Houghton College has recently been gifted the renowned art collection of Ben Frank Moss III, an alumnus of the class of 1958.
According to the Houghton online press release, the 140 paintings by the artist over a span of 40 years “will join the college’s permanent art collection to become its largest survey by a single artist”. As a part of the permanent collection, the pieces will be displayed regularly around Houghton.
Moss also gifted the college an endowment program that will support the Ortlip Gallery here at Houghton, called the Ben Frank and Jean Moss Gallery program. The program, according to the press release, will be “used to create a catalog of the pieces included in the annual invitational exhibition, which will then be added to the college’s permanent art collection.”
Ted Murphy, professor of art, spoke about Moss in an introduction from last year’s gallery event. He said, “His prestigious career of gallery representation and numerous regional, national and international exhibitions has placed Ben among the most admired and
successful painters of his generation”. Moss’ prestigious work all began at Houghton in the 50’s, and was first displayed at Houghton in 1996 in the Wesley Chapel Gallery.
Alicia Taylor-Austin, director of the Ortlip Gallery and assistant professor of art and printmaking, has spent time this past summer framing and matting his work for display. She commented on her admiration of Moss’ work. She said, “Matting and framing much of the work in the current exhibition over the summer was a captivating experience, sitting with the work, alone in the gallery and getting to know it, really moved me in ways I find difficult to put into words. I feel as though I entered the captivating world embodied by the work and I got lost in the beautiful mystery of it all”. Taylor-Austin continued, “Ben is an artist whose work will be important for many generations and his energy, enthusiasm and commitment to his studio practice inspires me to invest deeply in my own.”
The endowment fund, which will support the invitational exhibition each year, is to be named the Annual Ben Frank and Jean Moss Invitational Exhibition. Taylor-Austin, as director of the Ortlip Gallery, commented, “the Moss’s most recent contribution to the department has come to us by bequest of the Artist (the collection of works by Ben Moss) along with completing their contributions to a $100,000 endowment fund.”
Moss and his wife, Jean, have always been very generous to the art department at Houghton. In 1996, they began to give annually to the art department faculty to support their professional development.
Ted Murphy finished his introduction about Ben Frank Moss with a quote from the artist himself. Moss said, “It has been a great career in teaching and painting. I have been very successful in my endeavors. I am grateful to what art has given me, and it was here- here at Houghton College where it all began.” This generous donation is a symbol of the kind of beginnings that all students will cultivate here at Houghton, and an example of what can come from an education that starts at this college.