Seaville artist and teacher honored by Wesley College

Written by Staff Reports Sunday, October 14, 2012 01:00 am

Seaville's Lance Balderson, left, in front his “Aerial View” abstract painting during the Wesley College unveiling and reception with President William N. Johnston.

Seaville resident and abstract expressionist artist Lance Balderson was honored recently by his alma mater, Wesley College, with the acquisition of his paintings for its permanent art collection.

Balderson's work, “Aerial View,” was installed Oct. 1 at Wesley's Fluman Gallery in the Henry Belin duPont College Center in Dover, Del.

During an unveiling of the painting and reception with Wesley President William N. Johnston, Balderson was joined by members of his family, the students he teaches at his Cape May County studio, and college faculty, staff and students. Balderson, who studied engineering at Wesley, is a 1961 alumnus of what was then a two-year college. Afterwards he transferred to Penn State, where he earned a degree in architecture.

The achievement was the latest in a number of acquisitions by major institutions of Balderson’s paintings. Those museums include the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which in the summer of 2009 installed his “Tryst” in its American Gallery – alongside works by such artists as Andrew Wyeth, Thomas Eakins and Mary Cassatt.

The artist’s creations can also be found on the walls at Columbia Law School, Curtis Institute of Music, Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pa., Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, and the Ocean City Arts Center.

Earlier this year, the Noyes Museum in Oceanville showcased 13 of Balderson’s works in an exhibition.