Howard Schroeder family presents gift to Rehoboth Art League
Temperatures soared to 98 degrees on the first day of summer as a group of 50 members stayed cool in the newly renovated Chambers Studio at the Rehoboth Art League campus. President Diana Beebe presided over a rededication of the Chambers building with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and then introduced members of Howard Schroeder’s family for the surprise of the afternoon, the unveiling of a collection of Howard Schroeder’s work. Brothers Rob Schroeder and John Schroeder presented the art league with a gift of a collection of original works by their father.
Howard Schroeder arrived in Delaware from New York City in 1942. Shortly thereafter, he came to the Rehoboth Art League. He was an art league instructor beginning in 1946, served on the board of trustees and influenced hundreds of aspiring artists in the community. He founded the Open Studio Sketch Group in 1949, and it became a keystone in the structure of the Rehoboth Art League’s educational programming.
The gift, a collection of 18 drawings and paintings, represents some of Schroeder’s works from 1974 to 1993 while he attended the Open Studio Sketch Group held each week in the Chambers Studio. Unlike his Delaware scenes, they are figurative works on paper and canvas using varying combinations of conté, pastel, pencil, and acrylic and watercolor paint. Select works from the collection will be on display in the Chambers Studio for a limited time to provide inspiration for art students and instructors alike.
The weekly sketch group, now called the Howard Schroeder Sketch Group, continues today in the Chambers Studio, and with the renovation of the building, attendees will draw and paint in the comfort of the climate-controlled building. In order to preserve the building for many years to come, the renovations included a new roof, an updated room for pottery wheels and kiln, and new windows and doors in the painting studio. Guests for the evening, including longtime artists at the league, were amazed by the transformation.
Beebe expressed the league’s excitement and gratitude for the precious gift from the Schroeder family. A plaque was placed under one of the works, and it will remain on display at the Chambers Studio. It reads, “The renaming of the sketch group and donation of Howard’s sketches and artwork by his family to the Rehoboth Art League is in recognition of his profound love of sketching, deep passion for teaching, and devotion to the Rehoboth Art League.”
The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based teaching and exhibiting nonprofit arts organization dedicated to encouraging and preserving the arts in Delaware. To donate to ‘A Cool Place to be This Summer’ or to learn more about the Howard Schroeder Sketch Group, other classes, exhibitions and events at the league, go to www.RehobothArtLeague.org or call 302-227-8408.
