Hillsdale College Presents Art Exhibition “Story Beautiful”
Hillsdale College continues the 2024-25 Professional Artists Series with an exhibition of contemporary paintings and drawings from the Stewart Collection.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College is holding an exhibition of contemporary realist drawings and paintings from the Stewart Collection, the third installment of its Professional Artists Series for the academic year. Students and community members can visit the exhibit in the Daughtrey Art Gallery through Sunday, March 23.
“These works from the Stewart Collection are some of the best examples of contemporary representational art that cares about traditional skills and craftsmanship.”
“These works from the Stewart Collection are some of the best examples of contemporary representational art that cares about traditional skills and craftsmanship. They tell a very human story using methods that were mostly lost during the second half of the 20th century,” said Julio Suarez, chairman of the Hillsdale College Art Department. “We are grateful to the Stewart family for sharing their collection with the College and the community, and we hope people will come and enjoy the exhibition.”
The exhibition, “Story Beautiful: Selections from the Stewart Collection” features unrefined studies, new master drawings, and oil and tempera paintings across academic traditions that speak to nature’s transcendent beauty and the whimsical joys and tragic sorrows of life. The collection adorns the Stewart family’s 19th-century Italian villa on the campus of Hillsdale College.
Nate Stewart graduated from Hillsdale College in 1995. He and his wife, Diana, moved from Fairfax, Virginia, to Hillsdale with their three children in the summer of 2022. Their collection has evolved over the last fifteen years, but it remains principally focused on supporting living artists from around the world working in the tradition of the old masters. They are moved by paintings and drawings that capture the human spirit and retell some of man’s transcendent story beautifully.
The Daughtry Art Gallery, located in Hillsdale’s Fine Arts Building at 81 East College Street, is open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
For photos of the exhibition, click here. For photos of previous fine arts events at Hillsdale, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.