Newly Acquired: Recent Donations to the Wake Forest Art Collection

The Wake Forest University Art Collection was founded by the generosity of a donor. In 1941, Dr. Thomas Jackson Simmons, a Wake Forest University Alumnus, donated his extensive collection to the University with the hope that it would become the foundation on which a still larger collection might be based. Referring to his correspondence with Wake Forest President Thurman Kitchin, Simmons wrote:

"I told him then of what had seemed an unrealizable dream of mine, that my art collection, instead of being sold and scattered after my death, should in some ways become the nucleus of a large and growing art museum the cultural value of which would increase constantly through the years.”

While we still wait for a University art museum over eighty years after this pivotal gift, Wake Forest continues to rely heavily on donations of artwork to build upon its renowned collection. In recent years, donations have been strategic additions that fill gaps in the collection with underrepresented artists or artworks that can be used to enhance teaching and learning goals in curriculum.

The artworks displayed in this exhibition reflect the diverse perspectives, media, and creative processes of the artists represented, continuing the tradition of cultural enrichment envisioned by Wake alumni Dr. Simmons. We extend our deepest gratitude to the donors who, through their contributions, have helped strengthen the vibrancy of our creative community, fostering opportunities for critical engagement among artists, students, faculty, and curators alike.

Curated by Amelia Dunat (‘25), Art History and Communications majors

Donated Works

Brian Bress, The Mushroom (Ellie)

Brian Bress is a contemporary American artist known for his innovative video art and multimedia installations. His work features intricately crafted videos that utilize costumes, props, and painted backdrops to create surreal and humorous scenes. Bress often incorporates elements of absurdity into his work to explore themes of identity and performance and challenges traditional notions of reality. Captivating and thematically complex, The Mushroom (Ellie) offers a unique perspective on contemporary artistic practices and depicts the intersection between various art disciplines, including videography, film, and art history.

Ansel Adams, Grass and Pool from Portfolio Three: Yosemite Valley

An influential landscape photographer and environmentalist, Ansel Adams is best known for his striking black and white images of the American West. As a co-founder of Group f/64 in 1932, he championed the principles of “pure” photography, emphasizing sharp focus and a full tonal range, which distanced his work from the painterly qualities of photography common at the time. His portfolio of 16 gelatin silver prints exemplifies his meticulous attention to detail allowing for a deeper exploration of form and texture. His work explores the dynamic interplay of light, weather, and landscape, capturing ephemeral moments that prompt wonder and reflection. Grass and Pool reveals Adams’ attention to the specifics of the physical world and the beauty found in intimate details. Adams contributed significantly to helping to establish the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and co-founding the magazine Aperture. His photographs served as tools for environmental advocacy, raising awareness about the preservation of nature.

Sebastiaan Bremer, Untitled

Known for his precise integration of painting, drawing, and photography, Sebastiaan Bremer embellishes found photographs with hand-painted details, effectively merging the boundaries between reality and imagination. The artist transforms pre-existing images into ornate, dreamlike scenes through a careful process of enlargement and intricate hand painting that results in completely unique works. Exploring themes of memory and personal narrative, Untitled invites viewers to reinterpret familiar images through a dreamlike lens. Bremer's innovative and experimental approach to image-making blurs the line between graphic design and art history.

Asad Faulwell, Les Femmes D’Alger #16

Asad Faulwell’s mixed-media artwork intricately weaves themes of identity, culture, and history, particularly reflecting on the legacy of the Algerian War. Les Femmes d'Alger is an ongoing series of works by Faulwell that focuses on Algerian female freedom fighters in the 1960s. His compositions fuse painting, collage, and installation, which results in visually compelling pieces that engage with pressing political and social issues. Faulwell often draws from historical events like the Iranian Revolution and the Iraq War, investigating their enduring impact on individuals and communities. The materials, rooted in Persian craftsmanship, intertwine with political and social issues that address systemic power imbalances. Les Femmes D’Alger #16 thematic complexity invites close observation and critical analysis of the intersections of art, politics, and identity as he challenges conventional narratives and amplifies marginalized voices.

Chitra Ganesh, Teri Mehfil

Drawing inspiration from a classic film in Bollywood cinematic history, Teri Mehfil tells the poignant story of forbidden love. The painting's title references a popular song from the film's soundtrack, featuring a musical debate between two women exploring the nature of love. In this contest for the prince’s affections, the prince is to award a rose to the winner, symbolized by the row of roses and thorns encircling the women's faces in Ganesh's work. This depiction of a female duet is notably rare in Bollywood cinema, and Ganesh captures the duality of the women as both distinct and intertwined. Through this intricate composition, Ganesh invites viewers to reflect on the complexities of love and rivalry, offering a new perspective on cultural narratives.

Hung Liu, Butterfly Dreams: Waiting

Hung Liu’s mixed-media works explore themes of history, memory, and identity, shaped by her experiences in Maoist China and her journey to the United States in 1984. Born in Changchun, Liu lived through pivotal events like the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. Her artistic practice is rooted in studies of social realism, blending traditional motifs, like birds and flowers, with historical photographs. In her Butterfly Dreams series, Liu transforms photographs taken by her father of Chinese monks, incorporating brush strokes and three-dimensional elements to evoke a sense of layered time. This technique, described as “Weeping Realism,” reflects the erosion of memory and the interplay of history. Liu’s approach considers how historical images shift meaning when removed from their original contexts, preserving and simultaneously dismantling their narratives.

Jessica Jackson Hutchins, Kitchen Table Constellation

Jessica Jackson Hutchins is known mainly for her work as a sculptor, where she transforms everyday objects like worn clothing and tattered furniture into artistic statements, merging the corporeal with the abstract. Similar to her sculptures, her prints feature her family’s kitchen table, along with her favorite pieces of clothing and books, as works of art. This practice reveals the humanity behind creative expression, illustrating how personal experience fuels artistic vision. She explores themes of fragility and connection among the uncertainty of personal relationships and public personas. Similarly, monoprinting embodies a unique artistic process that results in a one-of-a-kind work of art. Unlike traditional printing methods that produce multiple identical copies, once ink is applied to a monoprint, the plate can no longer reproduce the same image, ensuring that no two monoprints are alike. Transformation, traces of effort, unexpected outcomes, and the time reflected in the humanity of objects are essential to Hutchin’s exploration of how we connect with the world and understand ourselves through the things we experience.