News Archive
5/17/2010
Estate gift will benefit UNI Arts Collection
The University of Northern Iowa's Department of Art has received an estate commitment from Mary Haskell-Hansen to support the UNI Permanent Art Collection. The gift is part of the $150 million "Imagine the Impact" campaign for the university.
Haskell-Hansen recently established the Mary Haskell-Hansen Permanent Collection Endowment fund through the UNI Foundation. The fund is designated for the preservation and public exhibition of the UNI Permanent Art Collection at the Gallery of Art. This estate gift will provide support for three or four exhibitions each academic year for students, faculty and community members to view, study and research UNI's permanent art collection.
"The world would be a much better place if more students were exposed to the arts," Haskell-Hansen said. "The visual arts help foster creativity, exploration, discovery and invention -- very important components in our world."
According to Darrell Taylor, director of UNI's Gallery of Art, Haskell-Hansen's gift represents the most substantial validation of the UNI Permanent Art Collection to date.
"Who better to champion this invaluable art collection than the extraordinary Mary Haskell-Hansen," Taylor said. "From the start, Mary, along with the late professor Ralph Haskell, has respected and supported this collection. What's more, no one, aside from the gallery director and art history professor Charles Adelman, knows the collection better, and no one shows more appreciation for its history, its cultural value and its importance as a teaching tool for UNI faculty and students, researchers, scholars and the public."
In recognition of Haskell-Hansen's dedication to the arts, she received the Howard V. Jones Leadership and Philanthropy in the Arts award during the Crème de la Crème concert at the UNI Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center (GBPAC) on May 7. Jeff Byrd, department head and professor of art at UNI, presented the award to Haskell-Hansen for her leadership and philanthropy in the arts and for the many ways she supports the arts.
"Mary's belief in the power of art to expand minds and change lives will continue to influence the cultural life of both the campus and the Cedar Valley," Byrd said.
The Howard V. Jones Leadership and Philanthropy in the Arts award was established in honor of Howard V. Jones, a UNI emeritus professor of history, supporter of the arts and long-time director of the UNI Artists and Chamber Music Series.
The "Imagine the Impact" campaign focuses on scholarships, faculty and program support. For more information, visit www.uni-foundation.org or contact the UNI Foundation at 319-273-6078.
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