Donor Profile : Stephen Sherrill (PA 1971)
Written by Sally Carlson, Communications Coordinator
While a student at Phillips Academy, Stephen Sherrill (PA 1971) spent a lot of time on the football field, but he doesn’t actually remember spending time at the Addison Gallery. “I don’t think I really had an interest in art when I was at Phillips. It wasn’t until I was an undergraduate majoring in architecture that my interest in art began to grow.”
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Kara Walker (1969 - )
Alabama Loyalists Greeting the Federal Gun-Boats, 2005
offset lithograph with screenprint
purchased as the gift of Katherine and Stephen C. Sherrill (PA 1971)
Addison Gallery of American Art
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Steve’s interest grew into a passion. Today, he is a major collector of American photography and paintings. He is also a significant donor to the Addison’s collection. Among his gifts to the Addison are
photographs by Carleton Watkins, Robert Frank and Bernice Abbott, and
portfolios by Kara Walker, Bill Owens, Harold Edgerton and Neil Slavin. “My interest in photography is an appreciation for the art form as well as the historical content of the images,” said Steve.
Why donate to the Addison? “The Addison is a wonderful museum with a superb collection,” explained Steve. “It’s also of a scale where I can contribute in a meaningful way and my contributions can have an impact.”
We are very grateful to Stephen Sherrill for his generous gifts to the Addison, some of which are currently on display through April 15 in the exhibition, Kara Walker: Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated). Steve is also the lender of the magnificent nineteenth century Western landscape photographs comprising the Wheeler Survey.
