New to Us: A Selection of Recent Acquisitions to the UC Art Collection
unknown, Leaf from a Book of Hours, late 15th century
February 16th - April 13th, 2025
Closing Reception: Thursday April 10th, 5-7pm
The DAAP Galleries in collaboration with the University of Cincinnati Art Collection (UCAC) are pleased to present a selection of recently acquired works. These works have been generously donated by artists and collectors throughout the region and beyond. Many of these donors have close ties to the university, having attended as students, taught as faculty, or both.
The UCAC’s origins can be traced back to the university’s formative years and the thriving community of artists and philanthropists. Founded upon the generosity of university friends, the majority of the art collection is composed of works gifted by local and regional artists and collectors. A portion of the acquired commissioned works can be credited to Herman Schneider’s initiatives (UC President 1929–32). In recent years, most of the
works commissioned or purchased were financed through the Ohio Percent for Art program and represent a substantial part of the public art collection, which is principally comprised of large-scale outdoor artworks visible throughout UC’s campuses.
Until recently, the UCAC’s primary function has been for the beautification and enlivenment of the campus environment, in the hope it would encourage art appreciation. Presently, more than 2500 works are on loan, displayed in 60+ buildings throughout East and West Campuses, as well as Clermont College and UC Blue Ash. Additional works are on loan to notable institutions such as the Cincinnati Art Museum, Taft Museum, and Cincinnati Observatory.
In 2020, the UC Art Collection, Galleries, and Museum Studies were unified under the UCAC to utilize the collection for teaching, research, and immersive learning through co-op positions. In less than 5 years, this initiative has resulted in the production of four exhibitions, three distinct research projects, educational tours of the collection’s facility, and intimate access to artworks for classroom lectures, as well as the emersion of 20+ co-op students within the UCAC and DAAP Galleries’ operations. In result of these efforts a multi college authored book about the UCAC will be released early fall of 2025. This publication will examine the history, strengths, and the utilization of the UCAC.
Recent initiatives to expand the collection’s application have led to new acquisition efforts to build upon the already formidable holdings of 5000+ works of art, craft and design. This exhibition highlights some of the more recent gifts accepted into the UCAC.
We present these works for your enjoyment and deeply thank the artists and collectors for their generous support to the UC Art Collection::
Dr. Allen Bernard, Denise Burge, James F. Dicke II, Gary Gaffney, Joe Girandola, Peter Huttinger, Meighen Jackson, Cynthia Lockhart, The Martin Family, Dr. Paul E. Potter, Abby & David Schwartz, Jim Sims, Academy in Exile, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and T.U. Dortmund, 2023
Curators: Aaron Cowan & Allyson Coffren
(Mexico)
Tepec Gira
ink and gouache on paper
23 x 8 in (58 x 20 cm)
unknown
UCAC#4657
Bequeathed by Dr. Paul E. Potter, 2021
At first glance, the water-based painting looks like mass produced Mexican market art, but upon taking a closer look the viewer gets pulled into detail and storylines of everyday life in the municipal city Tepec; farming, feasting, education, religion and more. Tepec is located near San Juanito and the southern end of Laguna (lagoon) de Sayula.
(USA, 1980 - )
Arc
oil on panel
46 x 68 in (117 x 173 cm)
2009
UCAC# 4789
Gift of Abby and David Schwartz, 2024
This richly dark composition displays an arc of light in the deep abyss and is vastly different from the current bright works being produced by Baker. This Ohio native now resides in Cincinnati and is an Associate Professor and head of Painting and Drawing at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.
(USA, 1963 - )
Pablo 2
embroidery, fabric and paint
59 x 59 in (150 x 150 cm)
2021
UCAC# 4790
Gift of the Artist, 2025
Drawn to romance and natural spaces, Burge’s narrative work is a touch of glamor and fiction mixed into reality. She has been an employee of UC for 30+ years in various leadership and professorship roles. Burge exhibits nationally and has received various grants and awards such as the Joan Mitchell Foundation Award and residency at the Studios of Key West.
(Brazil)
untitled
oil on canvas
19 x 15 in (48 x 38 cm)
1994
UCAC# 4651
Bequeathed by Dr Paul E. Potter, 2021
Vibrant colors fill cross-hatched black paint emulating a scene of packed and stacked homes on a hillside. The claustrophobic feeling is counterbalanced with cumulus clouds in the bright blue sky. This provides the viewer with a moment to escape the chaotic scene in order to come back to the bustle of everyday life summarized in this cityscape.
(USA, 1934-2023)
Lakeview, Ohio
ceramic
8 x 5 ½ x 5 ½ in (20 x 14 x 14 cm)
1978
UCAC# 4779
Gift of James F. Dicke II, 2024
Earl was born and raised in Ohio, graduated from Bluffton College where he studied with Russian sculptor John Klassen. With inspiration and guidance Earl developed his own style of hard-paste ceramics by the early 1970s depicting fanciful, relatable characters and environments. The stump acts as a shrine of sorts to the blue bird perched atop the log pile, letting the viewer feel the intimacy of a moment and the isolation of rural living.
