Anniversary weekend for museum

By Andrea Ragni

An artistic anniversary is being celebrated this weekend at the de Saisset Museum. The on-campus art museum was founded in 1955 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend. De Saisset has a rich culture and is currently one of two museums in the South Bay that is accredited by the distinguished American Association of Museums, which is rare honor for a university museum.

According to the museum's mission statement, it "supports Santa Clara University's goal of educating the whole person through a diverse and accessible range of exhibitions- that highlight the art and history of the San Francisco Bay Area and the local Santa Clara Valley."

This mission is exemplified in the museum's devotion to integrating art into education.

The existence of de Saisset is due to the efforts of Isabel de Saisset, who was a member of a pioneer San Jose family. De Saisset prompted the president and the board of trustees of the former Santa Clara College to build the museum to uphold the ideals that she held so dear. De Saisset donated property to help cut the cost of building the museum.

In addition to donating property, de Saisset donated her personal items including her entire collection of paintings, most of which were created by her deceased brother, Ernest. Isabel and Ernest were two of four children. Their father served as the French consular agent in San Jose.

Ernest enrolled in Santa Clara College when he was 16 and stayed for three years. During his education, he studied oil painting among other things. His art pieces were highly regarded, but nevertheless he dropped out of his studies. Ernest eventually traveled back to his roots in France and continued his art studies in Paris at the Academie Julien. Ernest's life and artwork are what prompted the erection of the building. The museum's collection contains 95 of Ernest's original 99 works.

When the current site of the museum opened, the building housed between 100 and 150 collection items. This number is miniscule compared to today's collection of over 10,000 pieces, all of which were donated to the museum by generous individuals.

"The number of works is very sizable for a museum of our size, which is pretty incredible," Director of the de Saisset Rebecca Schapp said.

Schapp added that the museum has some issues with caring for a large amount of items in the collection.

"It's a commitment to care for the collections," she said. "Cleaning, conservation, etc. all cost money, and it's a huge undertaking."

The museum's exhibits change constantly, but include permanent exhibits like the California History gallery. This collection is shown to numerous fourth grade students across the Bay Area as part of their lessons on California history and missions. Tours are led almost daily by adult docents who help them learn about the state's history. But this too takes a considerable amount of time and effort.

The schedule of temporary exhibits is planned as far ahead as 2007, ensuring that the museum will be able to display sought-after collections. But these displays often fail to generate the student interest that patrons of the museum would like.

"In the past 10 years or so, we have made considerable strides within the SCU and surrounding communities," Karen Kienzle, curator of the exhibits and collections, said.

To help engage students in the art world, the museum has aligned itself with the mission statement of the university and works closely with many professors to help bring teaching out of the classroom. Also, the museum has held College Nights to help introduce students to the art world.

"This museum is here for the students," Kienzle said. "Students that attend the university should come, maybe as a break from studying."

Many who work in the museum everyday hope that students come and learn to love art, an interest that they can carry with them into adulthood. Many Santa Clara students work in the museum, which helps to ensure a rich understanding of how a museum runs and the art that is within it.

Sophomore Carly Syke is a new docent on the "Explore with me" program. " As an art history major, I'm really excited to gain hands on experience," she said. "I think the museum is a great resource for students, both academically and culturally."

The next College Night will take place May 19 from 6-10 p.m. It will feature a photo exhibit and there will be free food, entertainment as well as a wide variety of things to explore and do.

Schapp has been at de Saisset museum for over 23 years, and has seen great changes within the museum. One that will be happening in the near future is the transition to a High Density Storage System for all the collections, which will help alleviate some of the hassle of locating works for teaching purposes.

"I envision one day that the university may hopefully relocate or add classrooms onto the existing museum," Schapp said. This would really bring students into the museum to learn firsthand, she said. This is a long-term goal that she hopes one day will be fulfilled.

This Saturday, the museum will be hosting a party in celebration of what it has accomplished. The party will debut an exhibit known as "Faculty Choice," which will showcase Ernest de Saisset's paintings accompanied by captions written by Santa Clara faculty members. This exhibit will be on display through May 31.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free for regular exhibitions and docent tours are available by appointment for groups of 10 or more.

* Contact Andrea Ragni at (408) 554-4546 or aragni@scu.edu.