Farm to bottle to art

Posted by Emily Myers on June 16, 2014

Cheers, Wilhelm Schimmel. Young Friends met for in depth research of folk artist Wilhem Schimmel Thursday evening June 12 at the Brandywine River Museum of Art.

Museum curator Amanda Burdan read newspaper accounts of Schimmel’s adventures in the area around Carlisle Pennsylvania. Many of his ventures landed him in jail. Newspaper articles from the mid to late 1800s leave a trail of drunken mischief so that students of his work know many details of his life.

According to Burdan, most folk artists live and die in obscurity. Often folk art is simply attributed to “anonymous.”

Once the decoration of bars and taverns, Schimmel’s wood carvings now reside in prestigious places such as Winterthur’s Schimmel Hall. His works today command tens of thousands of dollars - far more than the few drinks for which they were originally bartered.

Burdan describes his carved eagles as the original “Angry Birds.” Schimmel gives the birds eyebrows to add to the expressiveness of their faces.

Given the background of the artist, Burden thought a whiskey tasting would enhance the study of the artist. She wondered “have we [Brandywine River Museum of Art] ever done anything like this? Can we do this?”

The answer was no we haven’t, but yes we can. The tasting began starting with bourbon, then scotch then rye whiskey. As the half ounce shot glasses of Booker’s Noe were passed around, an oaky molasses aroma filled the tables. Both bourbons, Booker’s Noe and Basil Hayden’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon were paired with sausage.

The bourbons were followed by two scotches: Glenlivet - 12 year old and Laphroaig – 10 year old. Salty smoked salmon was served to highlight the nose described as “sweet creamy vanilla, honey, pineapple, vanilla, pressed apples and a little cinnamon.”

The final tastings were rye presented by Dad’s Hat, the only distiller of rye whiskey in Pennsylvania. The ryes were paired with goat cheese on crostini.

Jack Wellman described his company’s come back for the rye industry in Pennsylvania which was wiped out by prohibition. According to Wellman, consumer’s tastes changed to blended whiskies after Pennsylvania distilleries fled to Canada.

Wellman says his product is “Farm to Bottle.” The rye is grown in Pennsylvania. Dad’s Hat was named after the founder’s dad’s proclivity toward hats. According to company co-founder, John S. Cooper, his dad would carefully choose the hat he wore to reflect his mood or the occasion. Cooper named his company to reflect values “from an era when taking the time to do it the right way mattered.”

The title of the exhibit reflects Burdan’s training as a curator to describe the art she is working with and her humor to express what she learned about the artist’s life. Wilhelm Schimmel: A Bold Piece of Work is on exhibit at the Brandywine River Museum through June 22. The museum offers free admission Sunday mornings.

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years. She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982. ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors. Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.