Curating Contemporary Art
A collaboration with bay area collector Chuck Betlach
Mitch Grieb
By Tobias Wofford
In the fall of 2014, a unique exhibition curated by students in the Department of Art and Art History opened on the 3rd Floor Gallery of the Orradre Library. “Interrupting Entropy: Selections from the Betlach Collection,” explored the concept of “entropy”: the theory that everything in the universe is gradually declining toward disorder and a state of inert uniformity. The exhibition featured a diverse collection of work by seventeen world-renowned contemporary artists who, through various aesthetic and conceptual forms, capture the ebb and flow of the underlying forces that drive the universe toward decay and chaos. The exhibition resulted from a partnership with Bay Area collector, Dr. Charles (Chuck) Betlach II, who generously provided access to his extensive collection of contemporary art. Using Chuck’s collection, art history students designed a truly exceptional exhibition during a unique course that combined art history and hands-on professional training.