This exhibition encompasses an important array of selections from Hamline University's
permanent collection of art. Under the stewardship of Professor Paul Smith, former
chair of the department, the collection began to grow significantly in the mid-1960's
with gifts and acquisitions. The addition of works by Emil Nolde, Andy Warhol, Maria
Martinez, Pablo Piccasso, Edvard Munch, and Willem DeKooning, to mention a few,
constituted an impressive beginning. This legacy has continued through the efforts of
Professor Leonardo Lasansky, who most recently has acquired etchings by Francisco
Goya, nineteenth century Japanese woodcuts by Toyokuni III, also known as Kunisada,
and major African pieces such as the Zombo mask from Angola, the Tuareg wedding
tent poles from Niger, and the ceramic storage vessel from Burkina Faso.
The importance of collecting reaches beyond the aesthetic; works of art carry an
inherent educational power in their presentation, and remain crucial components in
developing visual literacy. The Hamline University collection contains a notable array
of works from a myriad of cultures. Interestingly, some pieces are made exclusively
by women, others only by men, and all with unique meaning and elegance of form.
It is from this dynamic collection that this exhibition draws its pieces and continues to
represent the significance of art at Hamline.
Laura Kennedy
Art History 2005
