Wake Forest’s premier art collection gets a new name and lots of love

The Wake Forest Student Union Collection of Contemporary Art is getting a new name and, with a generous gift, a lot of love as well.

John and Libby Reece have endowed a conservation fund to care for, steward and rename the Student Union Collection of Contemporary Art as the Mark H. Reece Collection of Student-Acquired Contemporary Art in honor of John Reece’s father – the founder of the collection.

In 1963, Wake Forest’s Dean of Men and College Union Adviser Mark Reece had a vision for a student art-buying trip. At the time, there was no art department at Wake Forest. He and then faculty members Ed Wilson and Allen Easley and two students drove to New York City, explored the contemporary art galleries there, and came back with a dozen works of art, selected by the students, for the University.

The Student Union Collection, now the Reece Collection, is the University’s premier and most recognizable collection. More than 100 artists are represented in over 160 works. The collection includes pieces by Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, Alex Katz and Louise Nevelson. Works purchased during previous trips hide in plain sight in public places around campus, including Reynolda Hall and Benson University Center.

Read more at Wake Forest News.