New John C. Hutcheson Art Gallery to officially open at special Homecoming Day ceremony Nov. 10
Kim Chaudoin |
Lipscomb University will celebrate the official opening of the new John C. Hutcheson Art Gallery, located in the east wing of the institution’s Beaman Library, with a special exhibit and ribbon cutting ceremony as part of Homecoming festivities at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10.
The state-of-the-art gallery, which has been redesigned and moved from its previous location on campus, is a vital part of the student experience and is an important investment in the visual arts program at Lipscomb University, a liberal arts institution.
“Great liberal arts universities have strong arts programs,” said Mike Fernandez, dean of Lipscomb’s George Shinn College of Entertainment & the Arts. “Art is a vital part of a university’s ecosystem. The investment in this beautiful gallery speaks to the administration’s commitment to and vision for the future of the arts at Lipscomb. Having the gallery located in its new home in the library – in the heart of the learning hub on campus – makes a strong statement about the value it has in our community.”
For the official opening, two exhibits will fill the gallery space. The sketches, paintings and color comps from "Walt's Imagination: The Life of Walt Disney," illustrated by legendary Disney animator and Lipscomb animation instructor John Pomeroy, will be on display in Lipscomb’s Hutcheson Art Gallery in the Beaman Library from Oct. 25 through Dec. 22. A second exhibit features the works of Lipscomb alumni including Joseph Christy (’02), Charles Cox (’66), Dennis Deaton (’73), Paula Frizbe (’73), Rob Hendon (’88), Anna Jaap (’87), Harold Kraus (’83), Mike Moyers (’92), Michael Shane Neal (’91), Minh Ngiem (’14), Robert Scobey (’02) and Dawn Whitelaw (’67). The gallery is free and open to the public during normal library operating hours.
The gallery was founded in 1986 in memory of John Hutcheson, Lipscomb University professor and art department chair from 1958-1986. The Hutcheson Gallery was originally located in the art department in the lower level of Sewell Hall. In 2010, the gallery was relocated, along with the art department, to a newly built James D. Hughes Center. The Nov. 10 ceremony will mark the official relocation of the gallery in its new home, a strategically designed space in a premier location on campus.
“The location is beautiful, and I am very pleased with its location in the library,” said Mary Nell Hutcheson Chumley, widow of Hutcheson. “John was an avid reader and was in Lipscomb’s library nearly every day when he was on campus.”
Having an art presence in the library has been a goal for Sandra Parham, dean of Beaman Library, since her arrival on campus in July 2014.
“A library is much more than what we tend to think of as a library,” said Parham. “It’s the part of education that builds on what happens in the classroom. It is a temple of learning. It is a cultural center that is about much more than only books, data or gathering spaces. I am grateful for the opportunity to have the art gallery as part of the library.”
Rocky Horton, associate professor of art, said the new gallery is a significant piece of Lipscomb’s visual arts program.
“This marks a significant moment for the School of Art and Design,” said Horton. “Having a large, centrally located and dedicated space to exhibit art signals that the visual arts are an innovative and dynamic presence on campus and in the cultural community of Nashville.”
Want to know more about Lipscomb University’s visual arts program? Visit www.lipscomb.edu/art.