Schnitzer said. “That was 22 years ago.”
Only the first stage of Ellis F. Lawrence’s
original design had been built in 1929-30.
The museum, which opened in 1932, was
built to house the Murray Warner Collection
of Oriental Art donated to the university by
Gertrude Bass Warner. The building expan-
sion was derailed by the Great Depression.
Schnitzer noted he has worked on the
museum and the expansion plans for over 26
years. “The reason it took so long was that
we not only had to get the support of the uni-
versity — there were many other competing
projects on campus — but also we had to get
the support of the State Board of Higher
Education, the governor and the legislature,”
he said. “Starting in 1998, we worked for the
third time on a campaign to expand the
museum.”
The renovation and 38,154 sq. ft. expan-
sion project cost $14.2 million. The State of
Oregon awarded it $6.36 million in state-
serviced bonds. Not only did Schnitzer and
his parents make an initial $500,000 lead
gift, but he also helped with fund-raising.
When the combination of grants, estate gifts
and contributions from more than 750 indi-
vidual donors was not quite enough to meet
the deadline, Schnitzer stepped up to donate
the remaining shortfall so as to “not lose that
precious opportunity.” Schnitzer’s multimil-
lion-dollar commitment to the museum also
included the creation of an endowment.
“His gift to the museum campaign was a
combination [of funds] for the completion of
the building and to set up an endowment for
general operations such as special exhibi-
tions, educational programs, publications
and keeping the lights on,” museum director
Turner explained.
“I feel great pride contributing to some-
thing that will have such a lasting effect on
our state, and that will impact the lives of
hundreds of thousands, if not millions of
people, as time goes on,” Schnitzer said. “I
was quite honored when I was asked by the
university if they could name the museum
for me in recognition not just for financial
support but also for 26 years of working with
others to spearhead the expansion.”
It’s crucial “that
we understand our
culture, our history
and the arts, which
interpret current
ideas and thoughts
throughout history.”
Jordan D. Schnitzer, Portland philanthropist
and namesake of the remodeled museum.
A Passion
to Share
“My first love was and will always be
contemporary, local art,” Schnitzer said. He
grew up in a house filled with art. His moth-
er, Arlene Schnitzer, opened the Fountain
Gallery of Art in Portland, which featured
contemporary Northwest regional artists,
after she learned how difficult it was for
Portland artists to make a living. “She taught
me (and many others) the importance of sup-
porting local artists, so that they would stay
and be a vibrant, active part of their commu-
nity,” Schnitzer said.
In the late 1980s, Schnitzer saw a show of
contemporary prints by national artists. He
decided then to expand his art collection to
include prints. “Initially I bought a Frank
Stella, a David Hockney and a Jim Dine,” he
said. “Then I started buying a few more, and
a few more, and now I have more than 3,000
contemporary prints.”
Schnitzer wanted to share his collection,
one of the best in America, as well as his own
passion for the visual arts. The Jordan
Schnitzer Family Foundation has established
the Contemporary Art Exhibition and
Education Program in part to create a com-
prehensive library of prints to loan to art
institutions across the country. The founda-
tion grew out of a request in 1990 from then
UOMA director Robertson, who asked
— Jordan Schnitzer
museum board member Schnitzer if the
museum could borrow 50 prints.
“I came down to Eugene to the museum I
loved,” Schnizter said, “and suddenly I saw
prints from my collection that I also loved.”
Some of the prints had never been up before,
he said. He watched people come into the
gallery and become excited about the prints.
“I’ll never forget a fourth-grade boy, who
went to a pair of Robert Longo prints that
showed a man and a woman sort of frozen in
a dancing-like image. And I said to the young
man, ‘Are those people dancing and rocking
out, or are they just doing a fight and are they
in pain?’ The boy pondered the question and
then said, ‘I think they’re dancing.’ And I
said: ‘I think you’re right.’”
On the spot, Schnitzer went to see
Robertson and discovered the school district
had no program to bus students to see the
exhibit. Schnitzer asked him to arrange as
many bus tours for K-12 students as possible
and to send him the bill. About 1,200 kids
saw the show. “It was a good start,”
Schnitzer said.
After that show, Schnitzer said his mis-
sion became clear: “I would make available
for free to university and regional museums
a major nationally recognized contemporary
print collection.” He funded outreach pro-
grams to help pay for bringing students and
seniors to exhibits. “We’ve also developed
educational materials for art teachers to pre-
pare them to prepare their students for the
shows,” he said.
“The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, in
addition to providing the show for free, will
provide catalogs to be given out for free,”
Schnitzer said. “And we’re also providing
about $10,000 to $12,000 to bring in grade
school and high school children to see the
show and visit the museum. Anyone who
loves art feels their heart soar when young
people visit a museum.”
Schnitzer said it’s crucial “that we under-
stand our culture, our history and the arts,
which interpret current ideas and thoughts
throughout history.” But he also realizes that
generations of people are not accustomed to
coming to the museum. “Now that we have a
wonderful facility, it’s incumbent on director
David Turner and his staff to develop shows
and outreach programs to make everyone in
this community feel welcome and a part of
this wonderful museum.”
Outreach
Programs
Director of Education Lisa Abia-Smith
and museum educators Becky Tonkin and
Ben Brinkley are working hard to achieve
Schnitzer’s dream of inclusivity. Tonkin is in
charge of university and community audi-
ences, and Brinkley heads school programs.
“We have programs for school kids and
teachers K-12,” Brinkley said. “Teachers can
come for specialized workshops based on
specific exhibits.” He explained that the pro-
grams are not meant just for art teachers but
also for teachers involved with languages,
social history and contemporary culture.
The school outreach program also teach-
es 30 to 50 students about contemporary art
in the classroom, in conjunction with the
PBS Art 21 program. “Before a class comes
for a field trip, we send one of our guides to
the classroom to prepare the kids,” Brinkley
said. After the tour, studio activities are avail-
able for $1 per child.
Abia-Smith, Brinkley and Tonkin train
the museum’s 45 exhibition interpreters
OPENING DAY
Sunday, Jan. 23: The celebration begins
with an 11 am ribbon-cutting, followed by a
ceremonial reopening of the museum
doors. A full day of music and family-friend-
ly activities, as well as a noontime program,
will welcome visitors. As a special gift to
the public for its dedicated support, there
will be no admission charge that day.
Andy Warhol’s Dream America :
Screen prints from the Jordan Schnitzer
Family Foundation, Jan. 23-May 1, 2005
ALSO ON VIEW:
Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, south view.
• “Modern and Contemporary Art in
America,” Schnitzer Gallery.
• “European Landscape Paintings,”
European Gallery.
• “Traditions of Korean Painting,”
Huh Wing and Jin Joo Gallery.
• “Holy Icons of Russia,” McKenzie Gallery.
• “The Art of Death in China,”
MacKinnon Gallery.
• “Japanese Prints by Junichiro Sekino,”
Preble/Murphy Gallery.
• “Works on Paper from the Elizabeth
Butler Estate,” Gordon Gilkey Research
Center.
• “Colorful Lanterns at Shangyuan,”
Focus Gallery.
• “Discover Art! Discover People!,”
Interactive Discovery Gallery.
JANUARY 20, 2005 13