A family with roots in the Cortez area donated two original paintings by Richard Ellis Wagner to the Montezuma Heritage Museum on Sunday, and the presentation of the paintings took place at the museum’s location on South Chestnut Street.
The first artwork is an oil painting that depicts the historic Lebanon schoolhouse, where the family’s late father, Delmer Kent, attended. This former school was once attended by many Cortez-area residents. The second, an acrylic painting, portrays the Battlerock schoolhouse, which currently houses the Battle Rock Charter School.
The Kent family, who donated the paintings in their parents Delmer and Gloria’s honor, has long-standing roots in the area, though many of them have moved out of state. The Kents shared that their parents once owned and operated a drugstore that was located where Notah Dineh now stands from the 1960s to the 1980s. Before that, their grandparents operated a Taylor’s Market in the same location from the 1940s to 1960s.
“When we were preparing for an estate sale and were coming to understand the significance of the paintings, we realized that potential buyers in Arizona would not understand their significance,” Tim Kent told The Journal. “Research revealed the Montezuma Heritage Museum and it seemed like an immediate fit. Director Liz (Quinn MacMillan) was enthusiastic about the donation immediately and described how they would fit right in with their existing collection. We are thrilled that the paintings will be enjoyed by locals and area visitors.”
Delmer Kent, Gloria Kent and their children, Tim, Mitch and Sheila, graduated from Montezuma-Cortez High School. Gloria Kent’s father was also on the school board during his time running Taylor’s Market and had been a teacher “at several of the original rural schools early in his career.”
“We were delighted to be able to donate the two Richard Wagner paintings,” Mitch Kent said.
Executive director of the Montezuma Heritage Museum, Liz Quinn MacMillan, said at the presentation that the museum was honored to receive the paintings and that they would fit right into the museum’s upcoming exhibit for the history of schools in Montezuma County.
“We’re extremely excited to add the two schoolhouse paintings by local artist, Richard Wagner, to our permanent collections,” MacMillan said. “Art can be a wonderful window into preserving and sharing our history, and our country schoolhouses are an important part of that history. It’s also really meaningful that the Kent family has a connection to our early schools, and we really appreciate them thinking of the museum for this gift.”
Wagner was an American artist born in Ohio. He was primarily known for his landscape paintings of the American West, specifically Colorado. Many of his paintings were done in Southwest Colorado, including paintings in Telluride and the Cortez area. Though many of his works are held in private collections, some of his paintings are featured at the Denver Art Museum and Library of Congress.
Some of his art was exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center. He published two books with his wife, combining his love of art with her love of poetry.
