Ouachita Stories

The Dr. Loyde Hudson Collection, including works by Thomas Moran and Albert Bierstadt, is on display in Ouachita Baptist University’s Rosemary Gossett Adams Gallery Sept. 1 through Oct. 3. The gallery is located in Moses-Provine Hall on Ouachita’s Arkadelphia campus, and the exhibit is free and open to the public.

Dr. Loyde Hudson, a noted physician from Fayetteville, donated several sculptures and paintings to the university in 2014. The collection includes works by renowned 19th century American artist Thomas Moran and German-American artist Albert Bierstadt. Both artists have works displayed in the White House, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art among other venues.

Donnie Copeland, chair of OBU’s Rosemary Adams Department of Art and Design, described the works in the gallery as “a feast for our eyes.”

In addition to Moran’s “Lookout Rock – Yosemite Valley” and two paintings by Bierstadt, the collection includes an etching by Moran’s son, Peter, and several pieces of sculpture by Chris Delabarto as well as other works.

Explaining his interest in donating the works to Ouachita, Dr. Hudson said during a campus reception last year, “I wanted it to be where students could enjoy it. I wanted it to be on the walls where they could see it. I wanted it to be among young liberal arts students.” He encouraged students to “enjoy it like I’ve enjoyed it for 50 years.”

The collection appears on Ouachita’s campus on a rotating basis, along with student work and work by professional guest artists.

“It is great to have Dr. Hudson’s gift back in the gallery again,” Copeland said. “We would like to leave these works on display for longer periods of time, even a whole semester. However, we also have students and guest artists, and we want to see their work on the walls as well. While it is unusual for us to rehang a show that was so recently on display on campus, for these pieces, which are exceptional in a number of ways, I am glad to have them on display as often as possible.”

Dr. Hudson, who holds degrees from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, has been an innovator in the field of thoracic surgery. His expertise was sought by hospitals and universities where he led medical school programs for heart surgery. He taught, conducted research and developed surgical facilities and programs for such institutions as UAMS, the University of Houston, the University of Michigan, St. Louis University and Temple University. He served as a founding member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Regular gallery hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. on weekdays. For more information about Ouachita’s Dr. Loyde Hudson Collection or the Rosemary Adams Department of Art and Design, contact Donnie Copeland at [email protected] or (870) 245-5559.

 

 

Photos by Tyler Rosenthal