Hudson County Community College Foundation Art Collection Marks Major Milestone
August 6, 2013
JERSEY CITY, N.J. / August 6, 2013 - Although it was founded just seven years ago, the Hudson County Community College (HCCC) Foundation Art Collection now includes more than 500 works of art. The Collection includes highly respected paintings, sculptures, photographs, limited edition prints and American craft pottery and ephemera from some of America’s and New Jersey’s finest artists.
The works, which have been acquired as a result of the generosity of many donors and the astute direction of the HCCC Foundation Fine Arts Acquisition Committee, are permanently installed throughout the public areas of the College’s buildings in Jersey City and Union City.
“The intention has always been to provide our students and our neighbors in the Hudson County community with opportunities to have their lives enriched by beautiful artwork, and to provide a point of reference and inspiration for everyone, but most especially for our Fine Arts students,” said HCCC President Dr. Glen Gabert.
The Hudson County Community College Foundation Art Collection was established in 2006 to coincide with the initiation of the College’s Fine Arts studies program. Since its inception, several pieces have been directly donated by individuals, estates, corporations and other organizations. Monetary donations for art purchases are maximized by matching funds, and donations are given not only for acquiring works of art, but also for special events, and items in kind, such as art books for the College Library.
Throughout the HCCC Journal Square campus and North Hudson Higher Education Center, there are works by American artists and a strong, growing collection of emerging and established New Jersey artists including Arman, Richard Artschwager, Jo Baer, Will Barnet, Ricardo Barros, Mark Beard, David Beck, Siona Benjamin, Chakaia Booker, W. Carl Burger, John Cage, Elizabeth Catlett, Christo, Chuck Close, Willie Cole, Edward S. Curtis, Marcel Duchamp, Louis Eilshemius, Dahlia Elsayed, Larry Fink, Frank Gehry, April Gornik, Owen Kanzler, On Kawara, Rockwell Kent, Adolph Konrad, Joseph Kosuth, Hiroshi Kumagai, Valeri Larko, Hughie Lee-Smith, Barry Le Va, Sol LeWitt, Maya Lin, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Reginald Marsh, Agnes Martin, Bruce Nauman, Don Nice, Claes Oldenburg, Yoko Ono, Gordon Parks, Jon Rappleye, Man Ray, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Carolee Schneeman, Ben Shahn, Kiki Smith, Joan Snyder, Doug + Mike Starn, Myron Stout, Michalene Thomas, William Wegman, and Lawrence Weiner.
In addition to the already famous artists, the College adds two works each year to the permanent collection that have been produced by HCCC students as part of its Heritage Collection, celebrating emerging talent in the community.
Dr. Andrea Siegel, Coordinator of the College’s Permanent Collection of Art, said that the collection is remarkable on several levels. “I don’t know of any other county or community college that is doing what we’re doing, which is turning all the public areas of the College into an educational art museum,” she stated. She also noted that there has been a generous amount of community input — from students, faculty, staff and community members — regarding suggestions for acquisitions and placement, and that the College’s facilities department has been extraordinary in installing work.
In conjunction with the Collection, the College publishes a page in its monthly newsletter, “HCCC Happenings,” that provides information on new acquisitions and correlates the works in HCCC Foundation Art Collection with exhibits and articles on artists whose works are included in the Collection. The College also hosts a series of “Foundation Art Talk” sessions throughout the year which feature noted artists. The first session of the 2013-2014 series is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 18, 2013 at 11 a.m. with Kimberly Camp, a Camden, New Jersey native and former Director of the legendary Barnes Collection. Her paintings and dolls have been shown in more than 100 solo and group exhibitions through the United States. (The event will be held in the Follett Room of the College’s Culinary Conference Center.)
“There is a presence of the Foundation Art Collection in every building on our two campuses,” said HCCC Vice President for Development Joseph Sansone who explained that several pieces have already been acquired for the College’s new Library and Academic Building, currently under construction on Sip Avenue in Jersey City.
“We are extremely proud of the Foundation Art Collection. It is a testament to the generosity of our benefactors, and to the appreciation the people of Hudson County have for art,” Dr. Gabert said.