Jaume Plensa
The Hermit XI, 2012
Stainless steel and stone
CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTION OFFERS VISUAL TREASURE AT THE ALFOND INN AT ROLLINS COLLEGE in Winter Park, FL
New Hotel to House Contemporary Collection of Art with More than 100 Donated Pieces from Longtime Rollins College Supporters Barbara and Ted Alfond
Contemporary Art Collection Offers Visual Treasure at the Alfond Inn at Rollins College. Alfond Inn at Rollins presents a special arts day preview for this exhibit at the hotel on Oct. 11. 2013
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.
About Rollins College:Founded in 1885, Rollins College is Florida’s oldest recognized college. Located in Winter Park, near Orlando, Rollins is consistently ranked as the number one regional university in the South by U.S. News & World Report. In addition to full-time undergraduate programs in Arts & Sciences and the College of Professional Studies, Rollins offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs for working adults through its evening program at the Hamilton Holt School and graduate business degree programs through its Crummer Graduate School of Business, which has been ranked a top MBA program by Forbes and Bloomberg Businessweek. Rollins serves approximately 3,300 degree-seeking students annually. For more information, visit www.rollins.edu. “Like” Rollins on Facebook and follow on Twitter @RollinsCollege.
About the Cornell Fine Arts Museum
The Cornell Fine Arts Museum is the only teaching museum with an encyclopedic art collection in the greater Orlando area. Its collection totals over 5,000 objects ranging from antiquity through contemporary, including Old Master paintings and a comprehensive collection of prints, drawings, and photographs. Located on the campus of Rollins College near downtown Winter Park, the Cornell’s public hours are: Tuesday–Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, 12 to 5 p.m. The Cornell Fine Arts Museum is offering FREE ADMISSION to all in celebration of its 35th anniversary. For additional information, please call 407.646.2526 or visit cfam.rollins.edu
About The Alfond Inn:The Alfond Inn, a Preferred Boutique Hotel, is located in Winter Park, Florida. Owned by Rollins College, a private coeducational liberal arts college in Winter Park, The Alfond Inn is being built with a $12.5-million grant from the Harold Alfond Foundation and will open in August 2013. Net operating income from the Inn will be directed to The Alfond Scholars program fund, the College’s premier scholarship fund, over the next 25 years or until the endowment principal reaches $50 million, whichever comes later. The 112-room boutique hotel will offer Hamilton’s Kitchen restaurant, a pool and fitness center, and 10,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The Alfond Inn is poised to become the new hub of dynamic Winter Park. The Alfond Inn is 15 minutes from downtown Orlando and 30 minutes from Walt Disney World and Orlando International Airport. The Alfond Inn is located at 300 East New England Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789. 407-998-8090.

Jaume Plensa, The Hermit XI, 2012 Stainless steel and stone

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