By Debby Stinson, Museum of Art
PULLMAN, Wash. – Eight contemporary art prints valued at about $33,000 have been given to the Museum of Art at Washington State University by Seattle art collectors and gallery owners Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom.
“The timing of this gift is truly uncanny. Our curatorial team was simultaneously planning to contact Mr. Kucera regarding an exhibition of his personal art collection for spring 2016,” said Zach Mazur, WSU curator of education and collections. “This coincidence emphasizes the mutual friendship Mr. Kucera and the museum have built and the relationship we have with one of the Northwest’s most prominent art activists.”
“From time to time, I feel the need to lighten the load a bit and reduce my inventory,” Kucera told museum director Chris Bruce. “Since your museum has done so much for several of my artists, I wanted to offer this work to you early in the process when selection is still good.”
The art, spanning 1994-2012, represents a broad range of style and artistic vocabulary. Works are by John Buck, Benjamin Edwards, Anthony Goicolea, Deborah Oropallo, Martin Puryear, Roger Shimomura, Darren Waterston and Lisa Yuskavage.
“Several of the artists included will be our first samples of their respective work,” said Ryan Hardesty, curator of art and exhibitions. “Others, such as Shimomura and Oropallo, will deepen the museum’s existing holdings.”
“Greg and Larry have long been tireless advocates for the art and artists of our time,” Bruce said. “The range of their interests is well represented in this donation, which honors the quality of our ever-growing collection while serving as a reminder of the incredible varieties of artistic expression we can provide for our students and the public.”
Contacts:
Debby Stinson, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6282, debby_stinson@wsu.edu
Anna-Maria Shannon, Museum of Art/WSU, 509-335-6140, annamshannon@wsu.edu.