Funding from Ellingson Family Elevates the Work of Black Artists in Escalette Collection

Wilkinson College’s Escalette Collection is delighted to announce a gift from the Ellingson Family to support its goal of building an inclusive permanent collection. For the past two years, annual gifts from the Ellingsons have allowed the Escalette to target core areas of the Collection. This year’s gift will be used to acquire work by Black artists from the Southern California region.

“I am very grateful to the Ellingson family for their generous gift that will allow Chapman to recognize the significant contributions that Black artists have made, contributions that have often been overlooked and are finally receiving the attention they deserve,” said President Daniele C. Struppa.

Through its acquisitions, events and programming, the Escalette commits to continuing to elevate artists and histories that are systematically under-represented. The Ellingson gift will help expand the Escalette’s existing collection of work by Black artists including Mark Bradford, Maya Freelon, Rotimi Fani-Kayode and Ivan Forde. An exhibition of this work will be installed in Roosevelt Hall in Fall 2020 as part of the College’s Engaging the World: Leading the Conversation on the Significance of Race initiative, which promotes the vital importance of the arts, humanities and social sciences to building a better, more harmonious society.

“Art is essential to how we visualize and understand our world,” noted Jennifer D. Keene, dean of Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. “What we put on our walls says a lot about who we are as a campus community. Art has the power to represent and celebrate diversity, while also interrogating and questioning the status quo – exactly what we hope to achieve by leading the conversation on the significance of race.”

Next year, this work – along with new acquisitions purchased with the Ellingson Family gift – will be displayed in public areas throughout campus to stimulate critical dialogue and encourage new ways of thinking.

We invite you to explore all the works in the Escalette Collection by visiting our eMuseum. 

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.