Connie Saltonstall Biography

Constance Saltonstall, known as Connie by her family and friends, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on October 8, 1944. She was an accomplished artist and photographer, whose work is represented in many private collections.

Connie grew up in Ellis Hollow, near Ithaca, New York, in the house located just west of the Colony. Her father, Leverett, son of Senator Saltonstall of Massachusetts, moved to Ithaca with his wife, the former Nancy Smith of Groton, Massachusetts, in the early 1940's. Leverett was renowned for growing sunflowers: fields of pure gold that went on for hundreds of acres. Two of Connie's three siblings still live in this area; Peter Saltonstall owns the Treleaven Winery in King Ferry, and Alice Saltonstall lives in Ithaca with her four children. Connie's eldest brother, Tim Saltonstall, lives in California.

Connie graduated from The Cambridge School, in Weston, Massachusetts in 1962 and studied at The Rhode Island School of Design and Cornell University. After spending time in Rome, painting and taking photographs, Connie came back to the Ithaca area in 1965 and, with her partner Victoria Romanoff, established the firm of Romanoff and Saltonstall, dedicated to historical renovations. Romanoff and Saltonstall accomplished a series of important local preservation projects: the 1868 Citizens Savings Bank Office; Simeon's on the Ithaca Commons; murals for the First Presbyterian Church in Trumansburg; the 1883 Barn in Newfield, which the two partners purchased; and the Clinton House in downtown Ithaca.

Connie and Vicky's work together also included the mounting of several exhibitions: at the 1883 Barn, they mounted an exhibition, dedicated to Connie's father, entitled "Giddy-Up Napoleon, It Looks Like Rain: A Look at Farming in Tompkins County." Other exhibitions included "Architectural Preservation in Tompkins County" at the Johnson Museum and "Babylon Prior to Urban Renewal" at Telluride Association, Cornell University. The firm of Romanoff and Saltonstall received a Western Landmarks Preservation grant and an America the Beautiful grant. In 1973, Connie and Vicky jointly received the Woman of the Year Award from the Ithaca Journal.

From 1974 to 1987, Connie lived in Holland and in Paris, where she studied Jungian psychology and continued to paint and take photographs. From 1987 to 1990, Connie studied at the atelier of R. H. Ives Gammell in Boston and was a member of the Newbury Gallery. In 1990, Connie returned to the family farm in Ellis Hollow. In the few years before her death, she established a studio on Brindley Street in Ithaca and built a new home for herself that now serves as the Colony's Center.

Photography was the continuing thread in Connie's life. At an early age, the camera became her constant companion and she began to record her life on film. Most of her photographs have never been viewed and only rare selections have been printed, published, or exhibited. The foundation has begun the task of sorting, protecting, printing, and exhibiting this body of work.

In the course of her life, Connie established several studios in America and in Europe. One of her ongoing concerns was helping other artists with their work. The beautiful interior spaces and nurturing atmosphere she created helped to inspire many painters and photographers. She flourished in artistic communities, giving generously of her time and energy. Connie died in 1994, not long after being diagnosed with cancer. The Constance Saltonstall Foundation for the Arts is a part of her living legacy.