WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Nov. 14, 2016 — Professor Emeritus of Art Bernie Peace was honored recently with a dinner reception, hosted by West Virginia University President Gordon Gee at Blaney House, the WVU president’s official residence.
Representatives of WVU’s libraries and archives were on hand for the dinner party that celebrated the opening of a display of Peace’s artwork at Blaney House and future installation of Peace’s work in various locations in the WVU Libraries.
“It was a wonderful evening for me. I enjoyed it tremendously and am grateful,” said Peace, who resides in Wheeling. Around 20 of his paintings will now be housed in Morgantown.
“I’ve admired Bernie’s work for decades and he is one of our West Virginia artists that I have wanted to promote and archive. So I contacted him on behalf of our “Art in the Libraries” program and discussed getting some of his paintings, to be hung in various campus libraries on a permanent basis. We already had an extensive archival collection that documents his career but we had no actual examples of his artwork. He was very gracious and donated quite a number of pieces,” explained Director and Curator John Cuthbert, of the WVU Libraries.
“Before we hung them, President Gordon Gee, mentioned that he was looking for some large paintings and when I showed Peace’s art to him, he loved them and from this conversation the idea came about to have an exhibit in Blaney House’s Ware Family Art Gallery.”
The Peace paintings will remain at Blaney House through the end of the year and several will remain into the future since Gee is so delighted with them, according to Cuthbert.
Peace attended the opening dinner with his wife, Sally; their daughter, Dr. Tracy Peace of Columbus; their son and daughter-in-law, Tony and Janet Peace of Wheeling, and their grandson, Benjamin Peace, also of Wheeling.
Since it was the eve of Peace’s 83rd birthday, the dinner menu included a special birthday cake featuring a photographic image of one of his paintings depicted in frosting atop the cake.
Peace began his artistic career as a painter and printmaker, but later turned to creating eye-catching photo collages. He has participated in more than 300 exhibitions and has won more than 100 honors and awards.
Remembered fondly by many alumni, he taught art at West Liberty from 1960 to 1995, when he was named professor of art emeritus after taking early retirement.
“I loved going to work every day. West Liberty was wonderful and I was happy to be there, we had great faculty and wonderful students. I count my blessings every day,” he said recently.
A native of Williamsburg, Kt., he traces his interest in art to his childhood, when he was always drawing. He credits Henry Matisse and Jackson Pollock as influential artists who he discovered as he developed his style.
Peace is a graduate of Berea College and earned his MFA at Indiana University. After serving in the U.S. Army, he joined the art faculty at West Liberty State College, which he describes as the “luckiest break in his life.” He later became the chair of the art department for many years.
Peace continues to work and is now working in the medium of photo collages. He takes photos and arranges them in collage form almost daily in his studio.
West Liberty University houses one of Peace’s works in the foyer of the Hall of Fine Arts, where it greets students and visitors daily. Several other works can be viewed at the Elbin Library.
