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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 on 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, Mrs. Frank 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 Mrs. Frank's death in 1999, for the express purpose of creating a museum for the college's collection. It opened in Winter 2004.
"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."
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| Inaugural exhibition, Winter-Spring 2004. |
| Photos by David Stichweh |
Art Department chair Nicholas Hill described the new 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.
The Frank will be used for a variety of programming. Rotating exhibits, lectures, recitals and special educational programs for area schools, arts organizations and civic groups will be important components of the museum's function.
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.
While the Franks' home had an open floor plan and thus required few changes to its layout to metamorphose to gallery space, major installations were required for appropriate lighting, an environmental control system for the regulation of temperature and humidity, accessibility and a security system. All of these additions needed to be accomplished without compromising the unique feel of the space. "It was a design, and a financial, challenge," says Hill, "but well worth it on both counts." 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.
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 school's academic year.
The Frank Museum of Art
39 South Vine Street
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 818-9716
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