Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery Capital Campaign
Since 1957, the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery has showcased and shared the art of Birger Sandzén and his contemporaries as well as local, regional and nationally recognized guest artists and group exhibitions with the public. This campaign celebrates the our 50-year jubilee and will enable us to:
Extend the creative and cultural influence of the Gallery through outreach and education,
Enlarge exhibition offerings and collections through conservation and acquisition, and
Enhance the presentation of our collections through building renovations and exterior improvements.
(Larry Griffis, Ruth Browne, Stacy Parkinson, and Al Tikwart enjoy an evening reception in September.)
Today, as the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery enters the second half of a century, your support for the campaign will not only preserve the legacy of great artists and artistry, but it will help connect future generations with the inspirational works of Sandzén and many of his contemporaries.
Current Status (as of 9/30/2009)
To date, the Gallery has gathered $1,280,453 toward the goals of the campaign.
Honorary Chairs: Governor Mark and Stacy Parkinson
Campaign Chair: Randee Koger
Campaign Director: Clay Myers-Bowman
What Others are Saying...
"Like many who grew up in Lindsborg, there has always been a presence of Birger Sandzén in my life. My parents and grandmother had Sandzén prints in their homes. My grandmother, Albertha Sundstrom, remembered Dr. Sandzén quite well. She often talked about the times she attended his art lectures and, as a benefit, received a print from him. My childhood home was just one block from the Birger Sandzén Memorial Gallery, and I frequently went to exhibitions at the Gallery. For me, Birger Sandzén’s legacy was a continuing legacy that engendered an appreciation of the fine arts in one’s life, and for that, I will be forever grateful."
Bruce Karstadt, President/CEO, The American-Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, Minn.
“Birger Sandzén was a unique phenomenon in the story/history of Midwestern Art. Sandzén is the area's sole representative of Modernism in the early twentieth century, combining the innovations of Vincent Van Gogh with the brilliant coloristic contributions of Matisse and the Fauves. The landscapes he created of the Midwest are magnificent, as were those he painted in both Colorado and Utah where he also taught, and where he passed on the impact of Modernism during the 1920’s.”
Dr. William Gerdts, Senior Advisor in American Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts