PITTSBORO — If art has the power to stir emotions and soothe the soul, residents, staff and visitors at the Galloway Ridge Retirement Community at Fearrington Village can find both stimulation and peace when they step into the gallery they call their own.
Led by resident Roger Berkowitz, the esteemed director emeritus of the Toledo Museum of Art, Galloway Ridge has cultivated a powerful — and expanding — art collection. Over the last two years, Berkowitz has acquired more than 150 pieces of original works by a cadre of notable artists from around the globe.
Berkowitz’s vision began to materialize in early 2020 when he and a small art advisory committee embarked on a mission to establish a permanent art collection in the corridors and public spaces at Galloway Ridge.
“The main building was undergoing renovations, and the administrators asked me about acquiring some original works of art that could go in the lobby,” Berkowitz said. “After we got started, it was clear that it made such a difference to have original works of art and not reproductions, which are far more common in these kinds of facilities.”
With Berkowitz leading the charge, the Galloway Ridge advisory committee began raising funds and selecting pieces of original art to replace every tired reproduction. The funding comes directly from Galloway Ridge residents.
Committed to the highest standards of quality, Berkowitz sources works from dealers and auction houses — and notably, Galloway Ridge residents who donate art from their own collections. Each work goes through a rigorous screening process before it is purchased or accepted as a donation.
“We have established criteria for accepting works of art, whether they are to be purchased or they’re being offered as gifts,” Berkowitz said.
They must be originals, created by notable artists who have a prolific history. Berkowitz and his committee favor art that has been the subject of reviews, featured in juried exhibitions, or received public recognition.
At first, Berkowitz and the advisory committee considered limiting the Galloway Ridge art collection to exclusively North Carolina artists, but later decided to expand its scope.
“We recognize our Galloway Ridge residents and guests are well traveled and worldly with a global view of society and culture,” he said. “While there are many works by North Carolina artists, we also feature pieces from different eras, and from countries all over the world.”
Berkowitz is especially proud of the community’s impressive collection of indigenous works.
Front and center in the reception lobby, visitors are greeted by one of the collection’s shining stars — a large, colorful painting depicting an aerial view of the remote Alice Springs countryside in Australia’s Northern Territory. The painting by Michelle Possum Nungarrayi — a member of a famous family of indigenous Australian artists — is titled “Grandmother’s Country.” Resembling a map of the artist’s homeland, the painting is packed full of symbols representing important native traditions. Its vibrant colors invite residents and visitors to step inside the Galloway Ridge main building and explore an enchanting place where staff and residents celebrate art every day.
In the Garden Room directly behind the lobby stands Pittsboro artist Mark Hewitt’s “Monumental Vase,” fashioned out of North Carolina clay and glazed with the artist’s signature runs and textures. The large, stately vase evokes a sense of place in a region where artists have been crafting objects of beauty out of ordinary clay for generations.
Installed on walls in common rooms and hallways, and tucked into various nooks and crannies, the Galloway Ridge art collection also features tapestries, prints, photographs, watercolors, wood carvings, oil paintings, weavings and sculptures. The collection includes one of Andy Warhol’s famous Mickey Mouse portraits, a color silkscreen with diamond dust — an important piece of the artist’s 1981 Myths Portfolio.
“We wanted works of art that are going to be accessible to most people, and we are striving for diversity,” Berkowitz said. “We don’t expect everyone to like everything, but we hope that there’s something that everyone will find that they like.”
Galloway Ridge, an upscale progressive care community, sits on 67 acres adjacent to Fearrington Village. Its main building houses 248 independent living apartments and amenities including a library, movie theatre, business center and art studio. In addition, the community features 52 villa residences, a fitness facility and a health care center with 96 private rooms for assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing. Around the grounds are miles of walking trails and a dog park for the residents’ furry family members. The community is home to over 450 residents.
Berkowitz has lived at Galloway Ridge for five years. At 77, with silver hair and eyeglasses sporting frames that match his bright red necktie, he is a rush of energy and passion as he leads visitors on a lively two-hour tour of the art collection, spread out across the entire three-story building — even in stairwells “to encourage the residents to take the stairs,” he said.
