(The Link Museum issued the following news release on December 9.)
ROANOKE, Va. — A museum devoted to the work of the late O. Winston Link, who became one of the 20th century’s most acclaimed photographers for his dramatically lit black and white photographs of trains and railroad towns, will open Jan. 10 in a newly renovated historic railroad passenger station here in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Link photographed the steam locomotives of the Norfolk &Western Railway as they passed through the towns of Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and Maryland from 1955 until 1960, when steam operations were terminated. Besides creating technically perfect images through the use of a complex synchronized flash system, Link’s work captured the end of an American way of life.
The 15,000-square-foot museum will house the largest collection of the photographer’s work including 190 signed prints, 85 estate prints and all 2,400 of Link’s negatives. The collection also is expected to include recently recovered stolen prints, some of which have never before been seen by the public.
In addition to the photographer’s work, the O. Winston Link Museum will exhibit Link’s photographic equipment, prints not on formal display and N&W Railway artifacts. A virtual rail experience will allow visitors to “take a trip” to the towns he photographed.
The Museum opens with more than $750,000 in support from the Norfolk Southern Foundation and employee and retirees of Norfolk Southern Corp., which acquired the N&W in 1982.
“It is entirely fitting that Norfolk Southern and its people take a leading role in supporting a museum that will preserve and display for the enjoyment of future generations the works of Winston Link. The museum will be a tribute not only to a great artist, but also to a great railroad,” said David Goode, Norfolk Southern president, chairman and CEO.
OPENING DAY HIGHLIGHTS:
10:35 a.m. Ribbon-cutting ceremony with special guests:
Virginia Gov. Mark Warner
U.S. Rep. Bob Goodlatte
David Goode, president, chairman and CEO of Norfolk Southern Corp.
Roanoke Mayor Ralph Smith
Miss Virginia Nancy Redd
11: 15 a.m. Reunion of those who appeared in the photographs Link took along the N&W Railway in the late 1950s and that are part of the Museum’s permanent collection.
11:30 a.m. Lecture: “The Experience of Working with Winston Link” presented by Thomas Garver, organizing curator of the O. Winston Link Museum and leading authority on the photographer’s work.
12:30 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. Lecture: “The Trouble With Conchita,” presented by J. Edward Meyer, Link’s former personal attorney, who will discuss the legal battle with Link’s ex-wife, who was convicted in 1996 of stealing $2 million worth of the photographer’s work. Conchita Mendoza Link was arrested again in 2003 for allegedly attempting to sell 30 of the stolen prints.
1:30 p.m. Lecture: “Winston Link’s N&W Project: Why Did He Do It?” presented by Thomas Garver.
ABOUT THE O.WINSTON LINK MUSEUM:
A successful independent photographer from New York, O. Winston Link became fascinated with locomotives during his childhood, and he loved the simple beauty of the Southern towns along the lines of the N&W Railway.
He declined numerous offers of exclusive exhibits by several notable museums because he wanted a permanent collection of his photographs to be displayed in place that provided context for his work. Link requested before his death in 2001 that a museum bearing his name be located in the old N&W Railway passenger station in Roanoke, where he took some of his photographs.
The photographer was actively involved in the planning of the O. Winston Link Museum when he died of a heart attack at age 86 in January 2001 near his South Salem, N.Y., home.
The N&W passenger station was built in 1905 and redesigned in 1947 by world-renowned industrial designer Raymond Loewy. It served as the hub of five main rail lines radiating in all directions to points in Ohio, North Carolina, Maryland and Tennessee.
The O. Winston Link Museum, a partnership of the History Museum and Historical Society of Western Virginia and Center in the Square, is located 101 Shenandoah Ave. in downtown Roanoke (across from The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center).
The Museum will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Admission: Adults $5, seniors $4, children $3. For an additional $2 visitors may also gain same-day admission to the History Museum. Group discounts and packages are available.
For more information, call 540/982-LINK or visit www.linkmuseum.org.