Permanent Collection

Great colleges are homes for great works of art. The two are connected inexorably for good reasons. This connection is especially important at Roanoke College.  

Roanoke’s permanent art collection is one of the most important symbols of palpable creativity, and creativity is one of our highest values for educating students and serving society. The liberal arts and sciences at Roanoke aim to educate students for citizenship and living a good life. An important part of that good life is the ability to appreciate truth and beauty.

Someone once described a liberal arts education as a means for making our own heads interesting places to be. The art collection at Roanoke is one of our best ways to help students reach that lofty goal.  

Our collection enables a daily encounter with the arts, opening us to what is challenging and beautiful. At Roanoke, we especially value our permanent art collection and its careful placement for students, faculty, staff and guests.

We want our entire community to experience art as we wander about campus. Framed artwork hangs from the walls of the dining hall and the student center, and fill corridors and galleries elsewhere on campus. Sculptures are found on the grounds of the campus in places that cause us to pause and reflect. Our Permanent Collection is found in academic buildings and in administrative areas. Art is everywhere on the Roanoke College campus, from the Georgian and Collegiate Gothic architecture, to the manicured grounds, to the focus of this book.  

The artwork in our Permanent Collection takes a stunning campus and makes it more so. 

My wife, Terri and I have worked to exhibit a small portion of the College collection in the President’s Home. It is a way to share College works of art with guests and students in the comfort of a home. It makes the home a more interesting place in the same way that art makes our campus a more interesting place.

Roanoke College is blessed to have acquired an exceptional collection of art. It has been the fruit of the work of many people over the years. The collection is the living expression of our belief that encounters with art enrich daily living and that daily living deserves art. Those are our noble pursuits. 

Our architecture and grounds set a tone for the pursuits of students, faculty and staff. In the same way, finding art treasures across the campus sets an uplifting, challenging and inspiring tone that resonates every day at Roanoke College. 

I offer my heartfelt thanks to those whose wisdom, concern and appreciation for aesthetics made this collection possible. Our collection did not happen by accident. On the contrary, it happened because people love the arts, the College, and what Roanoke College does to prepare students in their search for deeper meaning in their lives. 

It is our sincere hope that this work makes our Permanent Collection even more accessible and inspirational.  We are pleased to share with you highlights of the collection in this book. Consider it an invitation to visit campus and revel in the art collection of Roanoke College. 

MICHAEL C. MAXEY PRESIDENT, ROANOKE COLLEGE