Fine Art Collection
St. Catherine University’s Fine Art Collection connects students, faculty, staff and the community at large to meaningful works of art.
The Collection
Access to the Artwork
The University's goal in creating, maintaining and growing the Fine Art Collection is to encourage understanding and appreciation of art and its role in society through direct engagement with original works of art. Rapprochement is created by the placement of works throughout campus, public exhibitions at The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, curatorial seminars and individual research in the Visual Resources Library.
The Fine Art Collection includes a wide range of gifts, purchases and bequests to the University. The collection currently contains over 2,700 pieces of art and continues to grow. In an effort to reinforce the greater vision and mission of St. Kate's, the future growth of the collection is focused on acquiring artworks by women, trans, and gender non-conforming artists, especially those who are Minnesota-born or based, and to represent the increasingly diverse cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of the St. Catherine community.
Current News from the Collection
BIPOC Art Acquisition Project: in 2020, St. Catherine University received $20,000 from an anonymous donor to create the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Art Acquisition Fund to provide resources to acquire art for the University’s collection by artists of color, including student artists, emerging artists and artists who are regionally and nationally known.
Though the University’s Fine Art Collection contains over 3,000 objects, artists of color are vastly underrepresented, and lack presence in display spaces on campus. In the spirit of the fund, and at the request of the donors, a volunteer Student Advisory Group led by Theo von Weiss ‘23, Olivia Bignall ‘25 and Eva Ngono ‘25 was established to lead the work of acquisition. Supported by Gallery Director Nicole Watson and Visual Resources Curator Jennifer Adam, the students interpreted and collected feedback from students via surveys in fall 2022 and fall 2023. They reviewed the survey data and designed an equitable method for acquisition based on demographic gaps in the collection identified by the students; the group researched and proposed artworks for acquisition; and they gave the student community a voice in the process by encouraging them to rank their preferences of proposed artworks. 22 artworks by BIPOC artists were purchased in 2024, with students being fully responsible for contacting and communicating with artists and galleries, developing a budget to account for acquisition, installation and shipping, and arranging for the delivery of artwork to campus. Additionally, the Student Advisory Group is advising on the installation location of the artworks, many of which will be located in CdC, as requested by the majority of students who participated in the first survey.
About their work, von Weiss, Bignall and Ngono shared:
“The BIPOC Art Acquisition has been an amazingly unique opportunity for St. Kate’s students to get personally involved in engaging with the physical spaces of our shared campus. As students, we have all explored how identity and culture is able to be expressed through fine art and the importance that has for our broader community. Even more, the project has further allowed the St. Kate’s community to connect to more local BIPOC and queer artists, connecting our campus through the acquisition of their relevant, and urgent work. For students, representation is important in order to cultivate feelings of belonging, as well as educational safety. In addition to our diversity being reflected through faculty and staff, we hope that this project is able to embody our community through physical space and artistic expression.”
The BIPOC Art Acquisition Project will host an unveiling ceremony and reception in fall 2024 (exact date TBD). To receive information about this event, please join the gallery’s mailing list.
Outdoor Sculpture Corps: In May 2023, St. Catherine University received a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Legacy Grant for the conservation
of outdoor sculptures in the University’s Fine Art Collection. Grant funds were used to form the Outdoor Sculpture Corps, which worked
alongside conservators from the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) on sculpture care and maintenance of outdoor artworks on campus during fall 2023.
Led by Jennifer Adam, Visual Resources Curator, and Nicole Watson, Director of The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, the Corps includes student assistants for the Visual Resources Library as well as student volunteers interested in learning more about professional conservation practices. Corps is responsible for protecting, restoring and documenting outdoor sculptures on campus, as well as training future members.
Interested in becoming a member of the Outdoor Sculpture Corps? Please contact Jennifer Adam: jladam@stkate.edu.
For more information about the Corps, see this November 2023 Newswire story and this May 2024 article in My Villager.
See treated works in the digital collection here, here, here and here.
To view the outcomes report for this 2023-2024 grant-funded project, and learn about public engagement with the sculptures on campus,visit here.
Minnesota State Arts Board
This project has been financed in part with funds provided by the State of Minnesota from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the Minnesota Historical Society.
Cross-departmental Collaborations: How Students are Using the Fine Art Collection
The Visual Resources Library (VRL) supports graduate students enrolled in the Master of Library and Information Science program’s Digital Libraries course. VRL staff instruct students on the documentation and digitization of Fine Art Collection items including photography of 2D and 3D works and creating descriptive data. Digital Libraries is a course that focuses on technology, preservation, and access to digital collections, culminating in the creation of virtual exhibitions, featuring artists and artworks in our Fine Art Collection. Click on the links below to see student-made exhibits featuring paintings and prints by Adolf Dehn, screenprints by Corita Kent, and Southwest Native American pottery. You can browse all exhibits created by students here.
Collection Highlights
Bettye Olson
In 2020 and 2021, almost 200 paintings, prints and drawings by Abstract Expressionist and prominent Minnesota artist Bettye Olson were donated to the Fine Art Collection. Olson, an artist whose career spanned over 70 years, created works capturing the natural world but with a focus on color and abstract form.
Clara Mairs
An award-winning print artist born in Minnesota, Clara Mairs (1878–1963) was known for her images of women, children, animals, circus performers and Old Testament stories. Often humorous or satirical, her prints present engaging narratives.
Corita Kent
The Fine Art Collection has almost 50 prints by Sister Corita Kent (1918–1986). A notable designer, printmaker, and educator, Kent gained fame in the 1960s for her work, which is a reflection of her spirituality and commitment to social justice.
Adolf Dehn
A notable Minnesota artist, Adolf Dehn (1895–1968) created significant figurative prints, paintings and drawings exemplifying well-defi ned form through careful consideration of line and shape.
BIPOC Art Acquisition Project: in 2020, St. Catherine University received $20,000 from an anonymous donor to create the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) Art Acquisition Fund to provide resources to acquire art for the University’s collection by artists of color, including student artists, emerging artists and artists who are regionally and nationally known.
Though the University’s Fine Art Collection contains over 3,000 objects, artists of color are vastly underrepresented, and lack presence in display spaces on campus. In the spirit of the fund, and at the request of the donors, a volunteer Student Advisory Group led by Theo von Weiss ‘23, Olivia Bignall ‘25 and Eva Ngono ‘25 was established to lead the work of acquisition. Supported by Gallery Director Nicole Watson and Visual Resources Curator Jennifer Adam, the students interpreted and collected feedback from students via surveys in fall 2022 and fall 2023. They reviewed the survey data and designed an equitable method for acquisition based on demographic gaps in the collection identified by the students; the group researched and proposed artworks for acquisition; and they gave the student community a voice in the process by encouraging them to rank their preferences of proposed artworks. 22 artworks by BIPOC artists were purchased in 2024, with students being fully responsible for contacting and communicating with artists and galleries, developing a budget to account for acquisition, installation and shipping, and arranging for the delivery of artwork to campus. Additionally, the Student Advisory Group is advising on the installation location of the artworks, many of which will be located in CdC, as requested by the majority of students who participated in the first survey.