Purdue University Galleries launches new permanent collection website

A new website is now available, thanks to Purdue University Galleries, that contains a completely digitized and searchable permanent collection of the school’s artwork.

Kirstin Gotway, the curator of Purdue University Galleries’ Permanent Collection, was hired two years ago thanks to funding from the 2022 Henry Luce Grant. She is responsible for creating the website with the goal of making the collection accessible to more people. Now, for the first time ever, the university’s permanent collection is searchable by members of the public, which will benefit educators, students, art researchers, and enjoyers of art the world over. Gotway plans to have the website updated regularly as more scholarship is done on the pieces, and showcasing the wide range of artworks within the collection. Before the creation of the website, only 2% of the pieces of art in the permanent collection could be publicly displayed at any one time due to the size of Purdue’s galleries.

In an article posted on the school’s website, Gotway was quoted as saying, “Our galleries’ permanent collection has been an underutilized resource on campus. We hope the launch of the collection’s website will help students and scholars, both on campus and around the world, be able to access our spectacular holdings.” 

The Director and Head Curator of Purdue University Galleries chimed in as well, adding, “Making art accessible and inclusive is a driving motto for Purdue Galleries and digitizing our collections has been a primary goal of mine since taking on the director’s role. I am elated to have all 7,255 objects and object records available online to anyone via our new, bespoke website. I am also very grateful to the Luce Foundation for supporting this project that is so important to fulfilling our mission of sharing our permanent collections with art researchers worldwide.”

Over 6,000 pieces of art from all over the globe are housed in the permanent collection at Purdue University’s Gallery. These pieces range from 21st century American printmaking to ancient Peruvian textiles and more. 

Gotway went on to note, “We are indebted to the Henry Luce Foundation for supporting this project. This new website represents a major step forward in our mission to make art accessible and inclusive and, hopefully, spark a lifelong engagement with artists among Boilermakers and non-Boilermakers past, present and future. We look forward to continuing to add to our collections records and producing first-rate scholarship.” 

Purdue University Galleries offer all of its events and exhibitions for free to the public. Erika Kvam is available for inquiries into class and group visits by phone at 765-494-3061. More information about the galleries can be found at their website or on social media @PurdueGalleries. 

More information about Purdue University can be found at the school’s website here.