Out & About: Sculpture dedicated to former Westmoreland Museum curator

Shirley McMarlin, Tribune-Review, Greensburg, Pa.
·2 min read

Aug. 13—The Westmoreland Museum of American Art has received the gift of a sculpture by the late Pittsburgh artist Aaronel deRoy Gruber, in honor of former chief curator Barbara L. Jones.

The sculpture titled "Alumascape III" is installed outside the Greensburg museum's north entrance and was dedicated during a program and reception on Aug. 2.

Dating to 1980, the 8-foot abstract piece comprises six elliptical aluminum forms welded together and perched on an elongated cylindrical base. It rotates when set in motion by wind.

It was previously exhibited at the World Expo of 1988 in Brisbane, Australia.

The dedication marked 10 years since deRoy Gruber's 2013 solo exhibition at The Westmoreland, "Art(ist) in Motion," curated by Jones.

Born in Pittsburgh in 1918, deRoy Gruber began her career as a painter in the Abstract Expressionist movement, later becoming one of the first artists to sculpt with Plexiglas. She also sculpted with metals, worked in photography and screen printing and produced vacuum-formed plastic jewelry. She died in 2011.

Jones wore pieces of that jewelry to the reception.

Reception guests heard a survey of the artist's life and aesthetic presented by Brittany Reilly, executive director of the Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation, founded in 2000 by the artist and her husband.

"She was both of her time and ahead of her time," Reilly said.

Also during the event, Chief Curator Jeremiah William McCarthy introduced Silvia Filippini-Fantoni, The Westmoreland's new Richard M. Scaife Director/CEO.

"This is day three, so everybody be very kind," he joked, before addressing Filippini-Fantoni directly: "For a long year, we waited for you and it was so very worth it."

Seen at The Westmoreland: Helene Conway-Long, Martin O'Brien, Kevin and Judy O'Toole, Linda McKenna Boxx, Leo Hsu, Madeline Gent, George and Olive Conte, Karen Douglas, Barbara Ferrier, Margaret DiVirgilio, Linda Earnest, Linda Blum, Beverly Hritz, Shirleah Kelly, Sally Loughran, Gay Wasserman, Sharon Vito-McCue, Pamela Cooper, Susan Pollins and museum staff members Suzanne Wright, Rhonda Madden, Erica Nuckles, Doug Evans, Danny Volk and Claire Ertl.

Shirley McMarlin is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Shirley by email at smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .