Ouachita Art and Design Department to exhibit Tillery family collection April 17-20
April 08, 2012 - Nicci Fillinger
Ouachita Baptist University’s Art and Design Department will host an exhibit April
17-20 of artwork donated by the Allen Tillery family. The exhibit will be displayed
in the Hammons Gallery of OBU’s Mabee Fine Arts Center. The Tillery family will be
recognized at an opening reception Wednesday, April 18, at 4 p.m. in the gallery.
The exhibit includes 22 representative works from the large collection of art donated
to the art department by the Tillery family in 2010.
The extensive collection is valued at more than $250,000 and includes numbered and
signed black and white photographs by professional photographers, hundreds of numbered
and signed original prints and numbered and signed lithographs. A variety of themes
are represented including landscapes, portraits, cityscapes, floral, Western and Native
American motifs.
“Thanks to the Tillerys and Senior Development Officer John Cloud, this sizable gift
is a great addition to the Visual Art Department’s art collection which includes the
Fogle Collection and the Salvador Dali prints,” said Raouf Halaby, professor of English
and visual art. “This gift is a tangible expression of the Tillerys’ generosity and
an affirmation that the Art and Design are an integral part of OBU’s mission as an
institution that values the liberal arts.”
J&S Framing of Arkadelphia matted and framed the works, providing a gift-in-kind by
donating the majority of the labor costs.
Halaby explained that there are four reasons this donation is significant for Ouachita:
“There is no substitute for original artworks; the aesthetic awareness and appreciation
for the Art and Design will enrich the university community immeasurably. The collection
will enhance OBU’s endowment, and, most significantly, at the appropriate time, the
sale of multiple copies will help raise scholarship funds for Art and Design majors.”
After the exhibit, Halaby plans to display some of the artwork in classrooms and to
make some of the works available for the Ouachita community to display in their offices
on a for-loan basis. Faculty and staff will be able to check out pieces of artwork,
display them in their offices for six months to a year, and then trade them in for
different pieces.
“Art appeals to the depth of our inner being and it is to be displayed, viewed and
enjoyed. And, having a sense of proprietary ownership will help promote a dialogue
about how the Art and Design appeal to our nobler sensibilities,” Halaby said.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday
through Friday. Exhibits are also available during evenings when other School of Fine
Arts events are held in Mabee Fine Arts Center. For more information, contact Donnie
Copeland at [email protected] or (870) 245-5559.
By Nicci Fillinger
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