Rosen siblings Nancy, Debbie and David continue their parents’ legacy of philanthropic investment in the visual arts at App State. Pictured during the tour of sculptures in this year’s Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition are, from left to right, David’s wife, Michelle Rosen; David Rosen; Debbie Rosen Davidson; Nancy Rosen Rosenblatt and her husband, Chuck Rosenblatt. The tour, known as the Rosen Sculpture Walk and typically held outdoors on App State’s Boone campus, took place in the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts this year due to strong rains the day of the event, with competition juror Sam Spiczka leading a guided tour of the 10 competing sculptures via a slideshow presentation. Photo by Kyla Willoughby
BOONE, N.C. — To mark the 40th year of Appalachian State University’s Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition — and in homage to their late parents’ lifelong passion for the visual arts — the Rosen children have made two significant gifts to the university.
Nancy Rosen Rosenblatt and her husband, Chuck Rosenblatt, have made a gift-in-kind to the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts permanent sculpture collection with the purchase of “Braid” by Asheville sculptor Harry McDaniel.
Debbie Rosen Davidson and David Rosen, along with their families, have established The Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Experiential Learning Award, which will fund experiential art education opportunities for App State faculty and staff.
“These generous gifts honor and continue Martin and Doris’ vision for dynamic arts programming on campus, their belief in the importance of art education and their commitment to artists and their work,” said Elizabeth Auer, executive director of arts engagement and cultural resources at App State.
“Braid” — winner of App State’s 39th Martin and Doris Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition — was recently donated to the university’s permanent sculpture collection by Nancy Rosen Rosenblatt and Chuck Rosenblatt. Its creator is Asheville sculptor Harry McDaniel. Photo courtesy of the artist
Bringing contemporary sculpture to the High Country
“Braid,” which is composed of three interlocking strands of aluminum, has been installed in Durham Park near the main entrance of App State’s Boone campus and is visible from Rivers Street. The piece earned first place in the 39th Annual Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Competition and Exhibition.
Established in 1987 by the Rosens, the national juried competition is held each summer as part of An Appalachian Summer Festival, showcasing a diverse field of contemporary American sculpture.
The competition features 10 sculptures, which are exhibited in outdoor, public settings across the university’s Boone campus. Each year, a cash prize is awarded to the artist whose work is chosen as the Rosen Award winner. The recipient is announced during the annual Rosen Sculpture Walk, which attracts visitors and community members alike for a guided tour of the sculptures.
While winning sculptures are traditionally loaned to the university and displayed on campus for one year post-competition, Nancy and Chuck’s gift secures “Braid” for the university’s permanent collection — joining “Hephaestus” by Bruce White, a large commissioned sculpture donated to the permanent collection by Martin and Doris Rosen in 1997.
Investing in continuing education for artists
The Martin and Doris Rosen Outdoor Sculpture Experiential Learning Award, housed in the College of Fine and Applied Arts, will provide funding for App State faculty and staff to pursue off-campus experiential arts education.
By creating support for faculty and staff to participate in formative educational offerings, the award seeks to advance artistic practice and foster the technical skills and creative exploration that contribute to the continued vitality and excellence of outdoor sculpture.
Faculty and staff selected for the award will receive support for educational opportunities, including apprenticeships and residencies with recognized sculptors or artists, and specialized workshops and conferences.
“This award is an exciting opportunity that invests directly in the creativity and professional growth of both our faculty and staff,” said Dr. Shanshan Lou, interim dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts.
She continued, “I am grateful to the Rosen family for providing such meaningful opportunities for our faculty and staff to grow, develop their skills and bring those experiences back to our students and campus. Their generosity reflects a continued commitment to education, artists and the vitality of outdoor sculpture at Appalachian.”
The Rosenblatt family is pictured with the sculpture “Braid” in Durham Park on App State’s Boone campus. Nancy Rosen Rosenblat, second from right, and her husband, Chuck Rosenblatt, far right, purchased “Braid,” created by Asheville sculptor Harry McDaniel, as a gift-in-kind made to App State’s Turchin Center for the Visual Arts permanent sculpture collection. They are pictured with their daughters, Amy Rosenblatt-Wingham, far left, and her husband, Dan Wingham, second from left, and Barbara Rosenblatt. Photo submitted
A generational legacy of support for the visual arts
Martin and Doris played a key role in helping make world-class arts programming a mainstay of cultural life at the university and in the High Country — an undertaking their children have also embraced.
In addition to establishing the eponymous sculpture competition, the Rosens were early patrons of An Appalachian Summer Festival and made significant gifts to the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, in addition to gifts to numerous other areas across the university.
The Rosen siblings have continued their parents’ philanthropic mission through sustained support of the visual arts at App State. Their latest contributions build on a recent $1 million commitment to the university to establish an endowment that will fund the sculpture competition in perpetuity.
In celebration of their parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in 1999, the siblings also established the Martin and Doris Rosen Scholarship for Art, providing financial support to junior and senior art majors.
Beyond the arts
The Rosens also provided foundational funding for App State’s annual summer symposium on the Holocaust. Named for the couple, the symposium aims to encourage dialogue on the Holocaust and equip educators to thoughtfully navigate this difficult subject matter in the classroom.
Following the success of the first symposium, the Rosens made further contributions and rallied other donors to establish the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Peace Studies at App State — a permanent home for the symposium, as well as a campus hub for resources on the Holocaust and Jewish culture and history.
Nancy and Chuck have spearheaded efforts to ensure the center has the financial resources needed to continue growing and supporting scholarship on the Holocaust and Jewish history.
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Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
About the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
Located at 423 W. King St., at the crossroads of campus and community, the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts at Appalachian State University engages visitors in dynamic and accessible exhibition, education, outreach and collection programs. These programs inspire and support a lifelong engagement with the visual arts and create opportunities for participants to learn more about themselves and the world around them. Admission to the center is free. Learn more about the Turchin Center for Visual Arts at https://tcva.appstate.edu/about/visit.
About University Advancement
Appalachian State University’s Division of University Advancement supports and encourages the university’s mission by engaging alumni, friends and the greater community. University Advancement staff help connect these constituents with App State through one-on-one contact and special programming, thereby securing the resources necessary to create the best possible learning environment for App State students and to positively impact the community, region and state. The division incorporates the offices of Alumni Engagement, Development and the Appalachian State University Foundation Inc. Learn more about App State University Advancement at http://give.appstate.edu.
About Appalachian State University
As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, cost-effective education. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts
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