President Kelley Unveils Presidential Portfolio

Document Type

News Article

Publication Date

8-2011

Campus Unit

College of Arts & Sciences

Abstract

See article by Arthur Jones in Community Connect: The Journal of Civic Voices, published by the University of North Dakota Center for Community Engagement, Vol. 3 Number 1, Spring 2011.

Until recently, the extensive art collections at the University of North Dakota have been largely neglected. Numerous artworks were widely scattered in offices, classrooms and buildings throughout campus. Art was often at risk of being stolen or damaged and the pieces were rarely used for educational purposes. Furthermore, these impressive art collections have lacked a functional gallery. To rectify some of these problems, UND Art Collections was initiated in 2005. Their campus mission is to facilitate the use of the University’s art for education, research and community cultural enrichment.

UND Art Collections has recently embarked on a “living museum” plan that involves placing satellite galleries at various locations across the campus. Some of these displays (developed with funding provided by the Myers Foundations) have already been put into operation, such as the satellite gallery in the Department of Indian Studies in O’Kelly Hall. More will open in fall 2011, including installations in the newly constructed Education building, the Chester Fritz library, and several other UND locations. Some works in the University’s Art Collections have been “home grown” including works made at UND by artists who were brought to campus through the annual Writer’s Conference or the Department of Art & Design’s Visiting Artists program. Other pieces were donated to the University or to the UND Foundation. Some of the strongest areas of the collections relate to the history and culture of the region including Native American art, with focus on tribes of the Upper Northern Plains.

Included within the “living museum” is an impressive portfolio of prints prepared for the President’s Office in Twamley Hall. The 2010 UND Presidential Portfolio (which was conceived as a portable art gallery) contains 13 matted prints created at UND by nationally and regionally prominent artists. Since receiving the portfolio, a permanent display case has also been constructed in the President’s Office, where prints can be displayed one at a time on a rotating basis.

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