Arlene Schnitzer
Arlene Schnitzer | |
---|---|
Born | Arlene Director January 10, 1929 Salem, Oregon, U.S. |
Died | April 4, 2020 | (aged 91)
Nationality | American |
Spouse | [1] |
Children | 1 |
Arlene Schnitzer (née Director; January 10, 1929 – April 4, 2020) was an American arts patron and philanthropist. She was the founder and director of the Fountain Gallery, established in Portland to showcase artists in the Pacific Northwest. She is the namesake of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, a performing arts center in Portland, Oregon.
Life and career
Schnitzer was born to Simon and Helen (Holtzman) Director in Salem, Oregon, on January 10, 1929.[2] Her parents were Jewish emigrants, her father from Chartoriysk, Russia, and her mother from Warsaw, Poland.[3] She lived in Salem until age two, when her parents moved to Portland, Oregon. The family first lived in the Grant Park neighborhood. Schnitzer attended Fernwood Grammar School.[2] From fourth to seventh grade, she attended Laurelhurst Grammar School. Following another relocation, she attended Multnomah Grammar School, the school from which she graduated.[2] Schnitzer recalled "[growing] up in a retail business"; her parents were the owners of Jennings Furniture Company, a large furniture store.[2]
In 1949, Arlene met and married
Harold and Arlene also funded Jewish studies programs at the University of Oregon and Portland State University.[6] The couple also supported cultural institutions in the San Francisco Bay Area and Palm Springs, California, where they resided part-time.[1]
In 2007, Arlene contributed $5,000 to the Portland Art Center.[8] Harold Schnitzer died in 2011; he and Arlene were married for 62 years.[1][6] In 2013, in memory of her husband, Arlene donated $2.3 million to Portland State University for the construction of a three-story glass tower at Lincoln Hall. Both Arlene and Harold attended high school in Lincoln Hall. Arlene Schnitzer herself died on April 4, 2020, at the age of 91.[9]
Fountain Gallery
Schnitzer founded and directed the Fountain Gallery,[2] together with her mother Helen Director, and a friend Edna Brigham.[10] They established Fountain in Portland to showcase artists in the Pacific Northwest.[4][7] The Fountain has been called Portland's "first serious" art gallery.[11]
Legacy
Schnitzer is the namesake of the
See also
- Director Park, named for Schnitzer's parents
- List of American Jews
References
- ^ ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e "Oral history interview with Arlene Schnitzer, 1985 June 7-8". Archives of American Art. Note: Oral history interview with Arlene Schnitzer, 1985 June 7–8, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
- ^ "History | Director Park | the City of Portland, Oregon". Archived from the original on 2020-08-14. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- ^ ISSN 8750-1317.
- ^ a b "provenance-honor-arlene-schnitzer"-featuring-northwest-artists-opens-jordan "The special exhibition "Provenance: In Honor of Arlene Schnitzer" featuring Northwest artists, opens at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art". Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. May 3, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2013.[permanent dead link]
- ^ ISSN 8750-1317.
- ^ a b Nichols, Kimberly. "Jordan Schnitzer". Art and Living. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
- ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ^ Sabatier, Amelia Templeton | Julie. "Arlene Schnitzer, Oregon Philanthropist And Art Collector, Dies At 91". www.opb.org. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
- ISSN 8750-1317. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
External links
- Image: Harold and Arlene Schnitzer at the dedication of the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine (Ross William Hamilton, The Oregonian, 1984)
- Image: Harold and Arlene Schnitzer Archived 2011-05-01 at the Wayback Machine (The Oregonian, 2011)