CERAMICS	DRAWINGS	MIXED MEDIA
PAINTINGS	PRINTS	SCULPTURES

As one of the members of the art department faculty who has been here throughout the twenty-five year history of this collection, I volunteered to develop some documentation and a commentary about each of these ten works and the artists who produced them. The documentary effort revealed some gaps, such as the dates when some pieces were created, which we now know need further research at a later date. It is however, objectively verifiable information. The commentaries and interpretive remarks, however, are largely subjective and I hasten to say that they do not represent any "official" view of either this institution as a whole or even of the department in particular. They are my own.

Unlike a mathematical equation or logical proposition, there is no such thing as a "correct way to interpret a work of art. Somewhat as with a written musical score, interpretations will vary widely between each performer/viewer. Most artists trust, respect and even encourage such a variety of individual responses. One of the social functions of art, one of the important reasons a collection such as this belongs in a public place, is that it provides a catalyst for dialogue among the members of its audience, an opportunity for an exchange for an exchange of feelings and ideas which seldom emerge otherwise, except from lovers and mystics. Contrary to the obsessions of the "information age," art has a refreshing lack of information to convey; instead, it has moods to evoke, dreams to recall and self-exploration to promote. My hope is that these brief sketches in which I attempt to share some of my interactions with these objects will give others the courage to explore and share their own.

If the function of works or art is not the dissemination of information, do they have any place in an educational institution? John Dewey pointed out long ago that the "art" is not in the object but in one's experience of it. He felt the same way about learning and was one of the first to insist that a book or lecture is not an instrument of education unless it participates in a learning experience. Similarly, an artist has not completed his or her work until a viewer brings toward it a certain kind of contextual knowledge, wonder, curiosity and eager expectation. Actor/art collector Vincent Price reversed a conventional cliche and insisted: "I like what I know." I hope that you will find in these pages a few bits of contextual information that will contribute to some enriching experiences as you encounter the works in this collection. Many people have labored long to create and to gather together these opportunities for you and your students to have unique experiences.

Nixson Borah
Professor of Art, Fullerton College

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Fullerton College
Permanent Art Collection
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Fall 1999