- MANENT ART collECTiON

ininolt

rum. l3urling library.
nce building, Grinnell
ll oiiice building ironi
r the major part oi the
ion, The Collection,
vith giits oi art works

collection exposes students, iaeulty, iriends
and guests oi the College, and members ot the
town community, to original art work.
ASIUC lrom pleasure, Cervene also stressed
the value oi the collection as a teaching lnr
strumeiit. He stated that the collection
enables students to study originals rather

nctive educational p/us’

Permanent Art Collection Curator Richard Cl‘l‘VClH‘

rigi the College, now
ndred examples oi
ing lrom Renaissance

year, new acquisitions
Gallery, located on the
Arts building. Works
ve been borrowed by
pecial exhibitions.
oiessor Richard Cer~
nllectian, the works oi
ele resource {or the
considering Grins

than the usual reproductions or illustrations.

The bulk oi the permanent art collection is
donated by Alumni and iriends oi the College.
Several ioundations have also supplied
money ior the speciiic purpose at purchasing
works oi art.

The College also receives a steady flow at
iunds irom the MarierLouise and Samuel R
Rosenthal Fund, a monetary giit which began
in 1967 tor the purchase oi new art work.

Cervene termed the gin a “modest yearly
fund” and emphasized that the iund is also
applied to such non-art expenses as iraming,
delivery, and other maintenance items.“ The

amount avilable each year ior purchases out
oi this iiind is limitede," stated Cervene,
”particulal'y in the view oi the art market

today "
The permanent art collection is supported

entirely by the above mentioned iunds, and
also by special giits made to the college by

donors. No general College iunds are chanr
neled for the collection.

In summing up the importance oi the
collection, Ccrvene stated, “Original works oi
art enhance our aesthetic development and
provide a civilizing iorce and iniluence which
we should all have the privilege oi ex-
periencinggclther through speciiic study or
contemplative leisure."

Cervene's iinal comment was, “I hope we
can continue to have the iinancial support and
interest of persons who bellve in this im,
portant endeavnr as a distinctive educational
plus here at Grinnell,"

The Grimlt‘ll

5" '- '- t—Fﬂgl’ﬁ

photo by more Hobbs

protected by the walls or the
Twentieth Century room inside the
library. this stainless steel
sculpture represents a more
typical purchase by the art
acquisitions committee.

y, and future of

' GRiNNEll

ted in midrlowa, Grinnell has all the advantages of clean, open
n an attractive rural countryside without being isolated from

activities and the ’real world‘.“

Grinnell College Catalog, 9. ll

, Public

by Kyle Scliaiib
1971, plans were made by the music
tment, the administration. and the
nt Government Association (SGA) to
heir respective public events budgets to
purchasing power, Those people in-
d ielt that the previous eventrtorovent
cing wasted time and money, and that a
, budget would increase the variety and
larity oi the cultural events on campus.

nizers term 1971-72 a Success in
9" this goal, The $13,200 Committeec
ct iought sixdivcrse events to Grinnell:

1

ew York Pro Musica, Manjustl (Indian
er), the 0xiord Cambridge
speare Company (As You lee H).
Ghiglia (classical guitaristl. the Polish
Ballet theatre, and Fatty Allen tmezzo

—\ ominated the committee from the
since it supplied hali oi the funds—$7500
-dminsitration allocated $3200, and the

department traslerred its concert
t or $2300 over to the committee. Five
nts and two iaculty members sit on the

bittee which is diaired by a third faculty
er.

pite the success oi the programming,
at debates over committee-tunded
tions, and particularly the reception loi-
r‘Muslca, caused SGA to reduce its
rig to sailor alter some debate. Consensus
that receptions sponsored by student
y should be open to the students, and not
icted by special invitations,

The exact definition of ”culture” is a slippery one, yet Grinnell has
committed itself to providing cultural offerings to offset its rural isolation
and to fulfill its obligation as a highly respected liberal arts college. With

such a diverse student body, Grinnell must contend with an audience that

ca

Vol. 7i, No. 3, August, 1774

professional excellence:

Ilection and circulating exhibitions.

EVENTS COMMiTTEE

A5 a result oi the SGA budget cut, the
committee was only able to sponsor tour
events during the 1973-74 school year: Ballet
West, the King's Singers, Gunnar Johansen
tpianist), and God’s Trombones tmusic and
drama).

The restriction in [he range oi talent due to
the decreased tunds caused the music
department to withdraw its iunding the
iollowing year, 1974775 James Fudge stated
that the decision was not unanimous. but that
the department ielt that its specilic needs

, . . an experiment that failed’

I‘urlncr l’llblit’

were not being met under the committee
structure. He cited student leanings toward
theatre and dance,vllhich tended to overlook
musicians and composers, as a basic reason
for the removal.

This year's budget, composed oi $5000 lrom
$3200 from the administration, severely
limited the scope oi the original goal to
provide varied cultural oiierings. Rajko, the
Hungarian iolk dance troupe, and the Claude
Kipnis Mime Theatre absorbed most of the
budget and represent this years entire
cultural oiiering trom the committee,

The $1000 surplus will either be used next
year or combined with outside funding this
year to help sponsor cultural entertainment
on an eventrbyrevent basis, according to
Michael Cavanagh, chairman of the coins
mittee

The committee has thus reached a full
circle in termsoi purchasing power and being
able to provide Grinnell with outside cultural

opportunltes. Before 1971772, cultural events
were sponsored by individual ciiorts and
were rarely able to bring in top quality
without complicated ari-angments. The
committee's iirst year was the most sucs
cessiul, and the 513,200 budget produced one
oi the best cultural programs oirercd within a
single year. Successive budget cuts have
weakened the purchasing power oi the
committee to the point where it can only
aiiord to oiier the two-concert schedule toi-
entire school year.

. ents (‘onitnittre Chairman John Hanson

John Dawson, former chairman of the
Committee, blames the structure 0| the

committee ior losing its iunding rather than
any general decline in student interest lie
does not feel that the students, “who control
the purse strings," have developed their taste
to the point where high culture is an even
match for popular (rock and iazzt concerts.
both of which are dependent upon SGA iunds.
John Hansen lias countered that SGA apr
proves oi the committee and supports it, but
that politics within the Committee caused the
initial reduction in iunds. The subsequent
uishrlrawl by the music department was a
reaction to the limited purchasing power and
narrower range oi events which could be
oiiei-cd supported by the dwindling budget at
the Public Events Committee

The future of the committee depends on the
size oi next year's contribution by SGA and
whether the music department decides to
return its Concert allocation to the committee

varies greatly in degree of sophistication and development of cultural
tastes. Therefore, the professionalism of each cultural offering has an
important educational element beyond the enioyment ofa performance.
Grinnell has three main sources on campus which if can draw upon for
the artistsrinrresidence program,
tertainment selected by the public events committee, and the permanent art

the en

The purpose of this inquiry is to examine these three sources of cultural
excellence at Grinnell. Do they receive adequate funding? What is the
guiding philosophy behind attempts to provide balanced cultural offerings?
And perhaps most importantly, what is the future of these programs as the
College faces an ever-tightening budget?

cartoon by Carin DePrcc

 