Somewhere Isle
ceramic and neon lights
13 x 16 ½ x 12 in (33 x 42 x 30.5 cm)
2018
UCAC# 4777
Gift of James F. Dicke II, 2024
Illuminated with colored neon light, the sculpture’s abstraction allows the viewer an interpretation of the nautical scene as a place in their memory. Earl was drawn to Watteau-like figurines from Meissen, Germany and created his own whimsical version of life in rural middle America. Earl was an art education and ceramics teacher at the Toledo Museum of Art, and a teacher of James F. Dicke II, previous president of Crown Equipment Corporation.
(USA)
Give Us a Smile Mr. Gould (edition 9/10)
ink on paper, woodcut
17 ¾ x 12 ¾ in (45 x 32 cm)
2009
UCAC# 4688
Gift of Dr Allen Bernard, 2021
A masterful execution of woodblock printing, Give Us a Smile Mr. Gould, is mesmerizing, skill level alone, but also gives the viewer a sense of seeing while being seen. The figure’s eyes and expression draw one to scoff rather than grin as the title suggests. Hailing from northern Ohio, Finn settled in Cincinnati and is an active member of the beloved Tiger Lily Press on Dunham Lane.
(USA, 1944- )
The Uneasiness of Knowledge
drawing, paper collage and plaster on wood panel
23 ⅜ 39 ⅜ x 3 ⅜ (60 x 100 cm)
2005
UCAC# 4728
Gift of the Artist, 2023
The Uneasiness of Knowledge was created for a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit in Cincinnati’s Weston Gallery. Da Vinci was the epitome of a renaissance man as he was a painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, engineer, and theorist. This range of skills and studies can be seen throughout the work and is further pushed with the complexity and nonconformist structure.
(USA, 1970- )
Johnie’s Broiler
duct tape on wood panel with archival resin
30 x 40 in (76 x 102 cm)
2014
UCAC# 4786
Gift of the Artist, 2024
Johnie’s Broiler focuses on a restaurant that was illegally demolished in the middle of the night by the 2007 lease holder. Originally known as Harvey’s Broiler in Downey, California, Johnie’s was featured in films and TV shows for its 1950 Googie style exterior. Though the building was reconstructed in 2009 by preservationists, the artwork memorializes the original Californian architecture
(USA)
Suspended
oil and paper on canvas
50 x 42 in (127 x 106 cm)
2021
UCAC# 4780
Gift of the Artist, 2024
A painter and paper artist, Jackson is attracted to line and the movement it creates across a composition. Using an Asian brush on Kozo, Japanese mulberry paper, she draws from her western figurative and plein-air training. This DAAP alum is featured in numerous publications and exhibits both nationally and internationally.
(German 1976- )
Brillenstӓnder
color photograph
30 ⅝ x 30 ⅝ in (78 x 78 cm)
2023
UCAC# 4730
Gift of Academy in Exile, Ruhr-Universität Bochum & T.U. Dortmund, 2023
Part of the 2023 DAAP Galleries exhibit, What We Brought with Us, Brillenstӓnder focuses on the significance of belongings. Kunowski captured personal objects people carried when forced to flee persecution and war. The wooden nose is a spectacle stand and holds humor along with the weight of exhibits storyline.
Weißer Stoff
color photograph
30 ⅝ x 30 ⅝ in (78 x 78 cm)
2023
UCAC# 4733
Gift of Academy in Exile, Ruhr-Universität Bochum & T.U. Dortmund, 2023Replace with your text
Kunowski quotes himself as a photographer with a passion for light, people, heart, and mind. In this work, collaborated and supported by Academy in Exile, the question posed is: Does a single object have the power to represent a lost world? The scarf was one of the objects carried by an Academy in Exile’s fellow when fleeing their home country to Germany, where they were hosted by the University of Duisburg-Essen, Free University of Berlin.
(USA, 1952- )
WOVEN Together
fabric and thread
84 x 59 in (213 x 150 cm)
2017
UCAC# 4636
Gift of the Artist, 2019
Woven Together celebrates positive outcomes from unified efforts. Prominent recognition of the Irate-8, a black student activist coalition of UC, and the Village Keepers, a 501(c)3 organization, is seen high and center, informing the viewer of their mission to uplift the Black Community. Woven together is one of two Lockhart quilts in the UC Art Collection and will return to its home in the AACRC for public view after the exhibit.
