Something about the small sculpture caught\u00a0and held Julia Gelfand \u201975\u2019s attention. In it, a\u00a0school of fish is etched into opaque glass set upon roughly hewn stone, and the fine lines detailing the tails and fins make the fish seem to swirl by.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe piece, which is by a Japanese artist, is an example of cutting and drawing in the glass, and it has amazing lines,\u201d says Gelfand, a longtime art collector. \u201cIt also has elements that are both sophisticated and primitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Called \u201cFish on the Rock #4, 2006,\u201d the sculpture by Hiroshi Yamano, is one of two artworks that Gelfand is lending to the college as part of an exhibition titled Goucher Collects: Living with Art. The show, on view at the Silber Art Gallery from April 14 – May 21, will feature more than 60 works drawn from collections belonging to nearly 30 alumnae\/i, parents, and friends, as well as the college. It comprises prints, paintings, sculptures, and even an example of 16th century Spanish wallpaper, and includes works by Louise Nevelson, Ellsworth Kelly, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as contemporary artists.<\/p>\n
Organized by Sonja Sugerman, curator of Goucher\u2019s Art and Artifact Collection, the exhibit explores what makes a collector collect. \u201cThere are many different types of collections, and there are many ways of collecting,\u201d Sugerman says. \u201cEvery collection tells an amazing story, and that\u2019s what we are hoping to capture in this exhibition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, there are as many stories to share as artworks. Gelfand and her husband, David Lang, have been collecting large and small pieces of ceramics and glass art from around the world for about 20 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe usually are well aware of the artist and his or her work, so then, when we find the perfect piece for us, we acquire it, as we want to continue to admire and savor it. It just gives us an infusion of creativity. Collecting is in our DNA, and we treasure our relationships with artists and gallery personnel,\u201d the California resident says.<\/p>\n
But at least part of the Yamano sculpture\u2019s appeal was its subject matter: \u201cI am an angler, and the fish theme resonated with me,\u201d Gelfand adds.<\/p>\n
For A. Will Brown \u201910, who has loaned four contemporary works to the college, the desire to collect began at an early age. Growing up in a family of artists, Brown always was surrounded by art. \u201cAs a kid, I was sort of collecting things in the same way that I am now: picking works very specifically for aesthetic or thematic groupings,\u201d says the curatorial assistant at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum.<\/p>\n
Brown began building his personal collection two years ago\u2014after graduating with a master\u2019s degree in curatorial practice from the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. \u201cAs someone who works in the arts and with artists pretty closely, collecting is first and foremost about supporting artists who I believe in, who are doing worthwhile and interesting things,\u201d he says. \u201cThings that I can look at every day and feel excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n
In conjunction with Alumnae\/i Weekend, a viewing of Goucher Collects: Living with Art will be held Saturday, April 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Silber Art Gallery. For information, call 410-337-6477.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" “Goucher Collects” Exhibit Brings Alums’ Art Collections Into View<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":312,"featured_media":941,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[12633,7935],"tags":[12633],"ppma_author":[87540],"class_list":["post-920","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature","category-goucher-today","tag-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n