The Escalette Permanent Collection of Art

02/17/2021

April Bey, Atlantica, and Afrofuturism

“Afrofuturism” is a term you may have heard recently, perhaps in connection to the 2018 Black Panther movie or Octavia Butler’s science-fiction novels – but what exactly does it mean? April Bey, a Bahamian-American visual artist and art educator, is here to help.

Read more about Afrofuturism and April Bey in our latest blog post!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2021/02/09/april-bey-atlantica-and-afrofuturism/

“Afrofuturism” is a term you may have heard recently, perhaps in connection to the 2018 Black Panther movie or Octavia Butler’s science-fiction novels. It’s a word that has become more commonplace in pop culture and is provoking discussions about reimagined worlds and futures – but what ex...

02/01/2021

Wilkinson College - Chapman University

In honor of Black History Month the Escalette Collection has chosen to spotlight two artists whose work was acquired by the collection last year. These particular works stood out to the Escalette curators because of the meaningful way they memorialize Black lives and history. ⁠
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Pictured below, the work of Patrick Martinez, who has re envisioned the Pee Chee folder to memorialize victims of police violence. In response to the death of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, Martinez released an unlimited edition print "Racism Doesn’t Rest During a Pandemic," Pee Chee (No Justice No Peace). The Pee Chee Folder project was inspired by an original artwork by Martinez, portraying hand-painted portraits of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery on a traditional school folder to shed light on the recent police killings of Black people and long-standing racism in America.⁠
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To read more about Martinez and to view the other piece/artist @escalettecollection has selected, use the link below. . ⁠

https://blogs.chapman.edu/wilkinson/2021/01/27/black-history-matters-new-escalette-acquisitions/
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#EscaletteCollection#WeAreWilkinson#BlackHistoryMonth

01/21/2021

Virtual Photography Workshop

Are you interested in learning more about photography? Sign up for our free, virtual photography workshop on Feb. 6th at 10AM! 📸📸📸
This program is open to Veterans and/or their friends, family members, and caregivers.
https://events.chapman.edu/82445

Explore photography with Veteran photographer Giovanni Berdejo-Gallegos in this two-part workshop. Part one of the workshop will introduce photographic equipment and techniques. Students will then have the chance to practice on their own before reconvening for a discussion of their work during part....

01/19/2021

Treasures from Storage - Found in Collection Objects

Have you ever heard the phrase "found in collections"? Read more about what they are and why finding them is an adventure in our latest blog post!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2021/01/19/treasures-from-storage/

Even without large in-person events or physical exhibitions to plan, the Escalette Collection of Art was as busy as ever during 2020. We spent most of our time finding ways to make the collection accessible virtually through virtual exhibits and events, but we also spent a great deal of time chippin...

12/18/2020

Wishing you and your families a happy holiday and bright new year! ❄️☃️
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Card designed by Henry Littleworth using details from Elizabeth Turk’s “16 Murex” and “16 Cone”

12/08/2020

Solar Selfies - 2020 Acquisitions by Lia Halloran

The Escalette Collection is excited to announce two new acquisitions from artist and Chapman professor, Lia Halloran. Read more about her amazing work in our latest blog!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/12/08/solar-selfies/

The Escalette Collection is excited to announce two new acquisitions from artist and Chapman professor, Lia Halloran. Friendship Launch, After Katherine Johnson was named as an homage to Katherine Johnson, a human computer who worked for NASA in the 1960s. In this photographic print, Halloran merges...

12/07/2020

Perspective | The message of Kamala Harris’s black pearls

Check out this amazing article written by Lindsay Shen, Director of the Escalette Collection!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/12/04/message-kamala-harriss-black-pearls/

How black pearls won esteem.

11/25/2020

Staying Grateful with the Escalette Collection

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, the Escalette Collection team has come together to share some aspects of the collection that we are particularly grateful for this year. 🍂🍂🍂

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/11/25/staying-grateful-with-the-escalette-collection/

While Thanksgiving Day might look different this year, there are some traditions that are more important now than ever. During a year as unprecedented and tumultuous as 2020, Thanksgiving Day reminds us to take a moment to focus on the things we have to be grateful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving...

11/13/2020

Add some inspiration to your Friday with poetry by MA/MFA student @vericurious inspired by Rotimi Fani-Kayode’s photography
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Share your responses/reflections/art to Rotimi Fani-Kayode and the other artists featured in our digital exhibition Begin/Again: Marking Black Memories by clicking the comment bubble at the bottom of each page. Link to exhibit in bio.

11/11/2020

In Honor of Veterans - The Escalette celebrates all service members

This Veterans Day, the Escalette thanks all service members for their countless sacrifices to ensure our safety and freedom. Learn more about the veteran experience through our "Creativity After Combat" exhibition featuring prints made by the Veteran Print Project.