(USA, 1922-2009)
untitled
acrylic on canvas
20 x 16 in (51 x 41 cm)
2001
UCAC# 4766
Gift of the Martin Family, 2023
This non-representational abstract painting exhibits Martin’s experts in graphic design with color and composition balance. Martin moved to Cincinnati in his youth and studied drawing, painting and printmaking in the 1940s at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. His studies were interrupted by WWII but upon returning from the Air Force Martin became a self-taught typographer and graphic designer.
untitled
acrylic on canvas
20 x 16 in (51 x 41 cm)
2001
UCAC# 4770
Gift of the Martin Family, 2023
A past instructor at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, adjunct professor at UC, and freelance graphic designer and art director, Martin worked diligently on his career. He lectured at the Smithsonian, Library of Congress, notable conferences, and he exhibited in NYC’s Museum of Modern Art and Soloed at the American Institute of Graphic Arts. His paintings retain knowledge of color theory and composition rules.
(USA, 1938-2017)
untitled
watercolor on paper
21 ½ x 29 ½ in (55 x 75 cm)
undated
UCAC# 4658
Bequeathed by Dr. Paul E. Potter, 2021
The peacefulness of farm life and winter is channeled through untouched snowfall dominating two thirds of the composition. O’Dell’s watercolors transport the viewer to a timeless world through the scenes of Midwest American landscapes and rural life. A graduate of American Academy of Art in Chicago, O’Dell started off his career in the commercial art world and became a full-time painter after moving to Indiana. After a 50-year career he retired to the warmth of Florida.
(Cuban, 1917-2004)
untitled
oil on canvas
18 x 24 in (46 x 61 cm)
ca. 1960
UCAC# 4751
Gift of Peter Huttinger, 2024
Ojeda’s life is most known for his mastery of the piano. Born in Caibarién he started playing piano at age 3 with his mother Maria Luisa Valdes de Ojeda. At 17 he moved to NYC and attended Juilliard School of Music. He taught at the Juilliard School, Columbia University, and became the 1967 Artist in Residence at CCM, bringing him here to Cincinnati. He later became a CCM professor and retired from UC in 1987. Attracted to art in general, Ojeda dabbled in painting, poetry, storytelling, and architecture.
(Brazil, 1917-1984)
Porto
oil on canvas
27 x 19 ½ in (69 x 49 cm)
1973
UCAC# 4641
Bequeathed by Dr. Paul E. Potter, 2021
The impasto painting is that of an abstracted harbor and a good example of the depth that can be achieved without muting or blending of pigments. Pereira was a self-described lover of beauty and peace and believed it could be found everywhere. Pereira was born in São Paulo, and was respected as one of the most well know Brazilian painters abroad during his career.
(Argentina, 1930-2016)
La Querencia (edition 111/180)
ink on paper
17 ½ x 20 in (44 x 51 cm)
1987
UCAC# 4648
Bequeathed by Dr. Paul E. Potter, 2021
The linear landscape depicts a ranch in Patagonia founded in the early 20th century and still active today. The blue, pink and purple sky evokes the vastness of the land and the beauty of nature, while challenging color theory and how we perceive the atmosphere. La Querencia is one of three Sanchez works in the UC Art Collection all given by Dr. Potter from the Buenos Aires gallery, Praxis.
(USA, 1947-2010)
Alley Buffet (edition 4/30)
ink on paper, woodcut
28 ¾ x 23 in (73 x 58 cm)
1996
UCAC# 4687
Gift of Dr Allen Bernard, 2021
Alley Buffet forces the viewer to look at the lives of the truly impoverished.
Shaw graduated from the Art Academy of Cincinnati and after earning his MFA from CAA in MI, he was the lead graphic designer for Cincinnati Bell until leaving the corporate world in 1995. Powerful subjects depicted with powerful mark making lead Shaw to be a world-renowned printmaker and the first local black artist to have a show at CAM in 1996.
Leaf from a Book of Hours: Saint Christopher Carrying the Christ Child
ink, egg tempera and gold leaf on parchment
6 ⅞ x 4 ½ in (17 x 11 cm)
late 15th century
UCAC# 4725
Gift of Jim Sims, 2022
Book of Hours was a Renaissance choir book intended for private devotional use, but monks or nuns would read while intoning chants to honor Christian saints or commemorate special events. This fragment is an example of manuscript cutting and twice the size of the Saint Christopher leaf from the Book of Hours. Saint Louis of Toulouse is featured here, a saint admired for his charity and austerity.
Ethiopian prayer scrolls
paint and thread on parchment
36 x 4 in (91 x 10 cm)
mid 20th century
UCAC# 4726 & 4727
Gift of Jim Sims, 2022
Also referred to as healing scrolls, these prayer scrolls were used to remove illness by purging evil spirits and demons from a sick person. This practice derives from Christian, Muslim, and Arabic protective scroll traditions. Talismanic images along with the text are meant to permeate magical protective powers and are made by nonordained clerics of the Ethiopian church. These clerics also practice traditional medicine and believe it to be most effective when combined with spirit healing.