BELLEFONTE — During the month of August, the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County will present a collection of Native American art and tell a story of the local art collectors, Jeanne Stevens-Sollman and Phil Sollman.
Both are well-known artists with works in many collections throughout the country and abroad.
Jeanne Stevens-Sollman is a sculptor and a potter with some pieces on display at the Penn State Arboretum. She is a leader in the field of medallic art and serves as an officer in the International Association of Medallic Artists. Jeanne is a consultant to the Unites States Mint.
Phil Sollman left architecture to focus on hand-made furniture. His pieces are original works, many times done without a detailed plan. The works flow from his own creativity and imbue the wood with form and function.
Jeanne and Phil have been collecting for almost 50 years. They started young and as time passed they became known as collectors of Native American art, which enabled them to select works by some of the best artists working in traditional styles and motifs.
“Meeting Maria Martinez in the 1970s at The Pennsylvania State University tapped into an appreciation of Native American culture and pottery with the different styles of each pueblo,” Jeanne and Phil said in a press release. “Our interest developed with a gift of a Two Grey Hills weaving and a subsequent trip to the Southwest in the early 1980s. Over the years, color, design and beautifully crafted pieces motivated our desire to enrich our small collection, which is comprised of objects that we liked. The basis of this eclectic collection is the rawness and originality of tribal crafts.”
As artists, both acknowledge some of their own works have been influenced by Native American styles. Simple designs tend to cross over various cultures, creating an underlying understanding and respect of nature. It is this quality that stimulates a certain number of pieces by Jeanne. The Native American aesthetic inspired Phil to create cabinets and furniture to house portions of their collection, according to the release.
Studying architecture and fine arts at Penn State brought Phil and Jeanne together in 1971 to embrace a lifetime of building and sculpting art. Their hand-built home began in 1979 and displays sculpting and design in a choice of local woods that celebrate the native motif and host their art. Their home is still in progress as new ideas push the structures into the landscape.
