Jo & Warren Buxton Art Collection
The PVCC college library was renamed in 2011 for retired faculty Dr. Warren Buxton and his wife Jo in appreciation of the Native American and Western art collection they donated to the library in 1989 for permanent display.
The Buxton collection today is estimated to be worth in excess of $400,000. Representing artists spanning the Americas, the collection includes katsinas, pottery, stone and wood figures, beadwork, batik, mixed media, watercolors, oils, etchings, hand-colored and offset lithography, block print, chromolithography, gouache and mateo. Most items represent the time period from 1930 to 1989, although it also includes a parfleche bag from the 1880s, and a corn husk bag from 1910. The couple decided to donate the art to the college when Mrs. Buxton became ill and it became necessary for them to sell the home where they the art had been displayed. She died in 1997.
“We are pleased to name the library after a couple who have contributed so much to PVCC and the entire Maricopa Community College District,” said Library Faculty Shelle Witten. “Warren Buxton gave this gift from their hearts and never asked for recognition. They fell in love with the unique genre of Native American art and craft and wanted to share it beyond the walls of their own home.”
Dr. Buxton was a respected original faculty member who retired from the PVCC Business/IT Division in 1997 after working in the district for nearly 40 years. Following his retirement from PVCC, Dr. Buxton spent five years in the MCCCD Active Retirement Program as curator of the Buxton Collection. He developed a comprehensive database and guide to the collection items and worked with the PVCC librarians to design and implement a cataloging system for each art piece. In 2007, he wrote his autobiography, The Jo and Warren Buxton Art Collection: But Who Were Those Buxtons?
He also purchased and then donated 151 books, valued at $3,775, to the PVCC library to support students’ research needs about indigenous Americans, Native American and Western artists, and the history of the Americas.
Dr. Buxton initially joined the Maricopa Community Colleges as faculty of Phoenix College’s workforce training program, a result of the federal Manpower Development and Training Act of 1963. Data processing was a new discipline, and Dr. Buxton was appointed by the MCCCD’s administrative team to serve concurrently, in 1968 and 1969, as the Director of Data Processing and resident faculty. Dr. Buxton died on December 16, 2018.
Puma Press YouTube video of the dedication event:
Buxton Library Dedication, February 2011
Images from the art collection, artist info, and Buxton biographies:
Buxton Art Collection
Out and About - Campus Art
Stardust:
Stardust was designed by Ana Thiel and acquired by the college in October 2000. According to Thiel, Stardust represents a source of light from which other lights emanate. The source is a circle, the symbol of infinity, and the lights surging from it are reflective spheres. Thiel said the sculpture has seven spheres since seven is considered a powerful number in many belief systems. Stardust is located in the fountain at the center of the M Building courtyard.
|
Mirror Image: Mirror Image was designed by Alan Hochman and installed in August 2003. This water feature sculpture is made of Desert Gold Travertine. Water bubbles out the top and flows down the stone into a shallow pool. Hochman states on his website (www.stoneandwater.com) that his vision is "bringing life to the inert stones and giving voice and movement to the water." Mirror Image is located in the courtyard between G and K Buildings.
|
||
Gateway to a Life-Long Journey of Learning
This sculpture was designed by Jane Kelsey-Mapel and installed in April-May 2006. Faculty member David Bradley was instrumental in the acquisition of the sculpture and worked closely with the artist. According to Bradley, the 12-foot tall horse represents the educational journey, and the 7-foot gateway under its belly represents the threshold learners cross on that journey. Kelsey-Mapel, along with Bradley and PVCC art students, spent several weeks installing and completing the sculpture. Gateway to a Life-long Journey of Learning is located on the south plaza of the Center for Performing Arts.
Unnamed Sculpture:
The sculpture at the center of the campus represents the educational process, moving from basic knowledge to complex ideas. The sculpture base includes three simple shapes: circle, triangle, and square. Ascending the sculpture, these basic shapes are transformed into more complex forms: the ellipse, parallelogram, and isosceles triangle. Similarly, through education, an individual is continually transformed: growing, changing and understanding more complex ideas and thoughts.
The sculpture is unnamed and was designed by Bob Watkins of the DLR Group (formerly Lescher & Mahoney). Lescher & Mahoney were the initial master planners for the first phase of the campus.
Lescher & Mahoney knew they wanted to put some kind of sculpture in the center of the campus, but didn't know exactly what. While designing the campus model, Bob went to a shop to pick up materials for the model. He found some metal tubes there in the three basic shapes (circle, triangle and square) and bought them. As he played with them, Bob realized that cut on a slant they changed shape into more complex forms—reminiscent of the educational process.
Terra Cotta Warriors:
The Terra Cotta Warriors were donated by Lorain and Frank Kadish, and installed in February 2000. These are precisely crafted reproductions of the Terra Cotta Warriors discovered in 1974 near Xian, China, and are depictions of the armies from the Qin Dynasty. The Kadishes worked with faculty member Dr. Gene Rister to arrange for the donation of the statues. The Terra Cotta Warriors are located in the hall at the east end of E Building.