Have you ever wondered where artwork from the Escalette Collection of art goes when its not on display? Some works leave campus and go on journeys to other cultural institutions to be part of up-and-coming exhibitions. While we miss these works while they’re away, loaning artwork builds relationships with institutions around the world and allows us to share a piece of Chapman’s campus with other communities. Fiona Shen, Director of the Escalette Collection of Art, says that “It is an honor for us to connect with the international museum community and share our work with a wider audience” through loans. This semester, the Escalette Collection has coordinated two exciting loans.

Copenhagen Contemporary – Copenhagen, Denmark

Copenhagen Contemporary is one Scandinavia’s largest exhibition venues for contemporary art, exhibiting world-famous artists and new emerging artists alike. In addition to being an exhibition space, Copenhagen Contemporary creates collaborative partnerships with groups around the globe to develop lectures, art walks, workshops, and concerts. The Escalette Collection’s Mary Corse painting will be displayed at Copenhagen Contemporary as part of their “Light & Space” exhibition which opens in early December. This comprehensive exhibition explores the American Light and Space movement that emerged in Los Angeles 1960s and the ways it inspired generations of artists and architects. Part of this exhibition will also focus on the contributions of women artists to the Light and Space Movement, whose work is often less recognized. This will be the largest exhibition to date at Copenhagen Contemporary.

Read more about the exhibition here.

Back of painting being carried downstairs.

Mary Corse’s Untitled painting being removed from the third floor of Beckman Hall so that it can be crated and shipped to Copenhagen.

Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art – Virginia Beach, Virginia

Virginia MOCA is a contemporary, non-collecting museum that seeks to create innovative shared spaces for different perspectives. Deeply rooted in community, they design exhibitions and programming that builds a more expansive art world and compassionate culture. Since mid July, Virginia MOCA has been displaying two artworks from the Escalette Collection by multi-media artist and educator, April Bey. These works are part of an exhibition “She Says: Women, Words and Power,” which presents a range of approaches contemporary women artists use to incorporate text into their artwork. The play of text and image “navigates a delicate balance between image and language, personal and universal, or politics and poetry.”

Read more about the exhibition here.

Image of April Bey artworks at “She Says: Women, Words and Power” at Virginia MOCA. Photograph by Lindsay Collette.

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We invite you to explore all the works in the Escalette Collection by visiting our eMuseum. 

Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences is the proud home of the Phyllis and Ross Escalette Permanent Collection of Art. The Escalette Collection exists to inspire critical thinking, foster interdisciplinary discovery, and strengthen bonds with the community. Beyond its role in curating art in public spaces, the Escalette is a learning laboratory that offers diverse opportunities for student and engagement and research, and involvement with the wider community. The collection is free and open to the public to view.