New Exhibition at the Huntington Museum of Art Explores the Work of Harry Bertoia

The Marshall University Memorial Fountain is pictured in Huntington. Ryan Fisher/The Herald-Dispatch

The Huntington Museum of Art opened a new exhibition, Rising, Renewing, Reaching: Harry Bertoia and the Marshall University Memorial Fountain, in observance of the 50th anniversary of the plane crash whose victims are memorialized by Bertoia’s Memorial Fountain. Bertoia attended Cranbrook Academy of Art in the late 1930s, with a particular focus on jewelry design due to limited access to metals at that time due to war efforts.

The exhibit displays a range of Bertoia’s work, including his iconic furniture designs, as well as jewelry, prints and sculpture, with a focus on his work on the Memorial Fountain on the Marshall University campus.

Bertoia’s daughter, Celia Bertoia, is scheduled to present a lecture on November 13 from 5-7pm, either in-person on virtually depending on restrictions due to COVID-19.

Read more about the exhibition and origination of the fountain here.