Works from the Permanent Collection: Celebrating the Generosity of Donors

Like so many small and medium-sized university art centers, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts relies on the generosity of donors to support the permanent collection which is enjoyed both on and off-campus by students, alumni, staff, and faculty as well as visitors to the center’s galleries. Works from the Permanent Collection: Celebrating the Generosity of Donors showcases both a recent donation by Julia Rothschild Gidney in honor of her parents, Dr. Judith Rice Rothschild and Dr. Gerard Harry Rothschild, as well as the ongoing generosity of long-time donors Peter and Joni Webb Petschauer. 

Since the Turchin Center opened in 2003, the Petschauers have donated nearly 150 artworks to the permanent collection. They continue to support the needs of the storage facilities for the collection, which serves as a teaching tool for both campus and community through the Campus Public Art Program and an annual art exhibition at the McKinney Alumni Center. This class project of the ART 4012 Exhibitions Practicum is taught by Professor Jody Servon. 

Julia Rothschild Gidney grew up in Boone where her mother taught at Appalachian State University for 31 years. The Rothschilds were founding members of the Boone Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, avid travelers and supporters of the arts. Julia donated 11 linoleum, woodblock, and monotype prints on paper by the German Expressionist painter and printmaker, Otto Neumann (1895-1975) which were in her parents’ collection to the Turchin Center in 2023. Neumann was a close relative of the Rothschilds; Julia remembers visiting his home as a young child. Otto Neumann was born in Heidelberg and studied at the Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste in Karlsruhe before completing his studies at the Academia der Bildenden Kunste in Munich.

Because of Hurricane Helene’s effect on the region, recent staffing changes, and the long-planned renovation of the permanent collection storage facilities, the Turchin Center is not accepting donations of artwork at this time. Please contact Senior Curator Mary Anne Redding for more information. Once the donation program resumes, the Turchin Center will gladly accept donations of artwork that meet our regional collection emphasis.  

Selected Artists in the Exhibition Include:

Otto Neumann

Martha Bloom

Susan Mayhew Devine

William (Bill) Dunlap

Sherrie Edwards

Steve Ferguson

Bill Lagattuta

Joe Miller

Margaret (Peggy) Polson

Mary Prather

Ad Reinhardt

Greg Smith

Additional resources

• https://tcva.appstate.edu/art/permanent-collection/
• https://www.peterpetschauer.com/
• https://ottoneumanncollection.com/