As the Endowed Gallery Director and an assistant professor of art history at Lebanon Valley College, Dr. Barbara McNulty’s work interacts with the arts in a myriad of ways. But a role related to the arts was not always in the cards for Dr. McNulty. Instead, it was a volunteer position in the Art Goes to Schools program that led her to a career in the arts.

“I ran the Art Goes to School program for 13 years in a local school district,” says Dr. McNulty, “I often have students who come up to me now and remember the activities we did, like pretending to be Van Gogh by wearing bandages over our ears or being Michelangelo by crawling under the desks to draw like he did on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is amazing that they would remember these things.”

Although she had previously found success as a working watercolorist, even presenting her work at the Mount Gretna Outdoor Art Show, this volunteer role sparked a newfound interest in the arts for Dr. McNulty.

“When I became more involved as a volunteer for the school, I found that I loved talking to people about art and teaching art—that became more interesting to me than making it.”

With a new perspective in tow, Dr. McNulty headed back to school, first obtaining her masters in the humanities and later, her doctorate in art history. From there, she found her way to LVC where she feels her experiences in studying art history, working as an artist, and even volunteering and working in roles unrelated to the arts help to guide her work.

“Being the director of a gallery, it’s nice to have all this background,” she says, “I was also in the real estate business where I helped with marketing. Those skills—administration, knowing about art, curating art, and studying art history—have all helped.”

While it’s no secret that art can come with a substantial price tag, the process of bringing art together for an exhibition is also quite substantial. Dr. McNulty and art gallery assistant, Dr. Kristine Larison, each shared some aspects of the process that came with preparing the spring exhibit of “American Modernism: Works from the Kruszewski-Tobiasz Collection.” From our conversations, it quickly became evident that the process was anything but easy.

The first step in preparing this year’s spring exhibit was the decision of what it would cover. Back when she was meeting Dr. Kruszewski for the first time in the spring of 2013, Dr. McNulty remembers hearing of his plans to use the collection to share the ways that art impacts American society for the better. Since that meeting, the gallery has done three collaborations with the Kruszewski-Tobiasz collection, and after visiting Dr. Kruszewski’s collection to discuss some of his favorite works and the themes that both parties were interested in, the final checklist was concluded for this fourth collaboration.

After choosing the works for the exhibit, there was then the cost and effort of transporting the works to the gallery. As shared by Dr. McNulty, transportation can often cost thousands of dollars in addition to what is spent to get the exhibit, not to mention the costs associated with insuring the work.

Then, once the art works safely arrived at the art gallery, the work began with setting up the exhibit and laying out the works. Dr. Larison described just a few of the tasks in this process, some of which involved writing labels for the works, measuring and placing the works, and even just educating student workers about the exhibition itself. There is also the exhibit’s catalog, which features an essay written by Dr. Larison on the stories behind the art works. At 144 pages, it speaks volumes to the work that goes into an exhibition like this one.

And while these steps just touch the surface of the preparations involved in the spring exhibition, there’s more to be told when it comes to art itself.

While it’s no secret that art can come with a substantial price tag, the process of bringing art together for an exhibition is also quite substantial. Dr. McNulty and art gallery assistant, Dr. Kristine Larison, each shared some aspects of the process that came with preparing the spring exhibit of “American Modernism: Works from the Kruszewski-Tobiasz Collection.” From our conversations, it quickly became evident that the process was anything but easy.

The first step in preparing this year’s spring exhibit was the decision of what it would cover. Back when she was meeting Dr. Kruszewski for the first time in the spring of 2013, Dr. McNulty remembers hearing of his plans to use the collection to share the ways that art impacts American society for the better. Since that meeting, the gallery has done three collaborations with the Kruszewski-Tobiasz collection, and after visiting Dr. Kruszewski’s collection to discuss some of his favorite works and the themes that both parties were interested in, the final checklist was concluded for this fourth collaboration.

 After choosing the works for the exhibit, there was then the cost and effort of transporting the works to the gallery. As shared by Dr. McNulty, transportation can often cost thousands of dollars in addition to what is spent to get the exhibit, not to mention the costs associated with insuring the work.

Then, once the art works safely arrived at the art gallery, the work began with setting up the exhibit and laying out the works. Dr. Larison described just a few of the tasks in this process, some of which involved writing labels for the works, measuring and placing the works, and even just educating student workers about the exhibition itself. There is also the exhibit’s catalog, which features an essay written by Dr. Larison on the stories behind the art works. At 144 pages, it speaks volumes to the work that goes into an exhibition like this one.

And while these steps just touch the surface of the preparations involved in the spring exhibition, there’s more to be told when it comes to art itself.

As the only art gallery in the Lebanon Valley operating on museum quality standards, the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery plays an important role in bringing the arts to our community here in the Lebanon Valley. Further, it is through this gallery that students, just like those who helped Dr. McNulty bring this exhibit to fruition, have the chance for an immersive learning experience where they can appreciate world class art and ultimately progress in finding their purpose.

For Dr. Kruszewski, the collector behind the exhibit, a career as a physician was always his goal. After working through his undergraduate studies at Princeton University and matriculating into medical school at Harvard, this dream turned into a reality, as Dr. Kruszewski found a successful career as a forensic psychiatrist.

But throughout his medical studies and the pursuit of becoming a physician, art was always a big part of Dr. Kruszewski’s life. From sketching in first grade to visiting the Princeton Art Museum nearly every day in college to the oil paintings he does now, Dr. Kruszewski writes, “I don’t remember a time in my life without art.”

Dr. Kruszewski’s life within art is a great example of how this seemingly simple subject, “Art,” can have such a profound impact on one’s life and community. As we celebrate the Year of the Arts here in the Lebanon Valley, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery, we hope to honor all that the arts brings to our community, our people, and our future.

As the only art gallery in the Lebanon Valley operating on museum quality standards, the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery plays an important role in bringing the arts to our community here in the Lebanon Valley. Further, it is through this gallery that students, just like those who helped Dr. McNulty bring this exhibit to fruition, have the chance for an immersive learning experience where they can appreciate world class art and ultimately progress in finding their purpose.

For Dr. Kruszewski, the collector behind the exhibit, a career as a physician was always his goal. After working through his undergraduate studies at Princeton University and matriculating into medical school at Harvard, this dream turned into a reality, as Dr. Kruszewski found a successful career as a forensic psychiatrist.

But throughout his medical studies and the pursuit of becoming a physician, art was always a big part of Dr. Kruszewski’s life. From sketching in first grade to visiting the Princeton Art Museum nearly every day in college to the oil paintings he does now, Dr. Kruszewski writes, “I don’t remember a time in my life without art.”

Dr. Kruszewski’s life within art is a great example of how this seemingly simple subject, “Art,” can have such a profound impact on one’s life and community. As we celebrate the Year of the Arts here in the Lebanon Valley, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Suzanne H. Arnold Art Gallery, we hope to honor all that the arts brings to our community, our people, and our future.