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Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery Celebrates 50 Years

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| Communications Director
Jules Olitski, "Bear Island Spirit," acrylic on canvas.
Jules Olitski, "Bear Island Spirit," acrylic on canvas.

Keene State College’s Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery Celebrates 50 Years in Keene Community; Public Reception to Be Held

Anniversary Marked with Works by Jules Olitski, Angus McCullough and International Works Incorporating Tools and Hardware

Keene State College’s Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery is celebrating its first 50 years with 40 works by renowned artist Jules Olitski. Olitski’s art will be accompanied by pieces from breakthrough, Vermont-based artist, Angus McCullough, as well as 30 works by international artists that incorporate tools and hardware in an exhibit titled “Retooled: Highlights from the Hechinger Collection”. A free, public reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m., to mark this significant milestone for the gallery and to bring together supporters, community members and artists.

For 50 years, the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery at Keene State College has been a gathering place for artists, students, patrons, educators, scholars and friends. The gallery has hosted exhibitions of work by local, national, and international artists and designers, originated a broad range of innovative education and public programs, and fostered connections across disciplines, communities and generations.

“This is an exciting time for the Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery. During the first 50 years, with the help of strong supporters, the gallery shaped its identity and its central role in our community,” said Thorne Director Brian Wallace. “Looking forward to the next 50 years, I envision a gallery that broadens its emphasis on community while exploring art and ideas from across the Monadnock area and beyond. The gallery has a symbiotic relationship with the cultural and economic forces that are constantly reshaping our region, and the Thorne – with collaborators of many different kinds – is well positioned to connect generations of artists, disparate communities, and diverse perspectives through exhibitions, publications, and other projects that will enrich the experiences of all of our visitors. I am thrilled to be a part of shaping the future of the gallery.”

The gallery’s history begins in 1965, when exhibitions and collections reflecting the long history of creativity and collecting in the region were housed at Keene State College’s Mason Library. The spaces were established by artist beaTrix Sagendorph in memory of her mother, Louise E. Thorne, and through a subsequent gift in honor of beaTrix’s husband, Robb Sagendorph, the founder of Yankee magazine. With support from these and many other community and campus supporters, including the Friends of the Thorne, the gallery’s programs flourished and, eventually, the current building was dedicated in 1993. The first of five occasions for an Olitski exhibition was to celebrate that opening; the new Olitski exhibition – along with the two other exhibitions – marks a rededication on the part of the Thorne to a range of scholarly and personal approaches to current and past art practice.

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