Students from Rowan County tour Never Before Seen… Modern Masterpieces at Waterworks Visual Art Center in Salisbury, North Carolina.
Video by Erik Haynes
Photo by Madeline Nguyen
ANCHOR LEAD: Some of the most renowned names in art are now a part of life in a small North Carolina town, thanks to the generosity of one of its own. Erik Haynes takes us inside the story behind these masterpieces and their local connection.
TRT: 2:35
TRACK 1: Inside the Waterworks Visual Art Center in Salisbury, North Carolina… paintings featuring artists like Pablo Picasso and Claude Monet adorn the gallery walls… as visitors catch a glimpse at the first stop of this multi-year traveling art exhibit.
Anne Scott Clement SOT 1: “It’s an incredible opportunity for our community. It’s bringing a lot, a lot of new folks to Salisbury to experience what we have here. For the locals, ‘Hey, we have never had so many famous artists displayed in our community ever.’”
TRACK 2: The exhibit Never Before Seen… Modern Masterpieces is drawn from the collection of the late Salisbury native Julian Robertson Jr. and his wife, Josie, and was made possible by The Robertson Foundation in New York City.
Jason Walser SOT 2: “The fact that Julian junior, Julian Robertson junior cared enough to make this available for the citizens of Salisbury. And so I got to play a tiny little role in helping to share it…it is humbling.”
TRACK 3: That is Jason Walser, executive director of the Blanche and Julian Robertson Family Foundation… which was established by Robertson Jr. to support initiatives in Salisbury and the surrounding areas. With its help funding field trips and transportation… Waterworks plans to host about 20,000 students from Rowan County.
Jason Walser SOT 3: “We didn’t want to look back and have regrets and think, wow, we wish we would have captured more eyeballs or more economic opportunities. So, you know, the first thing was we wanted to make sure that every schoolchild had the opportunity to see the art.”
STANDUP: After departing Waterworks in August… the exhibit’s next stop will be here at The Ackland Art Museum at UNC-Chapel Hill… where Robertson Jr. was a student. Peter Nisbet, Deputy Director for Curatorial Affairs, looks at this as a way to honor his legacy.
Peter Nisbet SOT 5: “Starting with his hometown and then coming here to the Ackland where he was a student. It’s a way, I think, for the foundation to acknowledge the life story.”
TRACK 4: The Ackland’s exhibition will include additional pieces from the Robertson collection along with educational programming. Until then, Salisbury is making the most of its time with works from some of history’s most famous artists.
Anne Scott Clement SOT 6: “We usually host anywhere from 21 to 24,000 people throughout the year. And so, imagine just with this year that it’s going to be double, triple.”
Jason Walser SOT 7: These are masterpieces. They don’t come to many big cities, in and, iterations such as this, much less small towns. So we know that it’s a unique opportunity, and we didn’t want to miss it.
TAG: I’m Erik Haynes reporting…
TRT: 2:35
Anchor Tag: Following its time at Waterworks and Ackland… the exhibit will travel to new destinations that have yet to be announced… bringing these pieces to even more audiences.
