2021-College-Report

the woolsey collection MUSIC TEACHER TIM WOOLSEY BECAME A PORTRAIT PAINTER AND HAS GIFTED WORKS OF OTHER ARTISTS TO TEXAS STATE Visual literacy is a critical skill, regardless of whether a student becomes an accountant, a doctor, a public servant, or an artist. In the School of Art and Design at Texas State University, students learn to be alert and sensitive to the visual information that surrounds them, and the Texas State Galleries is a critical resource toward this end. Texas State Galleries present significant works of contemporary art that serve as a primary source of material for faculty and students in the School of Art and Design, the College of Fine Arts and Communication, and the Texas State University community as a whole and beyond. As part of its exhibition program, the Galleries often display art from its permanent collection, which is strong in Modern and Contemporary works on paper, some of which are by Texas artists. More than half of the objects in the collection were donated to the university by Dr. Timothy D. Woolsey, who was a professor of music at Texas State from 1975 until he retired in 2008. Every year, since 2004, Dr. Woolsey has given a selection of objects from his collection to Texas State. Although Dr. Woosley has collected art of various mediums over the years, the bulk of his collection is made up of works on paper. Works on paper are an affordable entry point for collectors, but this is not their only appeal. All artists work on paper regardless of their primary medium. Drawings, for instance, can be preparatory studies, but they can also be singular artworks in themselves. Dr. Woolsey’s collection includes examples by numerous well-known artists, some of whom are on our faculty; and represents a range of techniques, styles, and subject matter. Private collections reflect their collectors in meaningful ways and Dr. Woolsey’s is no exception. His interests include the acquisition of conceptual works on paper, objects that push the boundaries of their medium or their genre. Some of the “drawings” are sculpted, for instance, while others register a “performance”. There are “landscapes” to be sure, but the more traditional ones are complemented by an equal number of abstract or mental landscapes. Although the collection illustrates these distinctive interests, it also reflects shifts in Dr. Woolsey’s collecting priorities over time. He has procured much of his collection through online auctions, but has, over the years, developed strong relationships with gallerists as well. Gallery Joe and Hirth Fine Art are among his most favored because they know Dr. Woolsey’s personal tastes and, more important, his collection priorities: its intended home as part of a bequest to Texas State, where the works can be appreciated and utilized by students indefinitely. Unlike collections at other institutions, Texas State’s is not encyclopedic— it is a teaching collection. The objects in it are ideal for instructing student artists, serving as models for the potential to apply the foundational skills acquired in school, to the building of one’s own unique art practice. Texas State Galleries showcase a sampling of Dr. Woolsey’s many contributions every year, and the collection is used frequently by student workers in the School of Art and Design. Some assist the Galleries staff with research and collection management, while others have curated their very first exhibitions from the collection. TIM WOOLSEY SELF PORTRAIT Pastel on paper 16 x 20 inches REMBRANDT VAN R I JN Studies of Heads of Saskia and Others, 1636 SOL L EWI TT Complex Forms: A Set of Three Prints – B, 1990 R I CHARD BAKER Virginia Woolf Mrs. Dalloway, 2008 THOMAS HART BENTON Aaron, 1941 DAN I E L ZE L L ER Interdependent Extraction, 2007 28 ■ C O L L E G E R E P O R T 2 0 2 1 ■ 29