Nancy Siegel
Assistant Professor of Art History
When Nancy Siegel found out that she was coming to Juniata College, she was anticipating the experience of exploring the woods and wilderness just outside the city limits. Ever the art historian, she thought she would emulate her favorite artist, Thomas Cole, and commune with nature on brisk hikes and discovery adventures.
"As soon as we arrived, I went out and purchased a tent," recalls Siegel, who came to Juniata in 1996 with her husband, Philip Earenfight, who had been hired as an art historian by the College. "Six years later the tent was unopened and we gave it to Jack Troy."
Although she greatly overestimated her love of nature (deer make her particularly nervous), Siegel has never underestimated Juniata as an artistic resource. At the College she found an artistic and intellectual opportunity that perfectly suits her interests and talent. But more about that later.
Siegel naturally came by her affection for art. She was born in Queens, N.Y. and spent much of her childhood exploring museums in Manhattan. Her family collected contemporary art and knew many artists and gallery owners. "It was sort of expected that we would value art and culture," she recalls. "We went to the symphony, the opera, the ballet. My idea of a nature walk was exploring Central Park."
She was always fascinated by art, but a high school English assignment analyzing the poetry of Gertrude Stein and the art of Pablo Picasso pointed directly down the path of exploring art history. "I'm still fascinated by investigating an artist's visual and written languages," she says.
That connection led her to earn a bachelor's degree in art history in 1988 from Franklin and Marshall University. In college, she thought she might specialize in contemporary art by women, but as she went further into her studies, Siegel found the 19th century landscape art of Thomas Cole and the Hudson River School more and more compelling. After earning a master's degree and doctorate at Rutgers University (in 1994 and 1998, respectively), Siegel felt a connection to a group of artists who revealed the look of America to a young nation.
"Probably because I had such an urban sensibility the idea of Thomas Cole trekking through the wilderness of the Catskill Mountains seemed so intriguing and romantic," she says.
In addition to following her heart to the works of Thomas Cole, Siegel also met her husband in graduate school and the couple were married in 1992. When Earenfight accepted a position at Juniata, Siegel taught at Penn State Altoona for a year. Shortly after the couple's arrival, 1951 alumnus Quayton Stottlemyer donated nearly 300 artworks from his father's art collection in 1998. "The collection was heavily weighted with works from the Hudson River School," she says.
When Earenfight left the Juniata faculty for a associate professor position at Dickinson University, there was no question in their minds that she would remain at Juniata. "There are great opportunities for me here and great opportunities for Phil at Dickinson," she says. The couple splits time at residences in Carlisle, Pa. and Huntingdon.
An active research career also keeps Siegel busy. Several years ago she authenticated a Thomas Cole painting in the museum's permanent collection, an event that made national news. She is working on a touring exhibit focused on the museum's collection of portrait miniatures. Oh yes, she's also writing a book An Acquired Taste: Culinary Environments and American Landscape Experience in the 19th Century.
"I couldn't have dreamed a more perfect scenario," she says. "If I were to hand-pick each artist that I would want in a permanent collection, it would include all of the artists in our collection."
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