Oct. 17, 2002--Noted artist Jamie Wyeth received an honorary doctor of humane letters degree from the University of Delaware Sunday, Oct. 13, at the Trabant University Center. More than 250 faculty, staff, students and alumni attended the afternoon ceremony, including the 88-year old art graduate from UD’s Class of 2002, Kathleen Cross Cooper of Wilmington.
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| “The University of Delaware has embraced the arts, and the arts are a major part of life here,” Wyeth said. |
Wyeth is the son of a past recipient of a UD honorary degree, artist Andrew Wyeth, and the grandson of artist and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. The Wyeth family traces its artistic heritage back to the days when N.C. Wyeth studied under legendary illustrator and teacher Howard Pyle, the founder of the Brandywine School of painting.
At the ceremony, UD President David P. Roselle noted both the legacy and individual achievements of the Wyeth family on local and national levels.
“This ceremony honors the contributions of one of our nation’s highest cultural ambassadors, James Browning Wyeth, or Jamie as he is known to us,” Roselle said. “It is said that nothing grows much in the presence of big trees, but you did, and your presence here today honors us.”
Charles M. Cawley, a member of UD’s Board of Trustees, noted that Wyeth joins a list of recipients dating from 1841, a list that includes U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, President Mary McAleese of Ireland and former U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush.
Wyeth knew from an early age just what his calling in life would be, Cawley said.
“You left public school after the sixth grade in favor of private tutoring, thus allowing more time for the pursuit of your passion and the legacy of several generations of your family—art,” he said. “Through the guidance of your aunt, Carolyn Wyeth, and your father, Andrew, and the influence of your grandfather, N.C., your talent quickly blossomed.”
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| Artist Jamie Wyeth and Charles M. Cawley, a member of UD’s Board of Trustees. |
An established artist by his 18th birthday, with paintings in the permanent collections of the Wilmington Society of Art and the Farnsworth Museum, as well as in private collections, Wyeth has painted portraits of local and national figures, including former Delaware Gov. Charles L. Terry and President John. F. Kennedy.
Cawley noted significant moments in the artist’s career, including participation in the “Eyewitness to Space” program in the early 1960s, as well as being commissioned by Harper’s Magazine to capture moments of the U.S. Senate and Supreme Court proceedings in the Watergate hearings.
“Your ‘Study For Sept. 11’” for the New York Observer captured the human and canine recovery efforts in the aftermath of our national tragedy,” Cawley said. “In November of this year, you will unveil a new work commemorating the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital”
Joyce Hill Stoner, UD professor of art conservation, noted that the Wyeth family is one of the few multigenerational families in the history of American art, a tradition that began with the Peale family in the 18th and 19th centuries.
“N.C. Wyeth was known as the greatest illustrator of books in the first half of the 20th century, “ Stoner said. “His son, Andrew, had his first one-man show at age 20, and so did Jamie.”
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| Wyeth is the son of a past recipient of a UD honorary degree, artist Andrew Wyeth, and the grandson of artist and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. |
In accepting the award, Wyeth said it was especially meaningful to be honored by an institution that has made art one of the priorities of academic life.
“I am obviously honored beyond belief by this,” he said. “The University of Delaware has embraced the arts, and the arts are a major part of life here. This is not always the case in colleges around the country.”
In noting the relevance of art in today’s world, Wyeth recalled the last major speech given by President John F. Kennedy at Amherst College on the occasion of the dedication of the Robert Frost Memorial Library.
“The words he said nearly 40 years ago have all the more relevance today, so I thought I would quote a very few of the lines here today,” he said. “‘When power leads men toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth, which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.’”
Wyeth noted that his father, Andrew, after hearing the speech, wrote Kennedy a letter in which he expressed his belief that the president was the first chief executive since Thomas Jefferson to recognize the importance of the arts.
Robert Kennedy, the president’s brother, later wrote Andrew Wyeth and said that Kennedy had read the letter, and that he had left it laying on his desk just before departing for Dallas in November 1963.
In his closing remarks, Wyeth said, “It is clear to me that the arts are a vital part of life at the University. What really thrills me is the participation and dedication in this area of study here in Newark. ”
After the ceremony, Wyeth joined fellow guests for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official dedication of UD’s new 35,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Studio Arts Building.
Completed in June 2002, the Studio Arts Building houses facilities for the sculpture, ceramics and printmaking programs in a contemporary setting designed to meet the needs of each discipline.
Article by Jerry Rhodes
Photos by Eric Crossan
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