Amy Chen '08 and Elizabeth Doe '08

An art heist, a mysteriously secure vault, and a collection of works worth millions. No, these are not elements of Dan Brown's latest thriller, but the discoveries of senior leaders Jett Fein and Charlie Straut as they research Deerfield Academy's Charles A. Russell Collection.

In partnership with Secretary of the Academy Lee Wicks, who is assisting in the creation of the website, and project advisor Lydia Hemphill, Fein and Straut are exploring the Russell Collection as an alternate study this term. The collection contains over 250 pieces of art brought to Deerfield through auctions, donations, and the Russells themselves. Many breathtaking pieces, rarely shown, are stored in a vault and hidden from the eyes of the community.

Deerfield has loaned pieces from the Russell Collection to various art museums throughout Europe and the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the National Gallery in Berlin. The collection contains works by major names such as John Singleton Copley, Childe Hassam, Gilbert Stuart, and Andy Warhol.

In 1972, five of the most valuable pieces were stolen in an on-campus heist in which Deerfield students unwittingly participated. The pieces were later recovered inside a lockbox in Grand Central Station.

Occasional exhibitions showcasing the Russell Collection continued after the theft. However, the infrequency of the collection's exposure is due to the lack of security on campus. "My focus in the past several years has been to offer the gallery space to visiting artists in a series of revolving exhibitions," Ms. Hemphill explained.

When asked why he felt a need to display the Russell Collection, Fein responded that his efforts were inspired by the "hope that the art would not go unnoticed."

The goal of Fein and Straut is not to restore the display in exhibits within the school, but to create an online emuseum available as a resource and inspiration for scholars of language, literature, history, and art alike.

Nearly every day, the two go to the vault during free periods and after school with the goal of researching and uncovering the story of each piece. "What's fun about this project is piecing together the evidence," Fein said.

The cataloguing process takes much time and effort, as the art within the vault ranges greatly in style. From Impressionistic landscapes to a mid-19th-century German triptych altar-piece, no single genre of art takes prominence. As Straut exclaimed, "You never know what you'll find in some cluttered corner of the vault!"

The procedure began with Fein's creation of a database designed to record information concerning the style, origin, and composition of each work. Each piece is then photographed and labeled with its corresponding history for the e-museum.

Though those involved with the project expect it to be smooth sailing from here, the endeavor has not been without obstacles. Several of the discovered pieces have been anonymous, making it difficult to attribute the work to a solitary artist. If this is the case, the art style must be researched until a similar piece is found.

In addition, some pieces have been discovered in poor condition. "Thomas Birch's painting was slashed right through the canvas!" lamented Fein. But there is hope for these paintings. An art conservation center in nearby Williamstown is able to restore damaged masterpieces to nearly their original states.

Fein and Straut intend to continue the project beyond the scope of the Russell Gallery. Once the collection has been catalogued and researched, they plan to carry on the process.

Fein said his intention in pursuing this study is to "give something back to Deerfield that it has a great need for": unearthing the collection's lost gems. They hope to hold a one-night exhibition before June to highlight major works from the collection and provoke perspective and appreciation for the masterpieces of which so many Deerfield students are unaware.