Sea Island Life Magazine Fall/Winter 2013 | Page 43

COURTESY OF HARLAN HAMBRIGHT Edward H. Potthast’s “Water Lilies,” at the Grand Hotel COURTESY OF THE BROADMOOR Sea Island displays artwork that celebrate the region, such as “Fort Frederica” by Frederick Pawla. sea island archivist Mimi rogers explains the inspiration behind the collection in more detail: “the paintings, tapestries and historical photographs—all of these create the right ambience for the interior of the Cloister,” she says. “even though it’s a grand setting, the artwork gives it the warmth of a home. the idea was to make the hotel as beautiful and inviting as possible.” The Broadmoor Often touted as “the Grand dame of the rockies,” the Broadmoor, located in Colorado springs, Colo., refuses to rest on the laurels of its spectacular surroundings. Given the hotel’s unique location associated with the migration to the western frontier, however, it’s no wonder in time and place. re-envisioned and reconstructed in 1918 by entrepreneur spencer Penrose, the art collection at the Broadmoor is part history lesson, collection consists of works by self-taught artists—paintings that originally were conceived for documentation purposes, not as art. think native americans on horseback, idealistic goldseekers, wary fur-traders, fearless cowboys, and istics were a bushy beard and a well-oiled gun. each larger-than-life painting, such as alfred Jacob Miller’s “the lost Greenhorn” or william ranney’s “trapper’s last shot,” reveals a slice of historical narrative. Playing off the dramatic light and grandeur of the rockies, the Broadmoor’s collection also includes works by famed Hudson river school artists albert Bierstadt and thomas Moran, mercial successes and inspired many eastern landscapists to make the dangerous trek west. Thomas Moran’s “Children Of The Mountain,” at The Broadmoor Grand Hotel Often called “america’s summer Place,” the Grand Hotel on Michigan’s Mackinac island transports visitors back to an era when horsedrawn carriages were a common mode of transportation rather than a novelty. automobiles have been banned on the island since 1898, and the Grand Hotel continues to embrace that same historic sensibility. though modest in scope, the art collection at the Grand Hotel has a back story as quaint as its surroundings. for the past 20 years, detroit-area residents richard and Jane Manoogian have loaned the hotel a different part of their extensive private art collection. Operating under this year’s theme, american impressionism, the Grand Hotel is exhibiting 37 pieces, including two works by portrait painter and watercolor- ist John singer sargent, one by impressionist painter edward H. Potthast and one by impressionist painter Childe Hassam. additional works of note include franz Biberstein’s “world’s Columbian exposition, Chicago” (1893); frank w. Benson’s “three Children” (1907) and “Portrait of elizabeth tyson russell” (1907); and singer sa