Conscientious Collectors
I had this notion that the SUNY Plattsburgh Art Department and the Plattsburgh State Museum of Art were in charge of acquiring all the art in the college’s collection. While that is not entirely false, I have since learned much of the priceless collection has been purchased by the college’s Student Association. This spring semester, Museum Director Tonya Cribb curated an exhibit titled Conscientious Collectors, which features decades of art selected by Plattsburgh students. Located in the John Myers Building, this collection comprises paintings, photography, pottery, and sculptures—including photography by Ansel Adams, prints by Kara Walker and Elizabeth Catlett, paintings by Edgar Degas and Wassily Kandinsky, and a limestone image of a hand discovered outside the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. The collection also includes a dry-point etching titled “Buste D’Homme” and a ceramic work titled “Divers” by none other than Pablo Picasso. While admiring these two, I learned that not only did Picasso create over 630 different ceramic pieces, he also “initially found that working with clay was a relaxing summer respite from the more strenuous demands of painting.”
I had the honor of speaking with Pilar Herrero, coordinator of the arts for the Student Association. In conversation, I learned how all of this is possible. My goal with this post is to give proper recognition to the Student Association and all the hard work they have done to make art accessible to the students and community of Plattsburgh.
Each year, the Student Association is given a lump sum of $10,000, and it is up to them how to use that money. In past years, they have split it 50/50, purchasing art pieces both in the fall and the spring. This year, however, went a bit differently. Pilar, along with her fellow members of the Student Association, decided to use the entire lump sum all at once: “This year,” she said, “the Student Association decided to do some research on specific pieces to see if they were the right fit for Plattsburgh.” Not only does the Student Association purchase pieces of historical importance, by established artists, they also do something I feel more colleges should do: they bring attention to underrepresented artists and showcase them in the light they deserve.
The piece we’ve selected to feature on the cover of SR 18 year is titled “Sunday at the Small Town Pier” and was painted by Nuria Meseguer in 2021. The Student Association acquired this beautiful painting that same year. Also featured as the image of this blog post, it’s a perfect fit for what Issue 18 of Saranac Review is about. This piece makes us realize that not everything is surface level. To find the meaning or importance of something, just like a body of water, we must go below the crashing waves and study the secrets underneath.
Thanks to Pilar and the other amazing members of the Student Association, the appreciation for art here at Plattsburgh will continue to grow. To gain more information on SUNY Plattsburgh’s art acquisitions, head over to the SUNY Plattsburgh website. Here, you’ll be able to learn more about the mission of the museum as well as gain information on when and where the next exhibit will be.
From all of us at Saranac Review, we would like to extend our utmost gratitude to Pilar and the entire Student Association: Pilar Herrero, Alexander Finkey, Jack Test, Emily Lord, Carter Mosher, Roldnardy Norelus, Jamie Ryan, and Abigail Duquette.
