With its proximity to the cultural hub of New York City and its quieter suburban and rural landscapes, Connecticut was fertile ground for artists and writers in the period of Modernist movements between 1913 and 1979. Many of these cultural figures are well known through biographical and critical studies. Creative Places seeks to show how place played a significant role in creative work, and how in turn the artists and writers influenced communities in Connecticut.
Joseph Gualtieri
Education/Curation, Painting/Drawing
1916 – 2015
Over the course of a 56-year career as a Norwich Free Academy art teacher and then director of its Slater Memorial Museum, Gualtieri leveraged his love of art into a vibrant scene in and around the city. He was integral in helping the Slater Museum build its reputation nationally.
- Biography/Description of Work
Born in Illinois in 1916, Gualtieri’s family moved to Italy for 10 years before returning to the U.S. and settling in Norwich. He graduated from Norwich Free Academy and attended the Art Institute of Chicago before returning to the academy to teach in the late 1940s. He brought to the public’s attention the work of African American folk artist Ellis Ruley who lived on a farm in Norwich: after visiting him in 1952, they forged a friendship and Gualtieri arranged an exhibition of his work at the Slater museum. It is interesting to note that the two men are characters woven into Wally Lamb’s 2014 novel “We Are Water.” A respected artist in his own right, Gualtieri belonged to the Mystic Art Association and the New Haven Paint and Clay Club. His paintings have been exhibited at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Academy of Design.
- Sources view
- Obituary: http://www.norwichbulletin.com/article/20150208/NEWS/150209547/?Start=1
- Associated Resource(s)