CONWAY, Ark. (November 15, 2013) – More than 150
museum-quality African artwork are now part of the permanent art collection at
Hendrix College.
The exhibit was donated by the family of the late Rev. Jon
Guthrie, a 1956 Hendrix graduate. The artwork was on long-term loan to the
College from the early 1990s until Rev. Guthrie’s death in 2012.
Rev. Guthrie served as Hendrix Chaplain from 1969 until
1996. Following his retirement, he served as special advisor to the president
from 2002 until his death in November 2012.
Guthrie collected artwork from French-speaking Africa
during his service as a United Methodist missionary. His missionary work began
in 1959 when Zaire, then known as Belgian Congo, declared its independence.
“Jon’s years as a United Methodist missionary in Zaire
influenced his view of the world and stimulated his love of art,” said Hendrix
Chaplain Rev. J. Wayne Clark.
The exhibit includes drums carved in the likenesses of
tribal chiefs, ebony water jars, thumb pianos, and wooden relief sculptures
recounting an African version of the Last Supper. Many pieces in the collection
were made by local artists Guthrie knew personally.
A brief ceremony recognizing the gift and honoring the Rev.
Guthrie’s memory is scheduled at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 19 in the Mills
Library on the Hendrix campus.
The African art exhibit is on display in Mills Library in
the Mills Social Sciences Center. The exhibit is open to the public when Mills
Library is not reserved.
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged
liberal arts and sciences education. For the sixth consecutive year, Hendrix
was named one of the country’s “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. Hendrix is featured in the latest edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change
the Way You Think about Colleges,
as well as the 2014 Princeton Review’s The Best 378 Colleges, Forbes magazine's list of America's Top Colleges, and
the 2014 Fiske Guide to Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United
Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.