(MURRAY, Ky.)
— Murray State University’s Department of Art & Design and University Galleries have opened a new exhibit featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Andy Warhol and other renowned artists.
“An Eclectic Eye: A Curated Selection from the Dr. Michael E. Porter and Lana G. Porter Fine Art Collection” is on view through Oct. 26 in the Eagle Upper Gallery in the Price Doyle Fine Arts Center. The exhibit is on loan from Murray State alumna Lana Porter (’65, ’72) and draws from a collection built over the lifetime of her late husband, art collector Dr. Michael Porter (’64, ’69).
The show also includes pieces by Jeff Koons, Alex Katz, Helen Frankenthaler, Robert Rauschenberg, Jim Dine and Elizabeth Murray, spanning painting, prints, sculpture and glasswork across styles including Abstract Expressionism, Modern Art and Pop Art. Admission is free for Murray State students and the public.
T. Michael Martin, Murray State professor of Art & Design and director of University Galleries, said the collection gives students and the community a chance to engage with work that has influenced artists for generations, and that he hopes visitors come away inspired.
A public reception celebrating the exhibit and the Porter family’s generosity is set for 3 p.m. Oct. 16 — the Friday of Homecoming Weekend — in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery, located on the sixth floor of the Price Doyle Fine Arts Center adjoining the Eagle Upper Gallery.
Lana Porter, a 2002 Distinguished Alumna, has been a longtime supporter of Murray State, contributing to the University libraries, the Cyber Center and student scholarships, among other areas. In addition to the temporary exhibit, she recently established the Dr. Michael E. Porter and Lana G. Porter Gallery Fund for Excellence, a permanent endowment supporting student and community access to the fine arts through the University Galleries.
Porter is currently chief operating officer and managing partner of Spektrem Marketing, and CEO and founder of L & M Enterprises. She spent more than 25 years at Ameritech, now AT&T, where she led Ameritech Library Services, at the time the world’s largest software developer for the library industry. She has served on the Murray State Foundation Board of Trustees since 2005, as well as on the University’s Cyber Center National Advisory Board, New Library Task Force and National Campaign Council.
Dr. and Mrs. Porter met as students at Murray State and married before graduating. They later taught in Hopkinsville — Lana in French, Michael in biology — before returning to Murray, where Michael pursued his master’s degree and Lana taught at Benton High School in Marshall County. Michael went on to teach in Murray State’s biology department and earned his doctorate from The Ohio State University in 1977. Lana earned her master’s degree in English from Murray State in 1972 and later an Executive MBA from Ohio State in 1980, following a 25-year career with Ohio Bell Telephone and Ameritech.
Throughout his career, Dr. Porter built a personal art collection reflecting his favorite artists, a small portion of which is now on display in the current exhibit.
University Galleries are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday during the fall semester, though hours may vary. For more information, visit murraystate.edu/art or follow @murraystateart on Instagram. Those interested in supporting the Department of Art & Design or the University Galleries can contact Rebecca Dyer, director of development for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts, at 270-809-3940 or murraystate.edu/giving.
