Recent Acquisitions: Union College Permanent Collection

September 1, 2022 – June 12, 2023

Curated by Julie Lohnes, former Director & Curator of Art Collections & Exhibitions

Nicole Eisenman, Twelve Heads, 2012, etching and aquatint on paper, ed. 16/20, printed by Harlan & Weaver, 17 ¾ x 12 inches, purchase made possible through a gift by the Alfred, Class of 1956, and Sybil Nadel Art Acquisition Fund, 2014.6 UCPC, © Nicole Eisenman

The artworks in this exhibition were thoughtfully considered and purchased for inclusion in Union College’s Permanent Collection over the past decade. These recent acquisitions have broadened the Collection’s scope by incorporating contemporary African, African American, Asian, Indigenous Alaskan, and Native American artists. They include paintings, photographs, prints, digital media, mixed media, and works on paper.

Our collection development has focused on acquiring modern and contemporary works of art that can be integrated within established academic curricula to give students and faculty opportunities to make connections across disciplinary boundaries. This approach also supports the College’s efforts to create an inclusive visual presence that fosters a spirit of diversity and reflects our campus community and the world today.

With these goals in mind, our strategy has been to seek artists and artworks that make connections to historical or contemporary cultural, scientific, and political topics and thus can be used in the classroom to conceptualize theories, histories, and philosophies. The presence and materiality of the art complements traditional teaching methods and encourages the retention of concepts and correlations. Many faculty use these works of art in their discussions of issues relating to race, class, gender, and identity, in courses ranging from art history and classics to Latin American and Caribbean studies and sociology.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
We would like to acknowledge the generosity of donors Alfred (Class of 1956) and Sybil Nadel, and Kelly M. Williams (Class of 1986) in helping us enlarge our contemporary and modern holdings. We are grateful, too, for the efforts of directors Marie Costello (2011-2013) and Julie Lohnes (2013-2022), whose dedication to the Permanent Collection has engendered this wide-ranging exhibition.