Escalette Collection Veterans Day Blog - https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/11/11/in-honor-of-veterans/

Creativity After Combat digital exhibition - https://scalar.chapman.edu/scalar/creativity-after-combat/index

This Veterans Day, the Escalette thanks all service members for their countless sacrifices to ensure our safety and freedom. In their honor, today we feature a work by a veteran artist in the Escalette Collection and reflect on the unique ability of art to help us connect with others’ viewpoints a...

11/04/2020

Reverend William J. Barber II Promotes Hope, not Hate

“We are the people we’ve been looking for. The rejected—if you’ve been rejected because of your sexuality, rejected because of your race or class, rejected because of your national citizenship status, rejected because you’re indigenous, rejected because of your lack of health care—however you have been rejected, if all the rejected get together, we are called to be a movement. And we are called to be a movement right now,” -Reverend William Barber II

On Thursday, October 22nd, Reverend Barber gave a speech to over 200 virtual attendees as a part of Wilkinson's Engaging the World initiative. To read about Barber's speech, and to view the recording, use the link below.

Reverend William J. Barber has hope for the future of American democracy, and little tolerance for defeatism, or for the news media that fuels it. “We have got to stop excusing language that creates desperation,” said Barber. “[The media] talks about the 61 million people that voted for Trump,...

10/29/2020

An Escalette Halloween - Celebrate the spooky season with art!

Get into the spooky season with art from the Escalette Collection! Check out this blog post by Jordan Sapp, one of our amazing Student Art Ambassadors... if you dare 👻🎃

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/10/29/an-escalette-halloween/

Summer is finally over—even though it’s still too hot—which means it’s time for Halloween. Sure, Halloween is canceled, as far as trick-or-treating and costume parties go, but that doesn’t mean the spirit of Halloween is dead. Halloween is no mere mortal holiday, it is a state of mind. Spo...

10/14/2020

Escalette Collection Zoom Virtual Backgrounds - Add some inspiration to your next Zoom meeting!

The Escalette Collection of Art is excited to announce a new series of Zoom virtual backgrounds. Download any of the backgrounds below to combat Zoom fatigue and add some inspiration to your next meeting!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/10/14/escalette-collection-zoom-virtual-backgrounds/

The Escalette Collection of Art is excited to announce a new series of Zoom virtual backgrounds. Download any of the backgrounds below to combat Zoom fatigue and add some inspiration to your next meeting! These Zoom backgrounds are also available for download on our website (chapman.edu/escalette).....

09/17/2020

Recording of A Source of Self-Regard: Artist Talk - Featuring Ivan Forde, Niama Safia Sandy, and David L. Bell

Didn't have a chance to come to our Artist Talk with Ivan Forde and Niama Safia Sandy yesterday? Watch the Zoom recording linked in our blog!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/09/17/recording-of-a-source-of-self-regard-artist-talk/

Yesterday, September 17th, the Escalette Collection of Art hosted its first event in conjunction with Begin/Again: Marking Black Memories. Ivan Forde, an artist featured in the virtual exhibition, was joined by anthropologist, artist, curator, and educator Niama Safia Sandy and introduced by David L...

09/16/2020

The Escalette Collection had a blast visiting @scapegallery yesterday! It was so nice to be able to see art in-person again (while still maintaining social distance)

09/14/2020

~UPCOMING EVENT~
Join Escalette artist Ivan Forde, artist and educator, Niama Safia Sandy for a discussion introduced and moderates by David L. Bell of the Visitor Welcome Center, Los Angeles this Thursday (9/16) at 12pm on Zoom (link on chapman.edu/escalette)

09/01/2020

Be sure to explore our new virtual exhibition if you haven't already!

scalar.chapman.edu/scalar/beginagain

08/31/2020

Announcing our first entirely virtual exhibit Begin/Again: Marking Black Memories! Link in bio
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Featuring the work of Mark Bradford, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Ivan Forde, Maya Freelon, and Manuel Mendive, this exhibit explores how memories are reshaped and reimagined by contemporary Black artists in the Escalette Collection.

08/26/2020

New exhibit coming in... 5

07/31/2020

CAM to Go + Maya Freelon Tissue Quilt Project

In honor of our upcoming exhibit "Begin/Again: Marking Black Memories" (more details coming soon), the Escalette Collection of Art is partnering with CAM Raleigh to host a DIY Tissue Quilt project that you can complete from home!

Collaborate with us on Maya Freelon's Tissue Quilt for her upcoming exhibition "Greater Than or Equal" opening Sept. 4th, 2020. Once you sign up, we'll mail you everything you need to create a small Tissue Quilt at home and mail it back to CAM by Aug. 14th so Maya can connect it to her two story Tissue Quilt. This opportunity is available to the first 25 people who sign up.

Blog with Registration Link - https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/07/31/diy-tissue-quit-project/

CAM Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWV2XIBMXk8In

07/10/2020

Chapman joins action challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rule - CU Safely Back!

