Through the newly created Brian Sproul Art Endowment, Sproul’s bequest will support services for HSU art students for years to come. The endowment will be used for funding awards for student art, hiring jurors for student exhibitions, bringing accomplished visiting artists to campus, and providing field trips for students to see art outside the local area.
“Brian deeply valued the art community in Arcata, and he recognized that HSU was in a position to help and encourage other artists become part of that community,” said Sproul’s brother, Richard Alwine.
An exhibit showcasing the donated art collection is set to open on Feb. 18 in HSU’s Reese Bullen Gallery. It will provide an opportunity to see Sproul’s work, learn more about this prolific local artist, and honor his memory and life.
“Brian would really have appreciated this opportunity to have his art seen and appreciated. That would mean an awful lot to him,” said Alwine.
Sproul, who passed away last April, was a sculptor and musician, who had to use a wheelchair after being hit by a drunk driver in his early twenties. Over the years he had become a well-known, charismatic figure in Arcata. He turned his home into what he called the Horrible Spiders Gallery, filled with art and the objects he used to create it, including toys, thrift store finds, mannequins, and plastic spiders.
Despite the often-dark imagery in his art, one can see his sense of humor at play. His work shares some basic tenets with what is known as Outsider Art, yet might be more appropriately linked to well-known assemblage artists – providing a rich area of study for HSU art students.
“It’s an extraordinary gift and means a tremendous amount to the Art Department,” said Department Chair Joanne Berke. “We are so grateful to Brian Sproul for remembering HSU with this bequest and to his family in their management of his estate.”
The Art of Brian Sproul
Humboldt State University’s Reese Bullen Gallery
Feb. 19 through March 12.
Free opening reception Feb. 18, 4 – 6 p.m.
Please note: The exhibit features adult themes and may be inappropriate for some viewers.