Portland State Magazine Winter 1991

" Last year in our season, from March to October, we had about 70,000 visitors. inety per cent were English, fi ve per cent American and five per cent other nationalities. "The purpose of the mu seum is to show that Americans made seriou s contributions to decorative art s in the 18th and early 19th century. No one in Europe gave a thought to the fact that in Colonial times we made magnificent furniture and silver. " The period rooms and exhibits inside the museum are compl emented by wide-ranging exhibits throughout the grounds. A milliner's shop, herb shop, rail– road car observation platform, Conestoga wagon and reproduction of a Cheyenne tepee are among them. At the end of an avenue of cherry trees, an extensive American arboretum and apple orchard spreads down a slope. As McNaught surveys a stretch of lawn bordering it, it strikes him that rose bushes would add the fini shing touch. Just one place springs to mind: " Portl and! " Further on is a replica of George Washington 's Mount Vernon flower garden , a colonial herb garden and a gallery of folk art. The ga ll ery occupies a crescent-shaped building that once served as a stable. McNaught believes that variety is the key to the museum 's wide appeal. "Europeans are fascinated by the concept of period rooms, instead of galleries," he says. "And the tepee and Conestoga wagon are interesting for children. "We appea l to people interested in American hi story, people interested in art, and particularly decorative arts, textiles and fo lk art. And we have one of the best known collecti ons of quilts." One of the latest additions to the museum is The New Gallery, which houses almost all the available maps of the world from 1472 onward. "We have a significant and hi storic collection of 15th and 16th century maps," McNaught says. This includes rare maps collected by one of the museum's founders, Dallas Pratt. The New Gallery also has a reference library-"we're desperately seek ing more books"-and a hall devoted to temporary exhibitions. McNaught hopes to boost attendance fi gures by exhibiting American art of the 18th , 19th and early 20th century. PSU 22 McNaughl s1ands in !he museum's replica ofGeorge Washing/on 's Moun! Vernon flower garden . T here is practically nowhere that Europeans can see American art from before 1945, McNaught says, mentioning artists such as Whi stler, Frederick Church and Win slow Homer. "We' re also planning exhibits of Texas realism, Navajo rugs, and quilts done by contemporary women arti sts. If we can get funding we'll do an ex hibit of Northwest Coast Indian art in 1993 ." One of McNaught 's main tasks is to raise more money for the museum, which is almost solely financed by private donations. The majority of these are from philanthropic Americans. The yearly budget of the museum is approximately 500,000 pounds ($950,000), McNaught says. "We rely very much on our American members who are Friends of the museum. " He adds that museum members belong to the Halcyon Foundation, which helps support the museum . ''I'm trying to get a group of Friends go ing in Oregon- there are a few in Seattle. I may try to go and give a lecture. It doesn' t take away support from local art institutions. We are also seeking corporate memberships." He explains that other revenue comes from endowment income, fundrai sing events, spec ial appeals, tours and benefit s, foundation grants, and of course admiss ion s. Vi sitors to the American Museum wind up their tour in the traditional English way, with tea on the terrace overlooking the valley . Although scones are served, visitors are more likely to try Boston brownies, Yankee coconut quakers, Dev il 's food cake and other American spec ialties. A cozy country store with a potbelly stove, cracker barrel and post office sell s souvenirs. As closing time approaches, Mc aught climbs the steps to his spacious fl at on the top floor of Claverton Manor. Books on art, architecture, landscape and gardening abound. McNaught has explored further afield during motor trips to Wales, Dorset and East Anglia, and plans many more expeditions. " I want to go walking and bicycling along the canal paths. And I' m looking forward to traveling on the Continent, espec ially in France, Spain and Italy." Despite the distance, McNaught keeps strong ties with Portland, where hi s mother, sister and nieces live. Meanwhile hi s circle of English friends continues to widen. " Everyone is incredibly kind ," he says. As McNaught refl ects on other sources of satisfacti on, it 's his museum work that comes to the fore. "I love the education aspects, the marvelous collection, being responsible for it, and having the opportunity to do new exhibits and build up the membership." And there's more: "It 's sitting here in Claverton in thi s beautiful setting near Bath, li ving in England, and feeling as though one is doing something for Anglo-American co-operation ." With the American Museum under McNaught ' s guidance, cultural relations between England and America couldn ' t be better. D (Dana Holmes, an American citizen, lives in Guildford, England. She is a magazine edilorfor a Brilish publishing house and a ji·ee-lance wriler. Holmes has wrillenfor PSU Magazine in the past while living in Por1land.) •