Professor Emeritus Don Crouch and his wife, Nancy, will be putting their art collection on display Monday, Aug. 19 - Friday, Sept. 20, at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery.
A reception will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 4:30-6 p.m., which will feature a conversation with Don and Nancy at 5 p.m. Admission is open free to the public.
Don began collecting art at the age of 12 in New Mexico, discovering pottery and arrowheads on his father’s ranch. His collection continued to grow after he started his college career.
“As a nineteen-year-old freshman in college, I started buying prints and paintings from fellow students and faculty,” Don said. “About this time, I began bringing Pre-Columbian art out of Mexico. All these early collecting activities cemented my love of Indigenous art of the Americas.”
He says an art collection says as much about the collector as it does about the subjects collected.
“Collecting is a restless pursuit, a great love and, as in love, has ups and downs. It has given me more meaning and purpose to my life as an artist,” Don said. “In my studio, to be surrounded by great works of art offers a great amount of inspiration and motivation. To be successful, a collector must have a good eye and understanding knowledge of the subject.
“Nancy and I feel that it is important to share the art and hope that you enjoy the experience.”
The WIU Art Gallery is located on the Macomb Campus, north of Sherman Hall.
To learn more about the gallery, visit wiu.edu/cofac/artgallery.
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