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Joseph Edward Pavone papers
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Held at: Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library [Contact Us]680 Radcliffe St, Bristol, Pennsylvania
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Joseph Edward Pavone was an artist and prominent figure in the cultural and heritage community of Bristol, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
As an artist, Pavone worked in oils, watercolors, graphics, sculpture, mural and china painting. He was commissioned to create many public artworks in and around Bristol, including "The Four Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester during World War II" (ceramic tile mosaic), "Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt" (two oil paintings), "Conversion of St. Paul" (mural), "Senator Joseph R. Grundy" (bronze statue), "Monument of Christopher Columbus" (bronze and granite), "The Family Veteran's Memorial" (life-size bronze four figure group), and "War Dog Monument" (statue).
Pavone was also an art teacher in the Bucks County School System, and gave private art lessons for more serious students at the Radcliffe Art Gallery, educating several well-known Bucks County artists including John Ennis, Joseph Sagolla, and Robert Beck. His art gallery became a mecca for the cultural community in Bristol and throughout Bucks County for several decades.
A graduate of Bristol High School in 1945, he was drafted into service in the United States Army Signal Corps. From 1950-1952 Pavone worked as an MOS-Army Photographer, and while stationed in Karlsruhe, Germany, he studied painting with noted German artist Helmut Weingarten. Pavone went on to earn a BFA, MFA, and BS in Education from Temple University's Tyler School of Art. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Boris Blai Scholarship for Sculpture from the Tyler School of Art; Best in Show, the Stella Elkins Tyler Award for Sculpture, Alumni Exhibition; United States Congressional Special Recognition for Artistic Achievement; Pennsylvania House of Representatives Award for Artistic Achievement; Columbus 500 Special Person of the Year for Artistic Achievement; and Veterans of the Foreign Legion Commendation.
Pavone founded the Radcliffe Art Gallery in 1961 and the Radcliffe Cultural and Historical Foundation (later the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation) in the late 1960s. Both organizations became hubs of cultural activities in Bristol and throughout the surrounding area. He was also an art conservator and a Fellow of the American Institute of Conservation. In 1969, Pavone was honored by the Lions Club as the Bristol Borough Citizen of the Year. In 2000, Pavone was issued a citation honoring his many achievements by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania House of Representatives. He died in 2010.
Bibliography:
Chicirda, Tim. "Veterans of Bucks County: Joseph Pavone." Bucks Local News June 5, 2008. Accessed February 11, 2013. http://veteransofbuckscounty.blogspot.com/2008/06/joseph-pavone.html.
Joseph Edward Pavone citation, sponsored by Thomas C. Corrigan, Sr., September 28, 2000. Document found in collection.
Shrift, Gwen. "Late Art Teacher Still Helping Students." Bucks County Courier Times, September 25, 2011. Accessed February 11, 2013. http://www.phillyburbs.com/entertainment/local_entertainment/late-art-teacher-still-helping-students/article_dd0153b4-5011-5527-b02a-a79d50b43537.html.
This collection contains clippings, slides, photographs, notes, drawings, organizational records, and other materials relating to the life and work of Joseph E. Pavone.
The bulk of the collection consists of photographs and slides with some drawings documenting Pavone's artistic works, particularly on the Christopher Columbus monument, and to a lesser extent, the War Dog Memorial. There are also some meeting notes, pamphlets, and ephemera relating to the Columbus monument and its dedication.
The collection also includes materials relating to the Radcliffe Art Gallery and the Radcliffe Cultural and Historical Foundation (later the Bristol Cultural and Historical Foundation), circa 1965-1970, principally clippings, meeting minutes and ephemera and invitations. Of special interest is a photograph of the Sons of Italy in front of the Italian Beneficial Hall, which later became the Radcliffe Art Gallery.
Finally, this collection includes a small amount of materials relating to the history of Bristol in general, including a map, photographs, and newspaper articles.
Gift of Phyllis Pavone, 2010 and 2011
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2012-2014 as part of a project conducted by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania to make better known and more accessible the largely hidden collections of small, primarily volunteer run repositories in the Philadelphia area. The Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was accomplished during the HCI-PSAR project.
In some cases, more detailed inventories or finding aids may be available on-site at the repository where this collection is held; please contact Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library directly for more information.
People
Subject
Place
- Publisher
- Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Celia Caust-Ellenbogen and Faith Charlton through the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania's Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
- Access Restrictions
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Contact Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library for information about accessing this collection.