Partners Bank Sponsors Henry Strater’s Ogunquit Exhibition at Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Donating $10,000
(Left to right) Sophie Cordery, OMAA Education and Community Outreach Fellow; Sarah Johnson, OMAA Executive Assistant; Chantal Upton, Partners Bank VP/Market Manager of Wells Branch; Amanda Lahikainen, OMAA Executive Director; David Cunningham, OMAA Director of Advancement; Andy Ritzo, OMAA Collections Manager; and Diane Gwynne, OMAA Finance Manager, gather at “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” Exhibition at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art for the $10,000 check presentation from Partners Bank.
Ogunquit, ME – Partners Bank has become a benefactor of the upcoming “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” exhibition at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art (OMAA) by donating $10,000, which is open April 18th through November 16th.
Strater was best known for his portraiture, figurative, and landscape drawings and paintings. Most importantly to the community, he founded OMAA in 1953. He was a part of the Lost Generation of expatriate American authors and artists who lived in Paris during the interwar period, which is where his success as a painter began.
He was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1896 to a wealthy snuff maker. In 1919, Strater arrived in Ogunquit to study at Hamilton Easter Field’s School of Painting and Sculpture. After his achievements in France, he returned to Ogunquit in 1925 to build a permanent home. He purchased the oceanfront property known to painters as Narrow Cove from the family of Charles Herbert Woodbury, the founder of Ogunquit’s first art colony. From there, he trusted architect Charles S. Worley, Jr. to design OMAA.
“Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” highlights Strater’s influence and commitment to art, friendship, and nature, which now permeates throughout Ogunquit. The exhibition surveys Strater’s work around Southern Maine, where he quickly became a central figure in the vibrant arts community and befriended artists involved in the vanguard circles Field’s school and the conservative, late-Impressionist painters who attended Woodbury’s school.
Amanda Lahikainen, Executive Director of OMAA, shares, “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit gives context and color to our Museum’s founder, Henry Strater. In this exhibit, the paintings showcase Strater’s talent and love for painting the outdoors, while the caricature wall maps out the network of artists and friends that helped make up his lost generation. We are so thankful to Partners Bank for their foundational support of our exhibition programming.”
This sponsorship was also featured on the 104.3 Seacoast Oldies segment called “Partners Service Announcement (PSA)” for the month of April. The host Andy Austin interviewed Sophie Cordery, Education and Community Outreach Fellow of OMAA, at around 8:15 a.m. on April 15th to gain insight about OMAA’s “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” exhibition.
Partners Bank and its employees have been a partner of OMAA for years, supporting past exhibitions and volunteering at important fundraising events. Partners Bank Chief Operations Officer Karyn Scharf-Morin also serves as the President on OMAA’s Board of Trustees.
The Bank is proud to sponsor the “Henry Strater’s Ogunquit” exhibition at OMAA, which honors a prominent artist in the charming harborside town.