Weekly Interview: Daniel O'Leary (May 16, 2008)
By Molly Lovell
Staff Writer
Last week Scarborough resident Daniel O’Leary announced retirement as director of the Portland Museum of Art to take over a project he says is unique to those in Scarborough and throughout Maine, as well as the country.
After 14 years as museum director, O’Leary’s new title is director of the Winslow Homer Studio Project at Prouts Neck. Homer was a landscape painter and printmaker who made his home at the small coastal cottage at age 47, where he lived for the last 26 years of his life. Homer is best known for his marine subjects inspired by the cottage view, O’Leary said.
For the last four years O’Leary has overseen the restoration of the home and studio, negotiated the purchase and researched Homer’s life and career at Prouts Neck. O’Leary said it was difficult balancing the project with his responsibilities as museum director calling his new position a “wonderful change.”
He said the Portland Museum of Art purchased the cottage from Homer’s family in 2006 for $1.8 million. Since then O’Leary has been working on a capital campaign for the project, raising more than $5 million of its $8.3 million goal.
He said a large part of the project includes restoration of the cottage. A new foundation was created, walls were reinforced and the second story porch, or piazza, also needed to be rebuilt.
“His view of the ocean is one of the great features he loved about the studio and we wanted to be sure we restored all of the studio to the quality and character it had when he lived there,” O’Leary said.
Inspired by the coast, Homer created some of his most well known paintings while at Prouts Neck.
“He would walk along the shore every day with his dog Sam and study the waves, study the ocean,” O’Leary said, adding that the Prouts Neck coastline can be identified in at least 15 of Homer’s pieces.
“It’s the only place in America where this kind of experience exists,” O’Leary said.
While unique, the general public will not have an opportunity to view the studio after its projected completion in 2010.
“The studio will be used for small guided tours for students who will be brought out there in vans, never in buses, in groups of seven or eight,” he said.
These tours will occur during “shoulder seasons,” meaning seasons before and after summer, in May and early June and September and October. He said there’s an educational opportunity to explore with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Scarborough Police Chief Robert Moulton said Prouts Neck is private property and if one were to pass through the gates on foot they could be asked to leave if a resident made a complaint to the police department.
“Every once in a while someone who is curious will try, but we just don’t have many people that do,” Moulton said, adding the lack of parking most likely keeps people away.
Technically, the cliff walk that runs along the coast of Prouts Neck is public property, but Moulton said the general public cannot access it without stepping onto private property. He said guests at the Black Point Inn are permitted to travel the path while staying at the inn.
Throughout summer the cottage will be home to scholars or artists in residence, O’Leary said, adding the cottage is uninhabitable during winter because it lacks insulation.
“We think American art historians, writers and painters from around the country will be interested,” he said.
O’Leary said while the museum has an extensive collection of Homer’s oil and watercolor pieces, they will not be displayed at the studio because the climate conditions are not sophisticated enough to protect them.
Homer came to Maine in 1883, O’Leary said. Noted architect John Calvin Stevens restored the cottage for him.
“He did a very simple job for his friend. The building already existed,” O’Leary said, adding it’s unknown how old the cottage is.
“He [Homer] had a career that showed real talent but he had not realized his potential,” adding what Homer found in Maine was the inspiration he needed to become “America’s greatest painter.”
“He found heroic people and inspiring natural beauty that was exactly what his particular talents and vision needed to pursue greatness,” O’Leary said.
Homer lived a simple and grateful life, O’Leary said, describing him as “solitary” and “thoughtful,” and a pioneer for the preservation of the Maine coastline.
“He was way ahead of his time,” O’Leary said.
When asked what he would say to Homer if he had the opportunity, O’Leary said he couldn’t answer that question.
“He was a very interesting, intrigueing person. He never talked about his art. He was very disciplined and private about his ideas,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary is proud of several accomplishments during his tenure at the museum.
“I was very happy to be able to bring the modern building to its full potential, develop wonderful staff, build the endowment from $3 million to $33 million, double attendance, triple membership and balance the budget for 14 consecutive years following the 11 years of deficits that occurred before I was hired,” he said.
O’Leary was also involved in the museum’s purchase of the YWCA property on Spring Street in Portland last summer. The museum purchased the property for $2.35 million, giving the YWCA $1.45 million and placing $900,000 in an escrow account for the Maine Housing Authority.
O’Leary came to Portland from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where he served as assistant director for five years. Prior to that he was executive director of Artrain, a national arts organization based in Michigan.
While not an artist, O’Leary – who studied art in college – said he knew becoming involved in a museum would give him a “great deal of satisfaction.”
O’Leary is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Michigan and holds a doctorate in art history along with an MBA in marketing and management.
According to a press release issued by the museum the museum’s budget has grown from $1.8 million to $4.6 million under O’Leary’s direction. Besides being instrumental in the purchase of the Winslow Homer Studio, O’Leary was successful in developing the exhibit, “Bright Common Spikes: The Sculpture of John Bisbee.” He also curated several exhibits including, “Journeys over Water: The Paintings of Stephen Etnier;” “N.C. Wyeth: Precious Time” and “A Solitude of Space: The Paintings of Thomas Crotty.”
O’Leary said some of his greatest challenges were building an exhibition program that would enrich the museum the entire year, empower staff and attract capable people to the board of directors.
Deputy Director Thomas Denenberg has been named acting director until a new museum director is hired. A search committee will be formed this summer.
To learn more about the museum’s programming, call 775-6148 or visit www.portlandmuseum.org.
