At the Intersection of Art History, Americana & All Things Rockwell Kent: Scott R. Ferris

Coming from a background in studio art with an involvement in antiquing since childhood, Scott R. Ferris will have an abundance of inventory from his personal library, an array of artwork such as lithographs, wood engravings, watercolors, assorted Americana materials and even his own books written about Rockwell Kent at the Northampton Book Fair. 

Ferris recalls attending antique shows with his father, a specialist in Civil War militaria and being engaged in painting classes with a local artist at the age of 9 years old. An archivist at heart, he has saved 6 of these works from his childhood. This passion for art eventually led to him taking classes in a community college in New York with an emphasis on printmaking before enrolling in a program at SUNY Plattsburgh. One semester, Ferris made woodcuts of an area between New York and Quebec for a professor who was working on a proposed national park between the United States and Canada, combining his passion for the arts and environmental science.

During his academic career, Ferris spent many months in Europe, doing semesters in Pisa and Copenhagen, as well as a week of studying theater in London. From here, his devout interest in the prolific 20th century American artist Rockwell Kent blossomed as he found work at the newly created Rockwell Kent Gallery, at SUNY, Plattsburgh. He later was named director of The Rockwell Kent Legacies, at the Kent estate.

“I didn’t imagine that I was going to get into art history but when I ended up at the Rockwell Kent Estate it sort of naturally fell into place, it was a wonderful gateway into 20th century American history,” he said. 

Ferris notes that from this immersion in all things Kent, he created a broad network of collectors. Now, years later, he's helping the families of these collectors to sell their art and books. Outside of Kent, Ferris has also collected works by and materials related to Harry Steinberg, Edward Gorey, Henry Miller and Edward Christiana. 

If you would like to chat with Scott for yourself and see his inventory in person, be sure to stop by the Northampton Community Arts Trust on November 22nd and 23rd located at 33 Hawley Street.