CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION OFFERS VISUAL TREASURE
AT THE ALFOND INN AT ROLLINS COLLEGE
New Hotel to House Contemporary Collection of Art with More than 100 Donated Pieces from Longtime Rollins College Supporters Barbara and Ted Alfond
Winter Park, Fla. – In an effort to embody the values of a liberal arts education through the use of 21st century art, longtime donors and alumni Barbara and Ted Alfond (both ’68) have established The Alfond Collection of Contemporary Art for Rollins College. The 100-plus piece collection, which was exclusively chosen with the College museum in mind and has not been shown elsewhere, will be displayed throughout the public areas at The Alfond Inn at Rollins College. Located one block from the College, the 100,000-square-foot boutique hotel opens in August.
The exhibit will contain paintings, photographs, sculptures and alternative visual forms — representing a substantial grouping of established and emerging artists working in the United States and abroad. The Cornell Fine Arts Museum at Rollins is the permanent recipient of the collection; the artwork will be exhibited on a rotating basis at The Alfond Inn.
Barbara and Ted Alfond are avid and knowledgeable art collectors, and Barbara serves on the board of trustees at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The couple amassed the artwork with the assistance of independent Boston-based curator Abigail Ross Goodman.
“Both Ted and I credit our formative years at Rollins College with helping us foster curiosity and respect for differences, as well as expanding our global perspectives,” said Barbara Alfond. “This collection demonstrates our coming full circle — sharing and celebrating the transformative experience that a liberal education offers.”
A number of pieces in the collection are text-based, paying homage to the importance of language and global diversity. Each is intended to prompt viewers to better understand the world, opening their eyes to different perspectives and conflicting or opposite points of view.
Among the 57 artists are Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Tracey Emin, Lalla Essaydi, Teresita Fernández, Joseph Kosuth, An-My Lê, Maya Lin, Jaume Plensa, Martha Rosler, Haim Steinbach, Lawrence Weiner and Jack Whitten.
Barbara and Ted Alfond have dedicated much of their philanthropic effort to enriching the experience of others through art,” said Ena Heller, the Bruce A. Beal director of the Cornell Fine Arts Museum. “They provide support to teaching museums and believe that art is an essential part of our ongoing education. At Rollins College, this commitment is especially personal because it is the site of their own intellectual awakening. This collection makes the Cornell a home for important 21st-century art and will provide a transformative experience for all visitors.”
The Alfond’s art gift to Rollins College complements the $12.5 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation to construct The Alfond Inn. That donation was structured to create a permanently endowed fund from the Inn’s revenues, which will provide student scholarships. Net operating income will be directed to the fund over the next 25 years or until the endowment principal reaches $50 million, whichever comes later.