Matthew Presti, President of USP, stands beside a self-portrait bust of Walter Russell in the upper gallery of the Waynesboro art museum. Photo: Clover Carroll.
You will soon be able to commune with lifelike busts of Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt—among others—at a new art museum coming to downtown Waynesboro. Housed in the former Porsche dealership across the street from the Wayne Theater at 518 W. Main St., the University of Science and Philosophy (USP) is preparing to open soon. In addition to the university headquarters, it will house the impressive collection of Walter Russell’s paintings, sculptures, illustrations, books, archives, even hand-carved furniture —which have been in storage for 20 years since the university vacated Swannanoa in 1998. The opening was originally planned for May 3, the 70th anniversary of the university’s dedication in 1949, but the recent discovery of the need for an expensive repair to the sprinkler system may delay that. Another possible date is May 19, the anniversary of Russell’s birth.
“Our mission is to preserve Walter Russell’s legacy,” explained Matt Presti, president of the USP—a tall, fit young man with a black beard and a piercing gaze. “But we also hope to inculcate character. Cell phones should be turned off when you visit; we want people to take the art into their souls, not their cell phones.” After a career as an audio engineer for various Fortune 500 companies, Presti is moving his green-screen A/V studio here.
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You will soon be able to commune with lifelike busts of Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, George Washington, and Franklin D. Roosevelt—among others—at a new art museum coming to downtown Waynesboro. Housed in the former Porsche dealership across the street from the Wayne Theater at 518 W. Main St., the University of Science and Philosophy (USP) is preparing to open soon. In addition to the university headquarters, it will house the impressive collection of Walter Russell’s paintings, sculptures, illustrations, books, archives, even hand-carved furniture —which have been in storage for 20 years since the university vacated Swannanoa in 1998. The opening was originally planned for May 3, the 70th anniversary of the university’s dedication in 1949, but the recent discovery of the need for an expensive repair to the sprinkler system may delay that. Another possible date is May 19, the anniversary of Russell’s birth.
“Our mission is to preserve Walter Russell’s legacy,” explained Matt Presti, president of the USP—a tall, fit young man with a black beard and a piercing gaze. “But we also hope to inculcate character. Cell phones should be turned off when you visit; we want people to take the art into their souls, not their cell phones.” After a career as an audio engineer for various Fortune 500 companies, Presti is moving his green-screen A/V studio here.
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