COMMUNITY HEROES IN PORTRAITURE - Origins and Inspiration

“Community Heroes in Portraiture,” is a multidimensional exhibition of original commemorative oil portraits by Janet Wentworth Erickson. The project was supported by a Faculty Creative Activity Grant from the State University of New York, Oneonta. Janet and her team of students identified, researched, and captured the essential lives of ten "unsung" community heroes in Otsego and Delaware counties in central New York.

The exhibition is accompanied by her students’ photographs, videographies, historical and biographical writings, and iconographic imagery. The exhibition both informs the viewer as to the process of the painted portrait and celebrates the individual in community.   

Capturing the “visage” of an individual in portraiture has been an important practice from ancient times and increased to the point of a populist movement starting in the 19th century: first through photography and then digital media – most recently Facebook. The artistry has varied: from the highest classical art forms to “selfies” captured by an I-Phone. Whether sculptures, death masks, charcoal on paper, paint on canvas or photography, it has been essential in society to capture the images of citizens (leaders and the common man) who benefit the common good. 

Each of Janet's oil portraits with accompanying writings describes the history of each individual hero contextualized.  By capturing a slice of the region's contemporary life, the project fulfilled its mission to provide local communities with a sense of ownership of their valued citizen heroes and portray cultural values and priorities to future generations. 

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