Art Collection

University Art Collection

An art collection is a necessary component to any quality institution of higher education. It creates awareness and appreciation of the visual arts and it enriches our lives in many subtle and under-appreciated ways. It can also have a transforming effect on a room as well as on one’s perception of the environment. The Western Michigan University art collection includes drawings, paintings, prints, textiles, sculptures, ceramics, and more that are installed across our campuses in hallways, conference rooms, student lounges, offices, and other public spaces. Its value is conservatively estimated at more than $3.5 million.

The University Art Collection consists of nearly 3,000 works placed across our campuses. The Print Collection, a specialized sub-collection of the University Art Collection, consists of more than 800 multiples or works on paper that are housed in a secure storage room at the Richmond Center for Visual Arts. The University Art Collection is defined as any object purchased with WMU funds or funds gifted to the University, as well as any works donated directly to the University and accepted by the University Art Collection Committee under its guidelines.

At the annual commencement banquet on June 22, 1922, Western Michigan University’s President Dwight B. Waldo announced that Albert May Todd would donate valuable books as well as prized paintings to decorate North Hall’s library and reading room. The proclamation of this prescient gift marked the beginning of Western Michigan University’s Art Collection and set in motion the idea of “art for all.” Known regionally and beyond as “The Peppermint King of Kalamazoo,” Mr. Todd would frequently open his personal galleries in the A.M. Todd (known as the “Todd Block”) building at the corner of Rose and Kalamazoo to the entire Kalamazoo community, including students attending Western Normal School. The Kalamazoo Gazette reported attendance of more than 7,000 people one particular Sunday afternoon. Renowned at the time and cherished likewise today, Mr. Todd’s art collection forms the nexus of the University Art Collection.

Following this initial gift, the Collection has grown exponentially through generous donations and select purchases. Today nearly a quarter of the University Art Collection consists of outstanding works by Frostic School of Art alumni, as well as former faculty and staff, including rich holdings of work by such prominent figures as Kalamazoo-based artist and WMU alumnus Ladislav Hanka and the late Dwayne Lowder, who served as Professor of Art from 1966 to 1982 in WMU’s Department of Art.

For more information about the University Art Collection, contact Katie Mumby, Coordinator of Exhibitions here.

Print Collection

Rooted in the belief that learning directly from art objects remains absolutely key, the main purpose of the Print Collection is to enrich the educational experience of Frostic School of Art students, faculty, and staff. A specialized sub-collection within the larger University Art Collection, the Print Collection was initiated in 1969 by Professor Emeritus Curtis Rhodes and today includes more than 800 works on paper or multiples.

Originally housed in the School of Art’s previous home, Sangren Hall, the Collection relocated to the then newly built Richmond Center for Visual Arts in 2007. Professor of Art Nichole Maury, Curator of the Print Collection, assumed oversight of the Print Collection in the early 2000s and worked with graduate student Patrick Trimbath to rehouse and reorganize it. Developed to demonstrate an incredibly wide-ranging history of printmaking, including diverse processes, techniques, and aesthetics, the Print Collection continues to serve as a flexible and ever-evolving teaching device.

This extensive collection includes prints that encompass all manner of printmaking techniques from traditional to contemporary. We are fortunate to have works by a wide range of artists including emerging and well-established artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Sol Le Witt, Claes Oldenburg, Karen Kunc, Cy Twombly and Roger Shimomura.

For more information about the Print Collection, contact Nichole Maury, Professor of Printmedia and Curator of the Print Collection here.