Exhibitions and Collections

Collection

Otterbein has an extensive collection of African and Asian artwork, with three dimensional pieces dominating the collection. Most of the works have been donated, starting shortly after the College's founding with gifts from missionaries and African natives who came to Otterbein to go to school. A grant from the Kress Foundation allowed Otterbein to significantly increase its collection in 1969 and 1970. In 1997, Dr. David Rilling of Philadelphia donated around 200 pottery items. Today, the collection includes over 1,000 pieces, most representative of Sub-Saharan African art from the 20th Century, which are used in classroom teaching and are on display in The Frank Museum of Art.

The Frank Museum of Art

The Frank Museum of Art houses the college's collection of art from Africa, Japan, and New Guinea. The museum is located at 39 South Vine Street in Westerville, in the former "church house" of Lillian Frank who taught at Otterbein for 29 years in the areas of art, theology, and philosophy.

With the help of her husband Paul, Lillian converted the former Salem Evangelical Church, built in 1877, to their residence in 1956. Site of many faculty and student gatherings over the years, the structure was given to the college upon Lillian's death in 1999, for the express purpose of creating a museum for the college's collection. It opened in Winter 2004.

More than 100 alumni and friends of Otterbein contributed the funds necessary to realize Lillian Frank's vision. Additional funding to provide for the museum's ongoing development, collection acquisition and operating costs will come from the Friends of The Frank Museum of Art Fund.

"Lillian Frank's passion for art, education, and the study and appreciation of diverse cultures made her an institutional treasure," said Richard Dorman, Otterbein's vice president for Institutional Advancement. "We are delighted to be able to share her passions, and her famous hospitality, with the community at large through The Frank Museum of Art."

Art Department chair Nicholas Hill described the museum as "a superb setting for the exhibition of our unique collection of non-Western art, long inaccessible to the public due to lack of exhibit space." At 1,800 square feet, "The Frank may be small by museum standards, but for those interested in exploring non-Western cultures, it is a real treasure," added Hill.

Particular strengths of the collection include pottery from Africa and New Guinea, 19th century Japanese woodcut prints, and African textiles and sculpture. According to Hill, small private colleges in Ohio agreed to focus their art collections in particular areas many years ago in order to maximize their resources. "The result for Otterbein is a wonderful and unique collection of works from cultures not often seen in central Ohio," says Hill.

The Frank is used for a variety of programming including rotating exhibits, lectures, recitals, and special educational programs for area schools, arts organizations, and civic groups. The Frank Museum of Art is open to the public free of charge from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday during the College's academic year.

Hours: Wednesday-Friday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. during the College's academic year. For more information call 614.818.9716.

Miller and Fisher Galleries

The Art Department coordinates an annual program of public exhibitions in both the Miller Gallery (Art and Communication building, 33 Collegeview Road) and Fisher Gallery (Roush Hall).

These exhibitions explore a broad range of approaches to art, introducing the College community to the diversity of the art world. Many exhibiting artists offer lectures or workshops in conjunction with their exhibitions. Graduating art majors also exhibit their work in Miller Gallery during spring quarter.

Click here to see a schedule of current and upcoming art exhibitions.

Hours:

• Miller Gallery: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 1-4 p.m.; Closed holidays
• Fisher Gallery: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. daily