Wondering what UW art students are up to? Just walk around campus and take a look. Their paintings grace the walls of the HUB (Husky Union Building). Their sculptures are on display in the Dean's Office. Their prints adorn the Undergraduate Advising Center. And that's just the start, thanks to the Art on Loan program, which has placed nearly 300 student works in campus buildings since 1996.

	Sculpture student Stephanie Ashby tests her artwork/percussion instrument. Photo by Kathy Sauber.

The program is the brainchild of the staff of the School of Art's Academic Advising and Student Services Office, who believe that students benefit tremendously from sharing their work with a larger audience.

"Music, dance, and drama students have the opportunity to be in the public eye through performance, and it is an important part of their education," explains adviser Judi Clark. "We felt that it was equally important for visual arts majors to have their work in public spaces, since public participation is important for all the arts."

Clark and colleagues Cynthia Caci, Debra Kilby, and Kate Reeves may have recognized the value of a loan program, but finding time to develop it was another story. The idea remained a pipedream until Clark received a phone call that got the ball rolling.

"A former student who was working in Gerberding Hall called and said, 'You know that program you wanted to start? How about putting a piece of art in the Gerberding Hall conference room?'" recalls Clark. "That was the impetus we needed."

That one request soon led to others, as people using the conference room noticed the art on display. "We started getting calls as people realized that they could request art for their buildings," says Clark. "The program just exploded. That's when we realized we needed a long-range plan."

Now the advisers have a formal process for loaning artwork to departments. First they send a brochure that outlines the philosophy and logistics of the program, then they schedule a visit to the prospective site. "We look at the space and talk with the people requesting artwork to get a sense of what they are interested in," says Clark. "Some people ask us to bring artwork to them, while others love to visit the School of Art to choose for themselves."

David Hodge, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, visited the School of Art to select work for his office last summer. He decided on three prints, a sculpture, and a collection of small ceramics--and wishes he had room for more. "It was wonderful to see so much excellent artwork in one place," says Hodge of his visit to view available pieces. "I was really impressed with the quality of the work. It's a real treat to have such beautiful pieces in my office."

One of the artworks Hodge selected is a wall sculpture by Stephanie Ashby, a sculpture major who says she "just about flipped" when she learned that her work would be in the Dean's office. "I felt extremely honored," she says. "It made me feel like I was doing a good thing with my work. The best part is knowing that people will get to see my art."

Madelaine Georgette, a painting major who graduated in 1997, was equally thrilled to learn that her work would be displayed in the HUB, where hundreds of people view it each day. "I really wanted to share my work," she says. "If you only paint for yourself and never expose your work to the rest of the world, it's like talking to the wall--or talking to yourself. I think painting is about communication."

What Georgette wanted to communicate in her "South Africa Voter Series," which hangs in the HUB's second floor lobby, was the inspirational nature of South Africa's first all-race election. "I wanted to spread the message about what a privilege it is to vote--the joy there can be in participation," says Georgette, who has spent most of her life in South Africa.

"If you only paint for yourself and never expose your work to the rest of the world, it's like talking to the wall--or talking to yourself."

Evidently Georgette's message moved others as well. The HUB staff was so impressed by the work that they decided to buy the paintings rather than borrow them. The Department of Electrical Engineering made a similar decision about its Art on Loan works, purchasing 35 pieces by 15 artists in 1998.

"Before we knew it, we'd sold $25,000 worth of art," says Clark, who is thrilled with this unexpected development. "All of the funds have gone back to the students, who have reinvested them in their education. Several were able to go on study abroad programs because of these funds. A few have even given donations to the Art on Loan program."

For Georgette, the gains have been emotional as well as financial. "As an artist, you deal with a lot of rejection," she explains. "When someone objective--not a friend--likes your work enough to want to buy it, that's very exciting. It's really affirming to me as an artist."

And that affirmation is what the program is really all about, says Clark. "The most important thing is that it is amazingly satisfying for the students," she says. "It's a validation of all their hard work. It also has been an educational process for participating departments. People's ideas about the visual arts and their appreciation for what the School of Art is all about have grown so much through this process."

Art on Loan receives support from Friends of Access, Lamda Rho, and individual donors to cover framing costs and related expenses. For more about the program, contact Judi Clark at (206) 543-0646 or jclark@u.washington.edu.

A series of paintings by Madelaine Georgette, celebrating South Africa's first all-race election, hangs in the HUB on campus. Photo by Mary Levin.

[Winter 1999 - Table of Contents]