Page 12 - The Hunt - Spring/Summer 2023

MEMORANDUM
Tihe way Michael Lynch sees it,
he’s taking a shot (or shots) in the dark, using them to reimagine
an established tradition. Inspired by the Brandywine Valley’s vastly successful artistic past, Lynch’s Projected in Place offers a new look at such enduring works as Andrew Wyeth’s “Seated by a Tree,” “Monday Morning” and “Glass House,” Howard Pyle’s “Attack Upon the Chew House,” and Karl
J. Kuerner’s “Inside Looking Out.” He and collaborator Matt Nelson have found a way to superimpose and project actual-scale versions of the artwork onto surfaces at the site of their inspiration—spots like the iconic barn at Kuerner Farm in Chadds Ford.
Nelson’s family owns the Downingtown framing shop that used to frame Kuerner’s
work. He introduced Lynch to the projection concept. Lynch began buying equipment, first experimenting with historical projections at Lincoln University, where he's a sociology professor and the director of the Center
for Undergraduate Research. One initial experiment involved a famous photo of Lincoln alum Thurgood Marshall projected on the library steps. Bruce Mowday’s
book, Stealing Wyeth, inspired the current Brandywine connection.
A Wyeth family devotee all his life, Lynch has fond childhood memories of numerous school trips to the Brandywine River Museum of Art. “That’s where it happened for me,” says the 46-year-old West Chester resident.
He calls his own artistic effort “large- scale guerilla street art”—and not all
the traditionalists in the Brandywine
Valley are falling for it. While the Wyeth Foundation for American Art seemed supportive initially, interest ceased when the Brandywine Conservancy began telling Lynch to “stay off its proverbial lawn.” Early last year, it considered scheduling a virtual presentation at the museum with him there, but then declined. “It was an awkward and disappointing experience,” says Lynch. “It comes down to old money and old ways, and the folks who are still breathing want to anchor the tradition in one direction. This might not fit the old model, but history is lazy—and I don’t want it to be.”
In essence, Lynch sees his innovation as a way to propel Wyeth—and all Brandywine art tradition before and after him—into
By J.F. Pirro | Photos By Jim Graham
Projected in Place debuted this past fall at the
Christian C. Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford.
Site Specific
A Chester County college professor projects the work of iconic Brandywine Valley artists into the 21st century.
10 THE HUNT MAGAZINE spring 2023