April 5, 2005
UW to dedicate collection of art by artists of color
The University of Washington and the Washington State Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places Program will dedicate a new collection of artworks by nine artists of color at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 7, in the main lobby of Kane Hall.
Called the Kane Hall Collection, the permanent exhibit is the culmination of a long-term effort instigated by UW minority students. “It really began back in 1991,” said Kurt Kiefer, campus art administrator. “A group of students talked to me then about how to make the physical campus more representative of the diverse people who work and study here.”
A group of students spearheaded by Jaebadiah Gardner and Sumona das Gupta worked with the UW’s Public Art Commission to develop the idea of a permanent collection. The group has assembled artworks by some of the country’s most influential and respected artists of color. The Kane Hall Collection includes work by Barbara Carrasco, Rupert Garcia, Glenn Ligon, Hung Liu, James Luna, Roger Shimomura, Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie, Carrie Mae Weems and Gu Xiong — all around the theme of identity.
Purchase of the works was made possible by the Washington State Arts Commission Art in Public Places Program. Each time the University constructs a new building, one-half percent of the total design and construction costs are set aside for artwork. All the money is pooled, so that art need not be sited at the new building. Kane Hall was chosen for the collection because it is one of the most public buildings on the campus.
The April 7 dedication will be followed by a slide lecture by James Luna at 7 p.m. in 220 Kane. The event is free and open to the public.
