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Posters Represent 20-Year History of Turner Gallery

There’s a certain delight in looking back at how far we’ve come—and the steps we took along the way. The Janet Turner Gallery turns a comely 20 this year; to celebrate, the gallery presents its history as seen through past exhibition posters.

The word “poster” is used loosely—those first exhibitions in the early ‘80s were announced with all the charm of press-on letters, slightly crooked, off-center, photocopied on small flyers, but with a noble goal: to share the beauty and diversity of the Janet Turner Collection, the only one of its kind in the entire CSU system.

The collection was generously donated by long-time art faculty member and internationally known printmaker, the late Dr. Janet Turner. The gallery was created with funding from the Alumni Association.

In the 1990s, the posters became more sophisticated, said curator Catherine Sullivan, who joined the gallery in 1993. “We’ve had graphic design students create posters, as well as Denise Devine, our collection manager and museum graphic designer,” said Sullivan. More important to Sullivan, though, is the rich history the posters represent. “People don’t realize how long we’ve been in existence. Since 1981 we’ve done seven shows a year, and we still haven’t shown the entire collection!” she said.

The gallery has long outgrown its cozy nest above Laxson Auditorium. Last year, the Janet Turner Board began fundraising efforts for the renovation of Colusa Hall, future home of the Janet Turner Gallery. The board and community volunteers have so far raised $250,000 of the $920,000 needed for the project.

Celebrating Ourselves runs until Feb. 10. See Exhibitions for gallery hours.

Lisa Kirk