Staff Writer
Last week Scarborough resident Daniel O’Leary announced retirement as director of the Portland Museum of Art to take over a project he says is unique to those in Scarborough and throughout Maine, as well as the country.
After 14 years as museum director, O’Leary’s new title is director of the Winslow Homer Studio Project at Prouts Neck. Homer was a landscape painter and printmaker who made his home at the small coastal cottage at age 47, where he lived for the last 26 years of his life. Homer is best known for his marine subjects inspired by the cottage view, O’Leary said.
For the last four years O’Leary has overseen the restoration of the home and studio, negotiated the purchase and researched Homer’s life and career at Prouts Neck. O’Leary said it was difficult balancing the project with his responsibilities as museum director calling his new position a “wonderful change.”
He said the Portland Museum of Art purchased the cottage from Homer’s family in 2006 for $1.8 million. Since then O’Leary has been working on a capital campaign for the project, raising more than $5 million of its $8.3 million goal.
He said a large part of the project includes restoration of the cottage. A new foundation was created, walls were reinforced and the second story porch, or piazza, also needed to be rebuilt.
“His view of the ocean is one of the great features he loved about the studio and we wanted to be sure we restored all of the studio to the quality and character it had when he lived there,” O’Leary said.
Inspired by the coast, Homer created some of his most well known paintings while at Prouts Neck.
“He would walk along the shore every day with his dog Sam and study the waves, study the ocean,” O’Leary said, adding that the Prouts Neck coastline can be identified in at least 15 of Homer’s pieces.
“It’s the only place in America where this kind of experience exists,” O’Leary said.
While unique, the general public will not have an opportunity to view the studio after its projected completion in 2010.
“The studio will be used for small guided tours for students who will be brought out there in vans, never in buses, in groups of seven or eight,” he said.
These tours will occur during “shoulder seasons,” meaning seasons before and after summer, in May and early June and September and October. He said there’s an educational opportunity to explore with grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Scarborough Police Chief Robert Moulton said Prouts Neck is private property and if one were to pass through the gates on foot they could be asked to leave if a resident made a complaint to the police department.
“Every once in a while someone who is curious will try, but we just don’t have many people that do,” Moulton said, adding the lack of parking most likely keeps people away.
Technically, the cliff walk that runs along the coast of Prouts Neck is public property, but Moulton said the general public cannot access it without stepping onto private property. He said guests at the Black Point Inn are permitted to travel the path while staying at the inn.
Throughout summer the cottage will be home to scholars or artists in residence, O’Leary said, adding the cottage is uninhabitable during winter because it lacks insulation.
“We think American art historians, writers and painters from around the country will be interested,” he said.
O’Leary said while the museum has an extensive collection of Homer’s oil and watercolor pieces, they will not be displayed at the studio because the climate conditions are not sophisticated enough to protect them.
Homer came to Maine in 1883, O’Leary said. Noted architect John Calvin Stevens restored the cottage for him.
“He did a very simple job for his friend. The building already existed,” O’Leary said, adding it’s unknown how old the cottage is.
“He [Homer] had a career that showed real talent but he had not realized his potential,” adding what Homer found in Maine was the inspiration he needed to become “America’s greatest painter.”
“He found heroic people and inspiring natural beauty that was exactly what his particular talents and vision needed to pursue greatness,” O’Leary said.
Homer lived a simple and grateful life, O’Leary said, describing him as “solitary” and “thoughtful,” and a pioneer for the preservation of the Maine coastline.
“He was way ahead of his time,” O’Leary said.
When asked what he would say to Homer if he had the opportunity, O’Leary said he couldn’t answer that question.
“He was a very interesting, intrigueing person. He never talked about his art. He was very disciplined and private about his ideas,” O’Leary said.
O’Leary is proud of several accomplishments during his tenure at the museum.
“I was very happy to be able to bring the modern building to its full potential, develop wonderful staff, build the endowment from $3 million to $33 million, double attendance, triple membership and balance the budget for 14 consecutive years following the 11 years of deficits that occurred before I was hired,” he said.
O’Leary was also involved in the museum’s purchase of the YWCA property on Spring Street in Portland last summer. The museum purchased the property for $2.35 million, giving the YWCA $1.45 million and placing $900,000 in an escrow account for the Maine Housing Authority.
O’Leary came to Portland from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts where he served as assistant director for five years. Prior to that he was executive director of Artrain, a national arts organization based in Michigan.
While not an artist, O’Leary – who studied art in college – said he knew becoming involved in a museum would give him a “great deal of satisfaction.”
O’Leary is a graduate of Princeton University and the University of Michigan and holds a doctorate in art history along with an MBA in marketing and management.
According to a press release issued by the museum the museum’s budget has grown from $1.8 million to $4.6 million under O’Leary’s direction. Besides being instrumental in the purchase of the Winslow Homer Studio, O’Leary was successful in developing the exhibit, “Bright Common Spikes: The Sculpture of John Bisbee.” He also curated several exhibits including, “Journeys over Water: The Paintings of Stephen Etnier;” “N.C. Wyeth: Precious Time” and “A Solitude of Space: The Paintings of Thomas Crotty.”
O’Leary said some of his greatest challenges were building an exhibition program that would enrich the museum the entire year, empower staff and attract capable people to the board of directors.
Deputy Director Thomas Denenberg has been named acting director until a new museum director is hired. A search committee will be formed this summer.
To learn more about the museum’s programming, call 775-6148 or visit www.portlandmuseum.org.
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