No matter where you are in Peninsula College’s Maier Hall, you are just steps away from experiencing unique works of art created by artists who are living and working in the Pacific Northwest.

This new art collection, which features 35 pieces of art by 22 artists, will be dedicated at 1 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17, in a public ceremony open to all who would like to attend and join in celebrating the Maier Hall Art Collection, part of the State of Washington’s Art in Public Places Program. The formal dedication ceremony will take place in Maier Performance Hall.

PC President Dr. Luke Robins will open the dedication ceremonies and will be joined by Michael Sweeney, Washington State Program Manager for Art in Public Places, and artist and curator Esther Luttikhuizen, who curated the permanent collection.

The ceremony will be followed by refreshments in the Maier Hall lobby. Brochures describing each of the art works will be available for those who wish to know more about the artists and their work as they take self-guided tours.

“The 35 pieces of art in the Maier Hall Collection represent a wide range of artistic styles and themes,” says PC President Dr. Luke Robins. “We want people to come to view the collection and to stay awhile and enjoy the variety of artists that are represented. Each of the pieces was selected with an eye toward creating a stimulating cultural and learning environment for our students and the public.

“Some of the pieces will make you smile, while others are provocative and thought-provoking and will make you ask questions. Whatever your reaction, we hope everyone in the community will take an opportunity to stop by and see the impact Art in Public Places can have and how energizing it can be in the spaces where we study and work and meet together,” Dr. Robins says.

The Collection was selected by a committee of representatives from all divisions of Peninsula College, who participated as part of an Arts Committee to select the final works in the collection. The art was chosen based on several criteria that were established by the committee, which wanted each piece to have a Northwest emphasis, be by emerging or newer artists, provide variety and diversity, reflect Peninsula College curriculum, be inspiring and complex, expand horizons and push boundaries, and provide color and contrast through a variety of mediums. The total cost, including framing and installation, was about $70,000.

The purchase of the art was funded by the State of Washington’s Art in Public Places Program, which was established in 1974 by the Washington State Legislature. The intent was to set aside ½ of one percent of the state’s portion of construction costs of State-funded buildings to provide for the acquisition of art for K-12 public schools, colleges, universities, and state agencies.

Peninsula College also has several other pieces of art funded by the Art in Public Places program throughout the campus. One of the more visible pieces, “The Commons,” is an art and water feature located on the commons area behind the Pirate Union Building and close to Keegan Hall.