For Sandra “Sandy” Brown Lepore ’62, it’s all about bringing art and artists into the public eye.  Lepore has teamed with two St. Lawrence parents, Vincent Vallarino P’11 and Jeff Cooley P’12, to bring the work of painter Laura Coombs Hills to contemporary art lovers.

Lepore, who operates Lepore Art and Art History in Newburyport, Mass., says it all began in 1996 when the Historical Society of  Old Newbury sponsored the first retrospective on the work of Hills (1859-1952), a popular Boston artist for much of the early 20th century. She was the guest curator and prime organizer of the award-winning catalog that accompanied that exhibition, and since that time she has been considered the “go to” authority on Hills.

In 2009, “I was contacted by fellow dealer Vincent Vallarino, who has shared my enthusiasm for Hills,” Lepore says. Vallarino, the father of V. Ethan ’11, had discovered a group of 10 Hills floral pastels that were for sale.  The find inspired a 13-piece exhibition, “Laura Coombs Hills: Portraits from My Garden,”at the Old Lyme, Conn., gallery of Cooley, father of William ’12 and an acknowledged American art enthusiast and longtime colleague of Lepore’s and Vallarino’s. The catalog (available via 978-462-1663 or lepore.art@verizon.net) contains Lepore’s scholarly essay on Hills titled “Breaking the Accepted Rules of Color.”  The project also led to a longer article by Lepore in the Autumn/Winter 2009 edition of Antiques & Fine Art magazine.

Lepore says her key “take-away” from St. Lawrence has been “relationships.” She also fondly remembers history studies and a world religion course. She adds, “Of course, how can I forget my art history classes,” says the history major.  “St. Lawrence gave me a well-rounded education so that I was able to explore many interests before I focused on the fine arts.”