As a “museum without walls,” the Escalette Collection fills Chapman’s campus with enriching, thought-provoking artworks that impact life on campus for thousands of members of the Chapman Family every day. In 2021, we were honored to receive a prestigious grant from the National Endowment for the Arts that will allow us to commission an artwork unlike any other on campus.

Daniel Canogar, Termica, 2021. The artwork Termica, becomes a revealing conductor for real-time information of Madrid’s meteorogical data, including wind velocity, temperature, atmospheric pressure or humidity.

This artwork, by internationally acclaimed artist Daniel Canogar, will visually translate Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences’ Survey of American Fears, a high-profile nationwide poll that has been featured in over 800 media outlets. Daniel Canogar –  whose work has been commissioned by major institutions such as the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, and installed in places like Times Square, NY, and the Tampa International Airport – is best known for his innovate work using custom-made LED screens to visualize live data sequences. More than simply translating data, though, Canogar’s artwork visualizes information to reveal the deeper issues, questions, and beliefs about that topic. The piece that Canogar will make for Chapman University will engage with the Survey of American Fears in a way that makes this slice of the datasphere visible, literally unmasking America’s deep-held fears. Using custom software to run existing and real-time data, this artwork will be an interactive, public display that all can enjoy.

Please help us bring Canogar to Chapman to create an artwork that explores the human mind through electronic animations that continuously shift, mutate, and ooze bright color. Your generous contribution would help us reach our goal of matching our NEA grant and raising $32K in 2022. Every little donation helps, and as a special thank you, we will send you a unique, Escalette-inspired, hand-crafted gift.

  • At the $200 level of giving, you will receive a one-of-a-kind tote upcycled from student-designed exhibition banners and sewn by Chapman students.  Chic, sturdy, and lined, these are perfect for carrying books, groceries, or lunch.
  • At the $400 level, we’ll send you a cup by L.A.-based ceramicist Shoshi Watanabe, painted by Chapman art faculty member and Escalette artist Michael Dopp.
  • At the $600 level, we’ll send you both!

DONATE HERE

For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.

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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.