Genesee Country Village and Museum

On April 18, 2015 I visited the Genesee Country Village and Museum of Mumford, NY (just outside of Rochester.) The Genesee Country Village and Museum is mainly a "living Museum" with presentations, fairs and events focusing on living arts. Often they teach classes such as basket weaving, painting and other various art forms. They do however have a large gallery focused primarily on art. Specifically wildlife and sportsman art focusing on years from the 1600s to the 1900s.  I have been to this museum a number of times and was in the area visiting friends and excited to check it out again. I was very lucky because though they are closed for the season until May 9, I happened to hear through a friend they were having an antique show/sale and had part of the museum opened for that day. The gallery I focused on was The John L Wehle Gallery which was a completely separate building from the rest of the museum, which was still closed for the season. 

Photo from http://www.gcv.org/The-Gallery/

 The building itself is a beautiful rustic theme built to resemble a barn to fit into the country setting of the living museum. It's high clock tower and weather vane add to its charm. The entryway features simple wooden columns and benches perfect for resting and taking in the view. The wooden exterior painted a rich red make the building stand out among the others on the property. 

When you walk through the doors you are

greeted by a brightly colored red/maroon room first with beautiful hard wood floors. The ceilings were vaulted giving the room a big open feeling, without being overwhelming. The lighting was obviously well thought out and showed the art work brilliantly. The majority of the artwork was oil and acrylic. There were also a variety of bronze sculptures. Even though I loved all of the artwork, I found myself drawn to these the most. 

"The Outlaw" www.christies.com

"Bronco Buster" icollector.com

The next room was an inviting bright blue that featured similar works of art and more sculptures. Including two works by Fredric Remington. One was "Broncho Buster" which was Bronze; 22 3/4 x 18 3/4 x 14 in, in size.  The other was called "The Outlaw" Which was Bronze;  23" x 14" in size. The third sculpture I was drawn to was "End of Trail" By James Earle Fraser. All three of them were very similar in size and in mediums, they were all cast in bronze. They all featured a horse and rider, two are cowboys and the "End of Trail" features a Native American. while they all have similar detail "The Outlaw" has much more texture in the platform. All three of them had a stunning amount of balance to them and each captured the essence of the western art that was featured. Since all the sculptures were in cases and it was difficult to take photographs of them I used some I found online. 

 I have already planned my next trip to the museum with friends and look forward to seeing what else has been added. I have a new appreciation for the bronze sculptures since I took the class Art Appreciation because I really didn't know all the work that went into them and how they were actually made. Learning about casting was very beneficial to this trip to the museum, as I used to glance at sculptures and just walk on by.  Since I am very "outdoorys" I love the theme and style of the western and wildlife art that is featured. I could spend all day taking in all of the wonders of the John L Wehle gallery. If you are ever in the area of Rochester, NY it is well worth the visit!