The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Announces Major Gift from Lynda Lanker and the Brian Lanker Archive
“I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America” is added to the JSMA collection
EUGENE, Ore. -- (February 12, 2016) – The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon announces a major gift to the museum’s collection from the Lanker family and the Brian Lanker Archive of the 75 photographs that comprise the series “I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America.”
Created in 1989 by the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Brian Lanker, “I Dream a World” features portraits of African American women known for their roles in civil rights activism, academia, the arts, business, politics, sports and humanitarian work.
Internationally renowned photojournalist and Eugene resident, Lanker described these women as having “dreamed a world not only better for themselves but for generations to come, a world where character and ability matter, not color or gender.” First shown at the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., the exhibition surpassed all previous attendance records. The book produced of the series has since seen fourteen printings and is now out of print.
“We are deeply honored to accept this most generous gift from the Lankers,” says JSMA executive director Jill Hartz. “We know these photographs will be treasured for the history they impart as well as for their beauty and power. “
Selections from Lanker’s “I Dream a World” series are currently on view in the retrospective exhibition “From the Heart: The Photographs of Brian Lanker,” through April 24, 2016. Portraits on display include Maya Angelou, Septima Poinsette Clark, Ruby Dee, Rosa Parks, Alice Walker and others. Visitors can see all 75 portraits on an iPad installed in the gallery. A retrospective book of Lanker’s work accompanies the exhibition.
“From the Heart: The Photographs of Brian Lanker” is made possible by Clarkson Creative, the Coeta and Donald Barker Changing Exhibitions Endowment, The Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and JSMA members.
About the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art
The University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is a premier Pacific Northwest museum for exhibitions and collections of historic and contemporary art based in a major university setting. The mission of the museum is to enhance the University of Oregon’s academic mission and to further the appreciation and enjoyment of the visual arts for the general public. The JSMA features significant collections galleries devoted to art from China, Japan, Korea, the Americas and Europe as well as changing special exhibition galleries. The JSMA is one of six museums in Oregon accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art is located on the University of Oregon campus at 1430 Johnson Lane. Museum hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for senior citizens. Free admission is given to ages 18 and under, JSMA members, college students with ID, and University of Oregon faculty, staff and students. For information, contact the JSMA, 541-346-3027.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
Contact:
JSMA: Debbie Williamson Smith, 541-346-0942, debbiews@uoregon.edu
Links: Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu
