Professor Emeritus Don Crouch and Nancy Crouch will have selections from their private collection on display August 19 through September 20 at the Western Illinois University Art Gallery.  A reception will be held Tuesday, August 27, 4:30-6:00 p.m. The Crouchs will speak about the collection at 5:00 pm.

I became a collector at age 12 in New Mexico finding pottery and arrowheads on my dad’s ranch. As a nineteen-year-old freshman in college, I started buying prints and paintings from fellow students and faculty. About this time, I began bringing Pre-Columbian art out of Mexico. All these early collecting activities cemented my love of Indigenous art of the Americas. 

At Iowa, I started collecting Mauricio Lasansky and bought my first David Hockney who taught at the University in the summer of 1965 on his way to California. 

The important aspect of collecting art is that it makes your life richer. It is a deep passion. A soulful expression. A collection says as much about the collector as it does about the subjects collected. Collecting is a restless pursuit, a great love, and as in love has ups and downs. It has given me more meaning and purpose to my life as an artist. In my studio, to be surrounded by great works of art offers a great amount of inspiration and motivation. To be successful, a collector must have a good eye and understanding knowledge of the subject. 

Nancy and I feel that it is important to share the art and hope that you enjoy the experience. 

-Don Crouch

Image: Anya (detail), Julie Mahoney, oil on canvas, 56x45 in.