The Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury (SVWC) Art Committee is proud and excited to invite the public to this very unique exhibit, between July 13 and September 5, 2018. With this show, we are celebrating and sharing the many accomplishments of an extraordinary, multi-faceted, artistic genius -Wil Pieper.
Wilfred Pieper was born in Loretto, MN and attended schools there. He was always interested in drawing on anything he could find, and his mother solved the problem by saving remnants of wallpaper, the reverse of which made excellent drawing paper. Wil was awarded a scholarship to the Minneapolis School of Art, where he dreamed of becoming a magazine illustrator. During that time, he also lettered and painted movie theater lobby advertisements. Pieper graduated from the School of Art and attended the Air University and the Command and Staff School. Wil is a career military officer, joining the US Army Air Corps in January 1942, and remaining on active duty in the USAF until retirement in 1968. He served in World War II and the Korean War, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with two clusters. Pieper is credited with 234 combat missions.
Wil and Lois Pieper moved to SVWC in December of 2007 from their home of 49 years in Alexandria, VA. When Wil lost his beloved Lois, he decided to design stained glass doors for the new SVWC Chapel, and dedicate the project to his wife. From there, Wil designed the wall of windows for the Chapel and assisted in the fabrication of them. Pieper painted nearly every day up until this year when health issues caused some obstacles. His realistic oil paintings are exquisite. As you walk around the campus at SVWC, you see evidence of Wil Pieper’s creativity in many locations. The marketing department has two abstract, stained glass panels that Wil designed for that space. Near the library hangs a lovely stained glass piece depicting a vase of flowers. In the Vitality Center, there are stained glass panels in the windows of the aerobics studio as well as in a cylindrical tower in the art studio.
It is safe to say that Wil Pieper has experienced more in his 99 years, than most. It is for this reason that we are proud to showcase his paintings, stained glass pieces, carvings, and stories of his many successes, with this exhibit. The artist’s Opening Reception takes place on Friday, July 13 from 5:30—7 p.m. For those who can’t make the opening, feel free to view the exhibit any day between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Should you have further questions, contact Kitty Zuckerman, Marketing Communications Specialist at 540-665-5915.
