The Art Collection at the NC Vet School

Collection Catalog

This week I received a catalog of the permanent art collection at the Terry Center, which is a large, state-of-the-art companion animal clinical facility at the North Carolina State Veterinary School in Raleigh.  

Here's my accidental connection. . .

"In early 2011, with the Terry Center scheduled to open in May of that year, the need for art came to the attention of the North Carolina Veterinary Medical Foundation Board of Directors. The [board] is an advisory and advocacy group that attracts support for the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. The Board received permission to assume the task of acquiring art for the building and quickly created an Art Committee to direct the project.

The mission of the committee was to place in the hospital quality, animal-themed art that would compliment the building, enhance the experiences o both clientele and the staff, and celebrate the animal-human bond. Every piece was given to the Foundation. Each piece was reviewed and approved by the Art Committee before inclusion in the collection."

Around this time I was contacted by an artist friend who was familiar with the vet school project and who suggested I submit a series of my images of farm animals.  She provided the contact person's name and email address, but no other submission details. My work at that time consisted primarily of rural landscapes.  Any images of animals I had consisted mainly of larger farm animals such as cows and horses, and perhaps a goat or two!  From those, I submitted four images for the jury process.

Several weeks later I was contacted by Susan Ward, who was then the foundation board president.  She explained that the work was being curated for the new companion animal facility and hoped I had some companion animal (i.e., cat or dog) images I would like to submit, as they liked my work.  Disappointedly, I told Susan I had none to submit and, after polite goodbyes, the conversation ended.  I mentally wrote off the project!

Several months later I received another phone call from the foundation - this time to let me know one of my submitted images, "Art on the Farm", had been selected for inclusion in the collection.  I was floored. First, because the image was of a "cow" and most importantly, the "cow" was constructed from an old oil tank and assorted metal parts.

The foundation person explained that the new facility would overlook the dairy operation that operates on the vet school property.  The art committee thought the image to be the perfect piece to hang beside a  window overlooking the barns and pastures!

So out of the sixty-five pieces in the collection, mine is the only one not featuring a dog or cat.  The 24 " x 24" stretched canvas piece is in place and indeed complements the view of the real cows.

I was (and am still) pleased to be a part of this wonderful collection of art.

Maybe the next time I'll better research an application process beforehand.  But then again, maybe not.


lane watson | the backroads studio | almost spring 2014