Fred Light’s 1984 portrait now welcomes visitors to his museum

“He said to me, ‘Who the hell wants to see a photograph of an old man?’” Hewitt recalled. “I said, ‘Future generations, Fred. Long after you’re gone, your name’s gonna be on the front of this building, and everyone’s gonna wanna know who Fred is.’”

Rather than placing Light among the countless items he had collected over the years, Hewitt chose to centre the photograph around the piece that held the most personal significance to him.

“He was a man of few words; just to get him to admit that was his favorite was a bit of a chore without elaboration… I had him sit down, and we created the look and feel of a workshop space. I said, ‘Just go through the motions of what you might do when you’re looking at restoring.’”

The image captured Light in a quiet, candid moment, focused on the work he loved.

More than four decades later, Hewitt’s prediction has come true.

The same photograph now stretches across the side of the museum that bears Light’s name, greeting visitors before they step through the door.

“It’s really heartfelt for me to see that that’s come to fruition and that Fred will be there in all his glory to invite people in to see his museum. Not direct, but his image itself will be enough to entice people through the door,” Hewitt said.

Thanks to the efforts of museum staff and local donors, Light’s image will continue welcoming visitors to the collection he spent a lifetime building.

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Alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com

by Alyssa Rudolph

Fred Light’s 1984 portrait now welcomes visitors to his museum

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