As a young man, Berkowitz studied 19th century English and decorative arts at the University of Michigan, where he received a master’s in museum practice in 1970 and a Ph.D. in 1977. He began his career in Ohio, at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1974, as curator of decorative arts and worked as chief curator and deputy director before becoming director in 1999. He retired in 2004 and relocated to Fearrington Village with his wife, Rhoda, before moving to Galloway Ridge in 2017.
During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, Berkowitz recalled, the art project took on a life of its own. For one thing, contacting potential donors was easier because people were confined in their apartments and villas and easy to reach. And art dealers were more than willing to negotiate prices because it was a difficult economic time.
“It took a while to get started in the beginning, and we didn’t know if this was going to be successful at all,” he said. “If there had been no interest, we would have been out of business before we were even in business.”
But over time, the project gathered steam — first from small donations, which enabled Berkowitz to buy a few pieces and install them in prominent places. Gradually, his efforts took root when the residents began visualizing the possibilities. He spent so much time on his computer searching for works of art to acquire that his wife began joking that he had come out of retirement and was going back to work.
In a way, the Galloway Ridge art project is Berkowitz’s second act — and as a bonus, the master has become a student again.
“This project has given me a new and different way to work, and I have learned a lot in the process,” he said.
Even the most astonishing works of art serve no higher purpose if people can’t view them.
As the pandemic raged, Galloway Ridge residents stayed holed up in their villas and apartments, not realizing the magic unfolding right outside their doors. That’s where art historian Davenne Essif stepped in. A former teaching fellow at the Ackland Art Museum who holds a Ph.D. in art history from UNC-Chapel Hill, Essif set out on a mission to introduce the art project to residents, piece by piece, through a series of videos she produced for the Galloway Ridge independent broadcasting channel.
As the art collection expands, so does the video series, which remains a work in progress.
“When I started making the videos, there were 35 works of art, with a goal of having 60,” she said. “But now there are over 150 pieces spread across the entire facility.”
The videos compress space and time, allowing Essif to compare pieces of art even if they are located on opposite sides of the building.
While Berkowitz was filling the lobbies and common areas with art, the pandemic restrictions began relaxing; residents started venturing out of their villas and apartments to take it all in. Some set out on a mission to visit every single work of art in the building. For those unable to get out or receive visitors from outside their community, the art was like a salve.
“Our residents began looking at the art, expressing their feelings, talking to their neighbors about it, and this project became very much a part of our life at Galloway Ridge during COVID-19,” Berkowitz said. “One resident told me that our art was the one thing that got him out of his apartment every week.”
Berkowitz likes to say that if he helped build the vehicle, then Essif filled its gas tank by using her educational videos to motivate the residents to appreciate art.
“I focused on trying to provide our residents with enough information about the art, but also encouraging them to go out and visit it,” she said.
Most recently Essif took another step toward developing a complete art gallery experience and making Berkowitz’s dream come true: launching a docent program. She’s already begun training residents to become the inaugural cohort of art docents at Galloway Ridge.
“It’s a very exclusive program, starting with four residents,” she said. “They will be trained to give art tours to their fellow residents, staff and visitors.”
Eventually, Essif and Berkowitz hope to put their docents to work in earnest when they can open the exhibit to visitors from the outside community at large.
For Berkowitz, this experience has taught him the value of accessible and affordable art.
“Working in a museum like Toledo’s, you’re always dealing with the creme de la crème of the art world,” he said. “And what I’ve realized is that there’s a lot of really good art that isn’t necessarily museum quality, but well worth seeing, enjoying, and learning from, and I’ve learned about some wonderful artists I’ve never heard of before.”
From the beginning, Berkowitz’s vision has been to make the public spaces at Galloway Ridge seem like an extension of the residents’ apartments, or part of their homes. He recalled one of the best compliments he has ever received for his work.
“I was out one day, helping hang pieces of art,” he said. “One of our residents came by and thanked me, and he told me, ‘Now Galloway Ridge really feels like home.’”