Poliakoff Collection of Western Art

The Abbeville County Library’s unique Poliakoff Collection of Western Art will soon be accessible online with expert-prepared descriptions. The collection’s 130-plus objects, including Western American Indian-themed bronzes, pottery, tapestries and paintings by some of the  most prominent late-20^th century Western Native American artists, will be presented and explained online by e-catalog accompanied by museum-quality, professionally-produced images of each object. SC Humanities supported this project with a Major Grant in February 2013.

The Poliakoff Collection of Western Art was a 1990 bequest by the late Dr. Samuel R. Poliakoff, an Abbeville native who acquired art objects in the 1980s from artists in Arizona, New Mexico and other Western states. The e-catalog will feature captions and essays prepared by a humanities scholar, Dr. Bruce David Bernstein, a PhD. in anthropology who resides in Santa Fe, NM.

The collection is also beautifully displayed for the enjoyment of in-person visitors at the Abbeville County Library’s new location on North Main Street in Abbeville, and when the grant project is completed in 2014 the Collection will be available online for viewers throughout South Carolina and elsewhere. Additionally, a public program will take place to highlight the launch of the e-catalog. For more information about this project, contact the Abbeville County Library at 864-459-4009.

The mission of SC Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. The Humanities Council^SC programs and initiatives are balanced, reflecting sensitivity to the diversity of ideas, encourage open dialogue, demonstrate integrity, and are ethical in operations.

Image: Plains Indian Looking, bronze by Ernest Berke