opening. Other guests will include film director James Sittig, who made a documentary about Mr. Strauser in 1994 titled “Strauser on Strauser: A Rare Glimpse into the Life and Art of Sterling Boyd Strauser.”Richard Staneski, ESU’s vice president for finance and administration, andFrank Falso, president and CEO of the ESU Foundation, will also be participants in the opening, which is by invitation only.

Sterling Boyd Strauser (1907 – 1995), whose German name means “one who binds the flowers,” was born in Bloomsburg, Pa., in 1907, and later moved to East Stroudsburg, Pa., with his wife, Dorothy.  Sterling and Dorothy were quick to influence the arts throughout the Pocono Region, both as well-known collectors and promoters of folk and outsider art.

ESU’s Strauser collection features “Spring is Bursting Out,” (a photo of this piece accompanies this press release), as well as his self-portrait and some of his most iconic pieces such as “The Circus,” “Mother’s Funeral,” “Nancy Emma,” his signature florals, and many other spectacular works.

Strauser’s art is included in the permanent collections of the American Museum in Bath, England; the Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, Pa.; Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pa.; Everhart Museum, Scranton, Pa.; Cheekwood Museum and Vanderbilt University, both in Nashville, Tenn.; Maier Museum of Art, Lynchburg, Va.; and, numerous private and corporate collections.

In addition to his painting, Strauser served as a teacher and principal of the grade school in Mount Pocono from 1928 to 1929.  He also worked at the International Boiler Works in East Stroudsburg where he began as a shipping clerk in 1930 and retired as company secretary in 1962.

Philanthropist Grey Carter and his wife, Linda, are ardent art dealers and collectors, pleased to honor Sterling Strauser by donating the founding collection of his art to East Stroudsburg University. Grey is a private art dealer and artist’s representative. In 1964, after meeting Sterling Strauser, Grey began buying and selling works of art to meet his desire to acquire an art collection.

Sponsors for the inaugural gallery event on May 1 are: Bushkill Group, Inc. of Bushkill, Pa.; Christmas City Printing Company, Bethlehem, Pa; David W. Coulter Photography, Henryville, Pa.; East Stroudsburg University Foundation; East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania; David and Marsha Freeburg, Potomac, Md.; Georgetv.com of Stroudsburg, Pa.; Brian Stone, C.P.A., Stroudsburg, Pa.; George and Sue Viener, Leesburg,Va.; and the Marty Wilson Trio of Delaware Water Gap, Pa.

The Sterling Strauser Gallery at ESU will open to the general public at a later date, yet to be announced.  A donation of $10 is suggested per visitor to view the collection, with all funds raised intended to support the preservation of Strauser’s artistic legacy.

For more information about The Sterling Strauser Gallery, please contact ESU’s Division of Research and Economic Development at (570) 422-7920.