Artwork Wednesday: Onondaga Valley Academy



Lillie Belle Dimond was a strong advocate of historic buildings in the #Syracuse area in the early 20th century. She was known for her paintings of historic places, and OHA owns 18 of her works including this one of the Onondaga Valley Academy created in 1914. A high school erected in 1815 in the town of Onondaga, the building burned down in 1919. A new building was built nearby, which now holds the Faith Heritage School.

Like many other artists in our exhibition A Life in Art: Women Artists in OHA’s Collection, Dimond’s creativity extended beyond painting to include other art forms. She was a musician and poet, and some of her poems were published in Syracuse newspapers. Dimond was also a teacher at the Merrick School before her untimely death at the age of 42.