March 25, 1998 Museum of Art Contact Heather Brown (541) 346-0942 or John R. Crosiar 346-3135 EUGENE--In recognition of the fundamental role that the act of giving plays in the development of museum collections, the University of Oregon Museum of Art will present several of the newest additions to its collection in "The Art of Giving: Recent Acquisitions." Opening Wednesday, April 1, the exhibition reflects the tradition of generosity by patrons of the museum whose very founding stems from a gift of Asian art by Gertrude Bass Warner in 1922. Continuing through April 26, this exquisitely installed exhibition primarily will feature works of Asian and Northwest art--the mainstay of the museum's renowned collection of the arts of the Pacific Rim. It consists of works of art added in the last five years through gifts and endowment purchases. Among Asian objects on view will be: * A broad range of ceramics from China, Japan and Southeast Asia from the Ferster Bequest, given to the museum by Dr. Geoffery Ferster of Minneapolis, Minn., from the estate of his father, Reuben Ferster; * Two exquisite Japanese Edo-period (1600-1868) screens from Dr. Robert Shiomi of Portland; * A rare horsehair Korean scholar's hat and liner from Portlanders Robert and Sandra Mattielli; * Korean ceramics given by Eugene resident Kyung Sook Gregor; and * Two Korean Choson-period rank badges and an eighth-century Tang Dynasty ceramic camel, recently purchased at the Asian Artfair in New York for the UO Museum of Art's Asian art collection. Northwest art on view includes a number of prints, paintings and photographs by contemporary artists. Among selected works will be: * Prints by Northwest artists George Johanson, Lucinda Parker and Jack Portland from the Fountain Associates, Portland; * A print by the Japanese artist Koichi Yamamoto given in memory of Charles Pressman by Michael Foster of Astoria; * A historical painting by Portland painter Eliza Barchus from California resident, Howard Zellman; * A contemporary landscape painting by Michael Gibbon given by museum board member Antoinette and Sen. Mark Hatfield; * Two figurative paintings by Oregonian Rick Bartow acquired through the support of the Virginia Haseltine Endowment; and * Two historical photographs by Lewis Hine, given to the museum by New York residents Nina and Lisa Rosenblum. In addition, other recent acquisitions will be highlighted throughout the museum. Included among these are Chinese funerary tomb figures and an unusual 18th-century Qing Dynasty hardstone carving depicting the Daoist goddess "Queen Mother of the West." Lawrence Fong, UO Museum of Art associate director, and Charles Lachman, curator of Asian art, co-organized the exhibition. They believe that it reflects the diversity of the museum's collections. "This exhibition underscores the extent to which the museum relies upon the generosity of its supporters in continuing the development of its holdings and the growth of the museum's collections," Lachman says. An opening reception for the exhibition is scheduled in conjunction with the MusEvening! from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1. Music by Craig Einhorn and a tour of the collection at 7 p.m. are planned for the museum's special guests during the Eugene Weekly Singles Night. The event is open to the public, with a $2 suggested admission donation. Accessible to people with disabilities, the UO Museum of Art is located on campus on the Memorial Quad near the Knight Library. It is open from noon-8 p.m. Wednesday and noon-5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission donation is $3, but MusEvenings! programs are generally free from 5-8 p.m. Wednesdays. The UO Museum of Art is a nationally accredited, state supported non-profit institution. The museum's 1997-98 exhibitions and programs are supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information about the "Art of Giving" exhibition and other activities, call (541) 346-3027. A taped message about current museum exhibitions and events also is available 24 hours a day by calling GuardLine from a Touch-Tone phone at 485-2000, ext. 5665, or visit the UO Museum of Art's Internet website at <http://uoma.uoregon.edu>. -30- #P-2167/A&E