November 11, 2017
Lyman Allyn Art Museum
Press Contact: Rebecca Marsie, Communications Associate
860.443.2545 x2112 / marsie@lymanallyn.org
CONGREGATION BETH EL MENORAH SCULPTURE RELOCATED TO THE LYMAN ALLYN
New London – The Lyman Allyn Art Museum is providing temporary safe harbor for Congregation Beth El’s granite and bronze sculpture, Menorah, while they relocate to a new building after having recently closed on the transfer of the synagogue to LEARN, the Regional Educational Service Center.
Originally commissioned in 1994 by Rena Linder to commemorate the life of her daughter, Kathryn Linder Ecochard, who succumbed to cancer, the large Menorah, approximately 61 inches wide, had stood near the entrance of Temple Beth El since its creation by the local and much celebrated sculptor, David Smalley.
Rena Linder, a past president of the congregation arranged for the relocation in consultation with the Lyman Allyn. After a number of other sites were considered, it was decided that it was a fitting addition to the McCourt 9/11 Memorial Garden where, in Linder’s words, it “is perfectly placed and looks comfortable.”
David Smalley (1940-2015) often created large-scale sculptures, made of steel, aluminum, bronze and wood, meant for outdoor display. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art at the University of Connecticut and his Master of Fine Arts at Indiana University. Smalley pioneered the use of computer technology as a tool for creating sculpture, and founded the Ammerman Center for Arts and Technology at Connecticut College, where he taught sculpture and drawing for 36 years until his retirement in 2001. David Smalley had exhibited his work in galleries in New York and in museums and galleries in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan. One constant in his long career was a sense of joy in making art, that he was able to infuse his enjoyment of life into his art remains his most enduring legacy.
Check the museum website at www.lymanallyn.org and the Museum’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram page for updates and additional programming.
Tours of all exhibitions are available for groups. To schedule tours, call Director of Education, Caitlin Healy at 860.443.2545 ext. 2110 or e-mail healy@lymanallyn.org.
For more information or to request images, please contact Rebecca Marsie at 860.443.2545, ext. 2112 or at marsie@lymanallyn.org.
About the Lyman Allyn Art Museum
The Lyman Allyn Art Museum welcomes visitors from New London, southeastern Connecticut and all over the world. Established in 1926 by a gift from Harriet Allyn in memory of her seafaring father, the Museum opened the doors of its beautiful neo-classical building surrounded by 12 acres of green space in 1932. Today it presents a number of changing exhibitions each year and houses a fascinating collection of over 17,000 objects from ancient times to the present; artworks from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe, with particularly strong collections of American paintings, decorative arts and Victorian toys and doll houses.
The museum is located at 625 Williams Street, New London, Connecticut, exit 83 off I-95. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm, Sundays 1:00 – 5:00 pm; closed Mondays and major holidays. For more information call 860.443.2545, ext. 2129 or visit us on Facebook or the web at: www.lymanallyn.org.