Artists’ legacies honored through sculpture donation

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Connections to Penn State Harrisburg, past and present, resulted in the donation of artwork that honors the legacy of sculptor Oliver LaGrone, who served as a lecturer and artist-in-residence at Penn State the 1970s, as well as an artist who studied with him, Ruth Fackler Sourbeer.

Penn State Harrisburg alums Doug Knull and Evelyn Toro Knull donated a bronze bust of LaGrone, an African American sculptor, poet and educator, that was sculpted by Sourbeer, an artist and Doug's grandmother. The bust is now on display in the Oliver LaGrone Cultural Arts Center, in the college’s Olmsted Building.

A reception to recognize the donation was held during a February meeting of the college’s Multicultural Academic Excellence Program (MAEP), where Heidi Abbey Moyer, archivist and humanities reference librarian, shared a history of Sourbeer and her work.

“She is an example of Oliver LaGrone’s legacy, because she spent two years with [him] and learned how to sculpt,” Moyer said. “His legacy still lives on, not only on the campus, but also in the family of the Knulls … They’re one of the main reasons we’re here.”

LaGrone served as artist-in-residence for Penn State in 1975. LaGrone sculptures can be found at several Penn State campuses, including several at Penn State Harrisburg: “The Dancer,” “Dr. Carter Goodwin Woodson,” and “Harriet Tubman,” located in the Oliver LaGrone Cultural Arts Center, which was named in his honor in 1998.

Sourbeer, an accomplished portrait artist and illustrator who had an art studio in Harrisburg, met LaGrone through her work as an art instructor. They bonded through their views on art and education, and Sourbeer joined Sculpture Associates Unlimited, which LaGrone founded. She studied with LaGrone for two years and sculpted a bust of LaGrone, the first one she’d ever sculpted. It was exhibited in the college’s Gallery Lounge in 1977.

Sourbeer died in 1983, and LaGrone died in 1995. The bust, and more of Sourbeer’s artwork, found a home with the Knulls. It took up a spot in Evelyn’s office — a space that was once Sourbeer’s art studio.

Doug said it was nice to see both his grandmother and LaGrone honored through the donation.

“It’s nice to have her recognized for the work she did, because she was really exceptional,” he said.

Doug earned his bachelor’s degree from Penn State Harrisburg in 1986. Evelyn earned a master’s degree in American studies in 2017 and is currently in the doctoral program. Her master’s thesis focused on letters Sourbeer exchanged with her husband, Robert Sourbeer, a U.S. Navy Seabee during World War II.

Being an American studies student helped her recognize how meaningful it would be to give the bust of LaGrone to the college, she said.

“It’s because I’m part of the American studies program here and they taught me everything I need to know about historic preservation, museum studies,” Evelyn added. “If I would not have been here as a student, I (don’t think) I would have appreciated it.”

She told the students at the MAEP presentation to cherish the artwork.

“Learn about Oliver LaGrone. May he be an inspiration in your life as he has been in my life — and also Mrs. Sourbeer, may she be an inspiration in your life, too,” she said.