The sight of a barn taps into a certain part of rural American history, evoking memories of days gone by.
Perhaps that?s how Dale Carter felt when he stood in front of an art collection at a church in Fredonia in 1984. After all, he grew up on a farm.
The Fredonia art show was the final stop for the traveling exhibit, ?The 54 Barns on Highway 54.?
Carter bought the entire collection, all 54 pieces. He took them home and lovingly framed each piece in reclaimed barn wood (except one tiny painting that had an antique frame from the 1920s).
Then, he put the paintings in his attic. That?s where they stayed for 35 years.
Now, they?re back on display. The collection is making its way through the same towns as the original traveling exhibit and will be at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center through Dec. 18.
Gyla Marr owns a display of ?54 Barns on Highway 54,? a collection purchased by her father 35 years ago.
Carter thought of the collection as an investment, his daughter, Gyla Marr, of Coyville, said. He bought the entire collection to keep it together. The barnwood frames were an extra touch, probably because of his own personal affinity for a rural lifestyle.
?A lot of the family didn?t know he had this collection,? Marr said. ?It was very out of character for Dad. I think the only reason he saw it was because it was at the Methodist Church.?
Carter was well-known in Fredonia, where he was a teacher, a farmer and rancher.
He died in April 2018.
After his death, his family wondered what to do with the collection of barn paintings and drawings that had lived in the attic for decades.
But when Marr retired from her career as a special education teacher and became administrative director for the Fredonia Arts Council, inspiration struck. She pulled the barn paintings out of the attic for her first art show in Fredonia. It was a hit.
