"Untitled" by Don Hazlitt, Sculpture: mixed media, 7.5" x 6", Date: 1980

The Utah State University’s Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art has been selected to receive a gift of 50 works of art from New York collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, with the help of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Gallery MAR is bringing “Herb and Dorothy,” a documentary about this collector duo, to the Park City Film Series on December 3rd at 7pm. Learn more about the screening here: “Herb and Dorothy” Screening.

In a press release, U.S.U. tells us that the gift is part of a national gifts program entitled “The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States,” which will distribute 2,500 works from the Vogels’s personal collection of more than 4,000 works of contemporary art throughout the nation, with 50 works going to one selected art institution in each of the 50 states.

“The Vogel Collection is unique among collections of contemporary art, both for the character and breadth of the objects and for the individuals who created it,” said Ruth Fine, curator National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. “Herbert Vogel (b. 1922) spent most of his working life as an employee of the United States Postal Service, and Dorothy Vogel (b. 1935) was a reference librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. After visiting the National Gallery of Art on their honeymoon in 1962, they prioritized collecting art above personal comfort; the couple used Dorothy’s salary to cover their living expenses and devoted Herbert’s salary to buying primarily minimalist and conceptual art by unknown artists. Their two rules for collecting? The piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit into a taxi and then into their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment.”

“This gift represents the hard work and the dedicated staff and donors who have built the reputation of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art,” she said. “We will be able to offer more unique experiences to our students with the generous gift from the Vogels and the government agencies supporting this project. This is one more step to offering excellence — something we’ve had and now we are drawing national attention. Being selected as Utah’s only recipient [of these 50 artworks] is an extraordinary honor and comes to us, unsolicited, after 26 years of establishing a collection and building a reputation for the museum,” Berry said. “We look forward to developing educational programming and featuring these works along with others from our permanent collection for visitors from throughout the state of Utah and the entire intermountain region.”

Berry said receiving the gift is a natural fit for the museum, expanding the collection to represent artists working in conceptual and minimalist art in New York. “Now, with these works at our museum, traveling to see work of this caliber will be a little easier for students and residents of Utah once the gift has arrived sometime in 2009,” she said.

You can see the U.S.U. works here: Vogel Collection.

Mary Scrimgeour, “Some Good Hats,” Mixed Media, 2009

I am very pleased to announce a series of exhibitions, fund-raisers, and artful events for Gallery MAR’s Autumn season. Mark your calendars, and we hope to see you here!

Upcoming Events and Exhibitions

• “Art Meets Fashion” Presented by Gallery MAR and (a)perture marketing at The Yard, Park City
  

Saturday, October 17th at 6 p.m.

Art Meets Fashion, Park City, will open with an exclusive cocktail hour from 6-7 pm and will offer a selection culinary delights and a selection of fine beverages from Park City’s finest establishments. By showcasing the fashion arts amidst a backdrop of fine art, (a)perture aims to bring attention to all aspects of the artistic experience. Gallery MAR artists will exhibit their works in The Yard’s gallery. Fashion shows will commence at 7 pm through close of evening. An after party of dancing will conclude the festivities.

Ticket sales will benefit two local Park City charities; The Peace House and Summit County Friends of Animals. AMF is a diverse  event that presents runway inspired fashion shows in alternative artistic settings. Each event is unique to the host city and features local artists, fashion boutiques and designers. The community inspired event is designed to benefit local charities. For information regarding this event please contact (a)perture marketing at 801.953.0109 or visit www.apertureslc.com

• “Casting Survivors” A Benefit for Image Reborn, Park City
  

Saturday, October 24^th from 4-7 p.m.

Join Gallery MAR and Image Reborn for a celebration of life! View new art work by Ashley Bennett-Stoddard, inspired by breast cancer survivors, as you sip pink champagne and enjoy appetizers from culinary artist Jean Louis. The exhibition will feature a new series of paintings dealing with the emotions of the healing process as well as bust reliefs of breast cancer survivors. The journey of the survivor is Bennett-Stoddard’s inspiration for these paintings. Nine of Bennett-Stoddard’s new pieces will be donated to “Image Reborn” and will be sold through a silent auction on the night of the show. “Image Reborn” is Park City retreat for women who have breast cancer. Together we can inspire a difference. In addition, Ashley Bennett-Stoddard has designed a gorgeous silver pendant for “Image Reborn.” It is a fund raiser for their cause, and viewed at abennettstoddard.com. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. RSVP to Gallery MAR is required.

• “Green Art Stroll” Recycle Utah Awareness at Gallery MAR
  

Friday, October 30th from 6 to 9 p.m.

Join Gallery MAR in welcoming the Park City Recycle Center for a night of “Going Green,” recycling awareness, and recycled artworks by locals Young Artists. Become a member of the Recycle Utah Recycling Center and  you will be entered to win a fabulous art prize.

• “Herb and Dorothy,” The Movie: You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to Collect Art.
  

Thursday, December 3rd at 6 p.m.

Gallery MAR sponsors HERB & DOROTHY, a new film which tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists. Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment.

This film is brought to the Jim Santy Auditorium in Park City by Gallery MAR and is a fund raiser. The movie ticket sales will go to benefit Arts Kids, Park City, an after-school group that empowers youth through the expressive arts, and connects students thorough creativity. Ticket prices are $7 for adults and $5 for students/seniors. The Jim Santy Auditorium is located at 1255 Park Avenue, Park City, Utah, 84060 (above the library). Recommended for art lovers, aged 10 and up.