Shepherdstown residents Bill and Donna Hiatt hold a sculpture of a canoe together, in their basement art gallery. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — What may be the largest privately owned art collection in the Eastern Panhandle can currently be found on the outskirts of the Corporation of Shepherdstown.

Inside the two-story home of Bill and Donna Hiatt, nearly every square inch of space has been filled with art, both ancient and modern. The couple estimate their collection features around 300 pieces of painted art, mixed media art, pottery, fiber art, and wood carvings.

“We have art from the 18th century on up to the 21st century,” Donna said. “We were in the antiques business for about 25 years. A lot of the earlier pieces of art we have, we acquired while in the antiques business, because they went well with the antiques that we were selling.”

She noted that their collection began developing a few decades ago, when they were living on the other side of the country.

“We lived in Portland, Oregon for about 10 years, which is when we started collecting art ourselves,” Donna said.

A piece of outsider art in the Hiatts’ collection, featuring the image of a hitchhiker, was carved during the Great Depression. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

Though the couple have collected a number of works by famous artists, their favorite pieces are those that might be overlooked by other art collectors.

“A number of the pieces in our collection are 19th century ‘naive art’ — what was created by artists who were not fully trained,” Donna said. “We also have several pieces in our collection that would be called ‘outsider art’ that is a little more contemporary, from the 20th century and late-19th century. These were created by people who really had no training at all, but just had a vision in their heads. A lot of these pieces were not created to sell — it was just that their creators had felt a need to express themselves in some way.”

The couple noted that other art collectors are often focused on procuring investment pieces that will grow in value over time. While many of their pieces may indeed do just that, none of them were purchased with that purpose in mind. Rather, the Hiatts have been driven by their love for beautiful, unique art, as they have built their collection.

“We may not be artistic ourselves, but we love to support artists,” Bill said. “We have always had an appreciation for art.”

Over the years since beginning their art collection, Bill said they have been pleased to see some of the modern, naive artists they have patronized grow into successful, professional artists. The experience has affirmed, in his and his wife’s minds, the importance of supporting up-and-coming artists.

“About 26 years ago, we met this artist named Kevin Fitzgerald, who was working at the time as a high school teacher in Berlin, Maryland. Though he still lives there to this day, he now has a studio in another town and has since become a professional artist,” Donna said, mentioning he was able to quit his job a couple years after their first purchase of a painting from him. “We were one of the first to buy his paintings. He said he feels indebted to us, for helping him achieve his dreams.”