Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D) is pleased to announce the generous gift by Scott and Yoon Cohen of an historic painting entitled The Heart and Conscience of America by renowned painter Edna Hibel (1917-2014) that was commissioned by the Clinton White House to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the White House. It was presented to the White House and signed by the artist on May 16, 2000. Painted in oil, fresco, and gold leaf on canvas, it is displayed in MECA&D's Joanne Waxman Library where it can be viewed and enjoyed by the public (by appointment) and members of the College community.
“We are grateful to Scott and Yoon Cohen for their generosity in choosing Maine College of Art & Design to host this significant piece of American art," said President Laura Freid.
Although Maine College of Art & Design is not a collecting institution, an exception was made to be able to share this stunning artwork with the public. Commissioned by the White House 2000 Anniversary: Celebrating Freedom and Democracy Committee, it was presented on May 15, 2000, at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., with a reception and unveiling. Edna Hibel signed the painting as the attendees watched. The ceremony was tied into the First Lady’s Luncheon at the Congressional Club when first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was honored for her work with children.
(L-R) Associate Director of Development Annie Wadleigh; Scott Cohen; Associate Vice President of Development Laura Retherford. Photo by Annabelle Collette '22
The painting was used in part to help raise money for a children’s fund (HOPE). Hibel said she created the piece based on her idea of what she believes America should represent. The portrait depicts a family and includes many people of different ethnic backgrounds. "I think if everyone loved their neighbor it would be one beautiful world," said Hibel. "Although I might not live to see it, I have faith that it's possible."
Edna Hibel (1917–2014) enjoyed a prolific career. She grew up in the Boston area and spent summers in Massachusetts and Maine studying watercolor painting. Hibel received her education from the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts. At the age of 23, she was the youngest artist at the time to have a painting purchased by a major American art museum (the Boston Museum of Art). Hibel painted every day until the age of 93. Her many achievements include receiving the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts in 2001 from the World Cultural Council; being the first painter elected to Fellowship by the World Academy of Art and Science; and Fellowship in the Royal Society of Art.
Hibel's work has been exhibited in museums and galleries in more than 20 countries on four continents and is in the permanent collections of the United Nations Headquarters (New York City), Palais des Nations (Geneva), Harvard University (Cambridge), U.S. National Archives (Washington), and many other places.
In addition to her numerous artistic awards, Edna Hibel received many humanitarian honors for using her work to raise donations for children’s and medical charities. Since being commissioned by the Foundation of the U.S. National Archives in 1995 to commemorate 75 years of women receiving the universal right to vote, Hibel has been acclaimed as the “Heart and Conscience of America," as businesswoman and philanthropist Lucy Baines Johnson described her.
Hibel's painting was purchased by Scott and Yoon Cohen because it is a significant piece of American history painted by one of America’s masters. Scott and Yoon have a long history with Maine College of Art & Design. The Madelyn B. Cohen Visiting Artists Endowment Fund at MECA&D was established in December of 2018 by Scott A. Cohen and The Gene R. Cohen Charitable Foundation in honor of Scott’s mother, Madelyn B. Cohen, who studied at Portland School of Art prior to her death in 1986.