Erin Gaertner speaks during the opening of the Carl Frederick Gaertner art exhibit at Shepherd University on Nov. 19. Ainsley Hall

SHEPHERDSTOWN — Shepherd University opened an art exhibit surrounding the work of Carl Frederick Gaertner in Scarborough Library on Nov. 19.

The project was put together by Erin Gaertner, his granddaughter, as she completes her Appalachian Studies and Communities program.

Carl Frederick Gaertner lived from 1898-1952 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was a teacher at the Cleveland School of Art and was known for his artwork, which captured industrial Appalachia. Many of Gaertner’s pieces depict Greenbrier County, West Virginia, as he traveled through the area. Some of his work has even been held by the Met, Whitney, Smithsonian and the Cleveland and Chicago museums of art. Gaertner passed away from a brain hemorrhage when he was only 54.

For many years, Erin had her grandfather’s work displayed in her own home. As she worked on completing the Appalachian Studies and Communities program, she thought it would be a great idea to research her grandfather’s work, archive it and preserve it to make sure it can be enjoyed by others in the future.

“The biggest thing for me was creating a connection to someone I never got the chance to meet,” Erin said. “Despite that, we both found our way to West Virginia, and in my case, decided to stay.”

Gaertner

Sylvia Shurbutt, director of the Shepherd University Center for Appalachian Studies and Communities, worked with Erin on this as her last project before handing the reins to the next director. Shurbutt believes it’s an important project that brings a major painter back to the forefront, and she’s excited to see a graduate student do something like this.

The art exhibit shows several pieces by Carl Frederick Gaertner, including many gouache paintings, sketches from his portfolio and even some of his old brushes and a ceramic vase made by his wife to hold his tools.

Erin worked with Queen Street Gallery to frame and preserve the artwork and Aaron May Photography to take pictures of each piece.

Through this project, Erin had the opportunity to meet people who have been collecting her grandfather’s work. After studying his work, Erin believes he wanted to show what life really looked like for people in the area.

“In my completely made up story, he got off the train, had a nice meal and said, ‘Let’s go see some people and some things,”’ Erin said. “And that’s been my attraction to it, because this program is about the people and what life really looks like.”

Erin is also putting together a retrospective art show at Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg on Jan. 10. This will be the first show dedicated to her grandfather’s work since the 2000s and will include over 50 pieces.