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Written by John O'Connell
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Thursday, 02 December 2010 16:55 |
 Many families have an area of interest that defines them in the community and that occupies their time and energy year in and year out. For some families this may take the form of sports, manifesting itself in a very public display of fondness for football, hockey (the Penguins, naturally), or baseball (in the form of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees). For others, there is music and, perhaps, a particular style such as country or rock. For still others, NASCAR may be what defines them and prompts a flag to fly on their front porch. The overriding interest of families may be as diverse and personal as the number of families in our community.
For the Mattern family of Kingston, it is art that dominates its attention in many forms and applications.
Each member of this family participates in the production, promotion, and appreciation of art in one way or another. The driving force in this characteristic is Mary Mattern, who raised her children to appreciate art in its many forms since infancy. Her husband, Kingston attorney Harry Mattern, has received an education in art by osmosis throughout the 27 years of their marriage.
“My Dad was a florist so I had an appreciation for beautiful things as I grew up, but Mary has provided me and all of our children with a first-class background in art with what amounts to an immersion in art over all these years,” said Harry.
Mary Franey Mattern came by her interest and talent naturally. Her father was an accomplished artist by avocation. As a child, Mary loved to watch him draw and paint, thereby planting the artistic seed at a very young age. Her childhood rewards took the form of paints and brushes and her fondest memory of childhood was a visit to the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and a shared enthusiasm with her father for Henri Rousseau’s “Sleeping Gypsy.”
Mary’s connection with the arts has taken many forms throughout the years. Her education at Kutztown University was followed by an M.F.A. degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute in New York. She has taught at Marywood University and currently teaches at Penn State University and Wyoming Valley West High School. She has created commissioned works for the Just Born Company to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Peeps™ and has won numerous art shows throughout the years. Most recently she was invited to present a talk with Dr. David Chin of Penn State Wilkes-Barre on The Art and Poetry of Edward Hopper at the Edward Hopper Art Center in Nyack, New York. Her enthusiasm for art has rubbed off on each of her children in various ways.
“My mother is a talented teacher, as I know better than anyone, having learned from her myself,” said Tess Mattern. “Libby’s fashion sense is keen, and her ability to translate her ideas into wearable clothing is completely incredible to me. My brother Neil’s realism and sheer talent in drawing and painting never ceases to impress me. Kate has a whimsical drawing style that she has used to great effect in the work she has done for children, and Nora has used our years of museum visits to accomplish a master’s degree in Museum Studies.
Oldest daughter Tess pursued a study in Graphic Design at Boston University. After finishing first in her major and designing the Boston University yearbook and graduation materials, she was employed at Pearson Education in Boston, enhancing college textbooks with her talented work. Recently she designed a new logo for the Anthracite Museum in Scranton and was surprised to see her new design featured prominently in an episode of “The Office.”
Nora Mattern followed her degree from Lehigh University with a master’s degree in Museum Studies at Syracuse University. Many years of visiting museums had created an appreciation of the value and importance of these vital resources. Her senior thesis at Lehigh centered on “provenance”, the legitimacy of title to art. She is continuing her studies with a focus on archiving at the University of Pittsburgh.
Kate Mattern has used her drawing skills to help young children with educational materials while working at the Jumpstart Early Childhood Program affiliated with Tufts University in Medford/Somerville, Massachusetts.
She used these same skills while interning at the United States Naval Museum in Washington, D.C., and following graduation at the Mystic Seaport Museum at Mystic, Connecticut. Kate is currently employed at Tufts Medical Center assisting with a study on early childhood development.
Libby Mattern is a senior Fiber Science and Apparel Design major at Cornell University. Her concentration in apparel design has allowed her to use her artistic abilities to their full extent and to intern at Liz Claiborne and Vera Wang Bridal. It is a huge family event to attend the Cornell Design League annual show in Ithaca.
“Her last line really took my breath away,” said Kate. “The other girls and I managed to steal some of the necklaces she designed after the show. I get so many compliments on her work!”
Last, but not least, is Neil Mattern, who has the good fortune of studying with both Joel Carson Jones, prominent realist painter of Plymouth, and his teacher at Wyoming Seminary, Dan Krueger. His skills have resulted in consecutive first place awards in the Student Division at the Fine Arts Fiesta and the honor of acceptance at the Roberson Museum in Binghamton, New York.
“One can see connotation infused beyond the object actual form. His work is a throwback to the days when draftsmanship was a young artist’s primary concern, but Neil has already begun to transcend the mere execution of technique,” said Jones. “Neil has been my student for approximately six years. He comes from a very educated, involved, and talented family. Their interest has helped Neil succeed, both artistically and academically. I have never met a family so immersed in the arts.”
The family that shares an interest isfortunate. A shared interest, be it in a sport, a team, or some other endeavor, helps to cement the family relationship. And if that shared interest is art, there is that added benefit of all that beauty! |
