Dear Friends,

Earlier this month I drove out to Fort Wayne, Indiana to attend the opening exhibition at the Fort Wayne Museum of Art (FWMA) titled "Peer and Patron: Selections from the Private Collection of Dorothy Gillespie".

My mother's collection can be seen as an agglomeration of her artistic influences and tastes—and of her person.

The works represent many decades of collecting and range in styles from Realism to Abstract Expressionism to Postmodernism. The collection is comprised of works from over 50 artists such as Josef Albers, Alexander Calder, Helen Frankenthaler, Ellsworth Kelly, Alice Neel, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Accompanying each piece of art is a quote from my mother; she comments on her connection to the artist or their piece, making each work personal.

According to the Museum, "By displaying Gillespie’s work beside these masters of Pop and Abstract art, this exhibition hopes to rightly establish her as their peer in addition to collector".

While at the FWMA I also had the opportunity to see my mother's yearlong "Garden Party" outdoor sculpture exhibit which opened this past June.