Promised Gift of Vikki Hughes and Price Johnson
A highly festive mood prevailed on the evening of Thursday, October 11, 2012, when members of the Oxford community and University leaders gathered for the Museum’s annual Members’ Party, which celebrated recent gifts of artwork to the Museum’s permanent collection. Newly arrived Museum Director, Robert Saarnio, and Museum staff were on hand to greet guests. The evening showcased the exhibition, Gifted Visions: Recent Gifts to the Permanent Collection. The exhibit featured work by acclaimed artists such as Mary T. Smith, Alyne Harris, Andrew Bucci, Marie Hull, Glennray Tutor, and William Dunlap.
“From its inception, the University of Mississippi Museum and Historic Houses have flourished due to the generous support of the Oxford community and individuals wishing to share their private collections with a larger audience,” said Emily Dean, Curator of Education. “These recent gifts are a tremendous addition to our permanent collection, which will be an invaluable resource for learners of all ages for years to come.”
The donors of art included:
Louis E. Dollarhide and
Betty Z. Harrington, Elizabeth Dollarhide,
John Z. Dollarhide, Louis E. Dollarhide III, Martha C. Dollarhide, David K. Dollarhide, Donna H. Vinson, Vikki Hughes and Price Johnson, A.C. Brown, William Dunlap, UM Chancellor and Mrs. Dan Jones, and Ray Meifert.
“I’m excited to have the Membership Party as my first significant opportunity to acknowledge to museum supporters my great joy in assuming this wonderful position at a most remarkable museum,” Saarnio said. “This celebration of the Museum’s community, and our donors and members, is an annual expression of something we feel every day—immense gratitude to those who transform the University Museum through gifts to the collection and by sustaining us with their membership pledges.”
The UM Museum is indebted to the generosity and continued support of our patrons and donors who believe in the Museum’s mission. We hope you will join us at the next Annual Membership Party in the fall.