Dody Kolb at Coolidge Art. Courtesy Photo.
The
light has dimmed since the passing of Doreen ‘Dody’ Kolb last month. Family and
friends, artists and art lovers, especially, will miss her wise ways and extraordinary
friendship.
She had
many connections in an impressive web of arts organizations and institutions,
including the UNH Art Gallery, the Currier Gallery, Gallery on State Street and
the Coolidge Gallery, where she presided for many years. Patrons of the (now
defunct) Rye Home Center were privy to her hand selected arrays of art, showcases
of color, light and artistry that became the hallmark of her displays.
Many
will recall her outstanding collection of Asian art (I still have the many
notes she sent me on stationery featuring artworks from her Kolb Collection)
and the many incredible shows at the Coolidge Center. Beyond the art itself,
Kolb’s unfailing spirit and sensitivity, her kinship with artists and others
whose eyes linger on the work of artists, will certainly be missed and pushed
forward by the many she touched with advice, encouragement and gusto for
living. Here are a few remembrances from her circle of friends:
Jane Kaufmann, Printmaker,
Ceramic Artist:
“If you
ever saw her greet people in bathing suits – tourists – coming into the
gallery. She was so gracious, so gracious to everyone.”
“As soon as I heard Dody died I went up
to my studio and made a little Dody Kolb angel with straight gray hair, a black
dress and a Susan-Pratt Smith pin right under her chin. Like everyone else, I want
her for my Guardian Angel.
“I remember when we had the celebration
for Dody at the Rye Art Club and Wendy Turner said Dody kept her alive for one
whole year by buying her paintings. There was a lot that Dody did that no one
ever knew about.”Lisa Noonis, Painter:
“Dody was very dear to me. She was always honest and thoughtful. I remember the first time I went to see her at The Coolidge Center for the Arts. I had a handful of paintings with me. She looked at each piece and talked to me about what she saw. She told me that she had great hopes for me. She said ‘yes’ to me. That is how our relationship began. I loved being part of the shows at the Coolidge Center. Dody poured her heart and soul into all of those exhibitions. I believe that is why they were so incredibly successful. They were always well attended. She knew all of her artists so well. What a blessing.
Frank Corso, Copley Master
painter:
“It was with great sadness that I learned
of Dody’s passing. She was an inspiration and a true friend to me for many
years. She discovered my work in the first days of the Home Center in Rye NH
and took me on as an artist there immediately. She began to give me pointers
and direction and focus in my work and also tips on framing and presentation.
Paintings began selling very well and she continued to push me in different
direction. She lined up demos for me and art appreciation nights and got me
mingling with clients. We continued long discussions about art and she taught
me about prints and introduced me to her extensive collection.
Don Stone, Painter:
“My
connection with Dody was primarily through the Coolidge Gallery at the mansion.
Dody was always very helpful with her knowledge of art and her willingness to
accommodate our spending the summer on Monhegan Island
in Maine. She would store my paintings until the show opened and sometimes even
come to our house to pick them up in the spring. She was a wonderful person and
friend and a valuable part of Portmouth’s art community.”Chuck Hayes, Proprietor of The Artist’s Eye in North Hampton:
“My memories of Dody are all very
sweet. She had the ability to make everyone she met feel immediately like you
were special to her, which because you found her to be so nice, intelligent and
perceptive was important to you. She was a good judge of character, which is
probably how she surrounded herself with a lot of good and dedicated people. If
she endeared herself to you and you to her, she became your advocate forever.
“Dody called me before the (I
believe) second season at the Coolidge Center (2002) to see if I would like to
show my work at the Coolidge Center for the Arts, by the Wentworth Coolidge
Mansion, in Portsmouth, the next season. We became close friends almost
immediately and we were friends from then on. I think she first saw my work at
The Artist Eye, in North Hampton, NH, run by our mutual friend, Chuck Hayes. I
have been with Chuck longer than any other gallery.
"She was an amazing help to me, not
only showing my work, but also her ability to connect artist with collector. She would call me up in my studio
to tell how much she liked a painting of mine she had just seen, or saw in a
magazine. I could ask her questions about career moves and her advice was
always spot on. Whenever I would discuss the idea about going out on a limb
with an artistic idea or traveling to France or Italy to paint, she would
encourage me (us)...saying, do it now, while you are young enough to enjoy it.
“When I started showing my work in a
prestigious gallery in Naples Florida, she invited Tammy and I to come and stay
with her and her husband, Frank (of 61 years), on Marco Island (near Naples).
We enjoyed their company became even closer as friends. She had a lust for life
and and such optimistic view that was contagious.”
Tammy Moeller, Friend and Fan:
“Dody was a role model to me to
continue to stay interested in meeting new people and to stay invested in life
as I grow older. She taught me that friendship knows no age. She was always
upbeat and looking forward to bringing people together; she had a genuine
interest in not only connecting artists with collectors, but nurturing bonds of
lasting relationships between them.
“Another cool thing about Dody: she
showed both the Augustas, (father/son) both of the Stones (father/son), Sean
Beavers and his wife, Sydney Bella Sparrow, and other generations of artists.
Dody was also a dynamo: a doer, a
mentor, a pack leader. She was gentle, elegant and fun. An incredible mentor
and supportive friend to many of the Seacoast’s finest artists. We will miss
her so much.”
“She
always asked about my children and remembered their names and ages and seemed
to share a particular sense of humor and wit with my husband. That’s kind of
rare, she really liked him and he isn’t the art scene sort.
“Because
of her, I try to meet the spouses and families of my students and learn a bit
about their interests. I think, as artists, our nurturing support network is
vital and it is richer when it includes folks outside our field. I will miss
her and so will my husband.”
“Dody was Director at
the Coolidge Center for Art and I was her associate there for seven years.
Dody knew her
audience--the artists, the buyers, and the art lovers. Her respect for the
artists ran deep. Plans for the next summer season were firm early in the new
year. Artists were invited, exhibition titles and scope were set, dates in
line. The artists were prepared.
“The mission of the
Wentworth-Coolidge, which included art education, was paramount to
Dody. She presented a broad spectrum of works, not just for the sophisticated
museum-goer, but also for a steady faithful following who often claimed, ‘We
never miss a show.’ Dody offered visitors opportunities to discuss works,
artists, and life experiences. We
never had an artist or buyer complain, and that’s saying something.
“Highly respected for
her breadth of knowledge, her unquestioned integrity, and her disarming charm, Dody
was as unassuming as she was a committed advocate. One in a million.”
Nice tribute Laura, I know I'll miss her.
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