Trutter Museum opens new exhibit today

The Philip and Mary Kathryn Trutter Museum at LLCC is celebrating the opening of a new exhibit, “Trutter: Black and White,” today, Sept. 30. The opening reception is being held from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Trutter Center on the Springfield campus. The public is invited.   Also, a display in the LLCC Library opened today featuring artwork of the late Lillian Scalzo recently donated to the Trutter Museum.

“Trutter: Black and White” is the seventh exhibit in the museum and is being sponsored by Frye-Williamson Press, Inc. This exhibit will feature photographs of Springfield landmarks designed by Philip Trutter and his associates during his career as an architect, as well as black and white artifacts collected by the Trutters during their worldwide travels.

The remarkable photos were taken by seven photographers from the Springfield Camera Club: Cynthia Gallo Callan, Steve Jacobs, Jim Johnston, Norm Langhoff, Linda Gorman Reed, Karl Vogl and Bob Wangard. Some of the buildings featured in the photos are several schools including the former Griffin High School, Franklin Middle School and St. Patrick’s School; the Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport; and Springfield Municipal Center West. The featured artifacts include ancient Chinese currency, carved mahogany statues from Africa, and Japanese Netsuke ivory carvings, among others.

A native of Springfield, Mr. Trutter returned to the area to begin his architectural career after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1938.  Phil retired in 1964 at the age of 52 to focus on traveling with his wife, Mary Kathryn. The Trutters visited 100 countries and principalities and traveled around the world approximately 10 times from the late 1950s to the mid-1970s. More than 700 pieces in the Trutter Collection and a cash gift were bequeathed to the college after Mr. Trutter’s passing in December 2000.

Museum hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and anytime by appointment. For information or to schedule an appointment, contact Janet Semanik at 217.786.2217 or visit www.llccfoundation.org.