Chapman joins action challenging Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rule - CU Safely Back!

On Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a new temporary final rule that prohibits international students from returning to or remaining in the United States this fall if the colleges they attend adopt online-only instruction models amid the pandemic. While our plan is to run hybri...

07/03/2020

Applauding Artists on 4th of July

This July 4th, the Escalette Collection applauds the many generous artists, galleries, and individuals who make our country a better place. In response to the hardships resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the suffering of countless known and unknown victims of racial injustice, artists from our own collection have donated money from sales of work to Covid-19 relief funds, food pantries and community centers, and to advocacy for peace and justice.

Read more in our blog!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/07/03/applauding-artists-on-4th-of-july/

06/25/2020

We are beyond thrilled to announce a significant gift from the Ellingson Family that will be devoted to acquiring art by Black artists working in Southern California. This gift will allow us to continue to expand the diversity of our collection and the works we display throughout campus.
Read more on our blog! https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/06/25/funding-from-elllingson-family-elevates-the-work-of-black-artists-in-escalette-collection/

06/20/2020

'How Do We Turn Our Anguish to Purpose?' | Chapman Newsroom

'How Do We Turn Our Anguish to Purpose?' | Chapman Newsroom

If the protesters who filled the streets this summer calling for social change and an end to systemic racism start to wonder how they’ll carry their momentum into the future, they might consider the words of Jimmie C. Gardner. The former minor league baseball player spent 27 years in prison for a ...

06/18/2020

Join the Escalette Collection at tomorrow’s “Leading the Conversation on the Significance of Race” virtual film series at 1pm! We’ll be talking about “A New Color: The Art of Being Edythe Boone.” Link to event in bio!

06/16/2020

Black Lives Matter Resources at the Leatherby Libraries - E-books, Research and Study Guide, and More

A few BLM resources from the Leatherby Libraries

Along with Chapman University, the Leatherby Libraries stands united with all those fighting against social injustice, particularly in the wake of the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. We know that many of our students, faculty, staff, and community members are curren...

06/09/2020

We Stand in Solidarity

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/06/09/we-stand-in-solidarity/

The Escalette Collection of Art stands with the Black community and all those who are demanding an end to racial injustice. We mourn the lives of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and the countless other known and unknown victims of racial violence. Black Lives Matter. We are committed to...

06/03/2020

Mark Bradford is an African American artist who lives and works in Los Angeles known for his grid-like abstract paintings combining collage with paint. Art critic Maxwell Heller describes one of his mural installations as calling “to mind the charred and shattered windshields of cars burned in riots—black, webbed with streaks of light, sleek. If studied section by section, it offers traces of the artist's sensual, tactile process, revealing delicate layers of found material sliced and sanded, lacquered and pasted until transformed.”

05/30/2020

Rediscovering Black Portraiture through the Getty Museum Challenge

We loved reading this article!
“Once you’ve put yourself in a painting,” he said, “you view it very differently.”

https://blogs.getty.edu/iris/rediscovering-black-portraiture-through-the-getty-museum-challenge/

Rediscovering Black Portraiture through the Getty Museum Challenge

05/22/2020

A HUGE congratulations to our amazing senior Student Assistants and Art Ambassadors! We are so grateful for all your hard work and wish you all the best. We’re going to miss you but can’t wait to see all the amazing things you do in the world.

Haley Teves - Lead Student Art Ambassador and Student Assistant, TV Writing and Production
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Claire Treu - Student Assistant, Peace Studies
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Alyson Brandes - Student Art Ambassador, Art History

05/21/2020

Virtual Art/Dog Walk - Explore Chapman's outdoor sculpture collection from home

The Virtual Art/Dog Walk is now available!
https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/05/21/virtual-art-dog-walk/

Are you looking for a fun at-home activity to do with your four-legged friend(s)? Join the Escalette Collection on a Virtual Art/Dog Walk of Chapman’s outdoor sculpture collection! After the success of our inaugural Art/Dog Walk last semester, the Escalette Collection plans to host one Art/Dog Wal...

05/19/2020

Chapman Pets

Join the Chapman Pets event this Thursday, May 21st from 12:00-12:30 to play fun games on Zoom and see the launch of Rerun's Virtual Art/Dog Walk!

https://events.chapman.edu/80840

Thursday, May 21, 2020, 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m., Online

05/18/2020

Celebrate #internationalmuseumday by visiting one of our digital exhibitions!

https://blogs.chapman.edu/collections/2020/03/17/museum-from-home/

05/15/2020

It’s Friday... which means more Escalette #betweenartandquarantine creations! 🎉
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Featured Images:
Vladamir Mother of God Russian Icon
Black/Green #3 by Edith Baumann
Untitled by Jorge Isordia

05/14/2020

Virtual Art/Dog Walk coming soon...