A World War II veteran and alumnus of PSU (then Plymouth State College), James Fortune was a major art professor at PSU until his retirement in 1984. He was also a Fulbright Exchange Professor, teaching at the Watford School in Hertfordshire, England. Living in Bridgewater, he remained a prominent art figure locally as well, serving on the New Hampshire Council of the Arts Board in the 1980s, and as an active member of the New Hampshire Art Association. He sadly passed away in Aug. 2013. His artistic influence has lived on through his students, who have noted how important Fortune’s teaching was to their careers. For the past two years, Peggy, his wife and fellow art teacher, and Cynthia Robinson, the director of the Karl Dreup Art Gallery, have planned the exhibits of his artwork.
The Clock spoke with Robinson to further understand the exhibit, called “From the Continuum: A Fourfold Retrospective.”
“The continuum idea refers to a couple of things – one is that James Fortune worked most often with a ‘series’ of works – meaning that he followed a theme or concept, creating several (sometimes many) artworks with that idea in mind,” said Robinson on the exhibit’s title. “The works would be slightly different from each other…but you'd be able to tell they were part of a ‘family’ of ideas. The idea of continuum also relates to how Jim was one of a series of excellent art professors here at PSC/PSU, all with similar goals to encourage their students to integrate the idea of being an artist with the idea of being a teacher.”
On the “Fourfold Retrospective”, Robinson said “Fourfold refers to the fact that this exhibit has four sites – four exhibit spaces, each with a different part or ‘chapter’ in James Fortune's artwork journey. ‘Retrospective’ is a large exhibit that attempts to show the majority of the artist's works – perhaps including early pieces – mid career artworks, and mature or final artworks. It's kind of like a biography of the artist, but with the artworks telling the story.”
“From the Continuum: A Fourfold Retrospective by James Fortune” will be displayed in four locations in PSU and the nearby Holderness School from Oct. 3 to Oct. 30,, with each location showing a different part of Fortune’s career. The exhibit at Karl Dreup Art Gallery focuses on Fortune’s legacy, displaying the works of several of his students. The Shoebox Gallery within Dreup displays self-portraits, and allows visitors to create their own self-portraits. “Encounters” can be found at the Silver Center for the Arts, and shows Fortune’s handcast paper and mixed-media artwork. “Early Searches” at Lamson Library features a selection from Fortune’s “Sweeney Series,” which is inspired by the Irish poem “Sweeney Astray.” Finally, the Edwards Gallery at the nearby Holderness School features “Connections,” which includes varied selections of all of Fortune’s work in various media. Anyone interested is encouraged to celebrate the life of this locally important artist.
CLOCK PHOTO/ NIKO ZELINSKI