Nearly nine years to the day after being part of the grand opening of Classic Hall’s Ashby-Hodge Gallery of American Art, paintings from the collection of Glenn ’51 and the late Veronica Cox will again be featured in an exhibit at Central Methodist University.
A total of nine paintings will be added to the Art in Autumn show on October 6 and will be on display until April 14. Featured in Gallery 2, the work will join the other current shows of Naomi Sugino Lear’s “Overlooked” and Bo Bedilion’s “Polka Dot Pottery Blues,” which will run through November 11.
The Cox collection first graced the walls of the Ashby-Hodge Gallery in 2012, when the institution first opened in Classic Hall. Paintings featured in the “Shades of Americana” show were transported to Fayette from Bartlesville, Okla. by Dr. Joe Geist, Tom Yancey, and others on that occasion, but this time the works are much closer at hand.
“We all knew way back in 2012 that eventually we would get some paintings permanently for the collection,” said Geist, registrar of the Gallery.
The nine works soon to be on display are now in fact part of the permanent collection at the Ashby-Hodge Gallery and will be a focal point this fall, especially around the time of homecoming weekend. The works include “November Snow” by John Michael Carter, “Floral in Reds and Yellows” by Laura Robb, “The Beautiful Child” by Dan Gerhartz, “Little Helper” by Vladan Stiha, “Corazon” by R.J. Riddick, “Playing Dress Up” by Robert Hagan, “Running with the Dog” by Donna Howard-Sickles, and “Three Man Band” by Dee Wescott. “Strolling on the Beach” by Pino Daeni, Geist’s favorite work of the bunch, will also be featured.
In a personal statement, Cox said of the Daeni work, “We had to make a quick decision, our friend wanted to purchase the painting, but we beat him to the punch. We developed the theory that if you really like a painting, [you have to] make a quick decision before someone else buys it.”
The stories of each of the Cox family’s art purchases vary, but the quality of the paintings and their frames can’t be disputed.
“We’re really excited because they’re all just beautiful, and beautifully framed,” said Denise Haskamp, curator of the Gallery.
Visitors can view the Cox collection for themselves from October 6 to April 14 on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. The Gallery will also be open with special hours on homecoming weekend – from 3-5 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Special tours are also available by contacting curator Denise Haskamp at 660-248-6304 or dhaskamp@centralmethodist.edu. All visitors are required to wear face coverings.