(Lander, WY) — When you visit a museum and look at the artifacts protected by glass or pieces of art mounted on the wall, it’s easy to not think about how the item got there.
If you are like me at all, you’re focused on the textures of the paintings or who from history could have worn the artifact, not who carefully transported the item, potentially great distances, so I could experience it.
Lander resident Reid Schell owns and operates Handle With Care, a fine art and artifact transportation service. He’s transported a Congressional Medal of Honor, paintings headed to the Louvre Museum in Paris, a 150-year-old wine collection and so much more.
He’s actually the reason we currently have the exhibit “Native Americans of Wyoming’s Wind River Country” currently at the Pioneer Museum in Lander.
The pieces are from a collection by Joseph Sheuerle which features the artist’s notes and sketches on the back of his portraits. The unique framing and presentation of his work allow viewers to appreciate both the polished portrait and his notes and sketches.
The exhibit arrived in Lander last fall and will be on display through the end of September 2021.
In 2016, the Montana Historical Society hired Handle With Care to package and transport dozens of framed pieces by Scheuerle from Cincinnati to Helena, Montana.
As Reid prepared the works for transportation, he realized many were created in Fort Washakie and was determined to find a way to share the art with Fremont County.
He approached the Montana Historical Society and the Lander Pioneer Museum, and over several years of collaboration and cooperation between the three, a loan of more than 20 portraits to Fremont County Museums was set.
In the final step, he donated his high-end art transportation services to ensure the safe delivery of this local portion of the collection to the Pioneer Museum.
Community News Manager Amanda Fehring sat down with Reid for an episode of Fehring in the Field. Listen to our entire interview below.