Farwest Steel Gives $1 Million to University of Oregon Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art; Eugene-Based Company Supports Korean Art Exhibitions and Programming

Business Wire, June 13, 2005

EUGENE, Ore. -- Farwest Steel has made a $1 million gift to support Korean art at the University of Oregon's Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.

The gift results from a strong commitment by company co-owners Wan Koo Huh and Dick Jones to give back to their communities to enhance cultural and educational opportunities.

"Farwest Steel was motivated to make this gift by a strong desire to contribute to the advancement of the University of Oregon by supporting the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art," says Jack Clark, president and CEO of Farwest Steel. "We are thrilled to support an organization that is an important resource for both the university and the community and that enhances the lives of those who live in or visit this area."

Farwest Steel's gift enables the company not only to support its home community but also to honor the Huh family's Korean heritage. Based in Seoul, Korea, the Huh family has many longstanding business and social ties to the Eugene area and considers it their second home.

The gift will support increased programming, exhibitions, publications and student internships relating to Korean art.

"Farwest Steel's support will enable us to install interesting and innovative exhibitions on a regular basis that will be a distinctive part of the museum's identity," says Charles Lachman, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's curator of Asian art. "This gift also will establish student internships that will provide first-hand opportunities for students to work with objects in the collection and gain experience planning and installing exhibitions."

The funds will allow the museum to bring prominent artists and scholars of Korean art to the museum for a series of annual lectures. Farwest Steel's gift also will support a series of publications highlighting works from the museum's collection.

"This generous contribution will enable us to build upon the strength of our Korean collection and fulfill our mission to bridge international cultures," says museum director David Turner. "Continued growth of our Korean collection and programming will provide visitors with an opportunity to deepen their understanding and appreciation for the unique art and culture of Korea."

Farwest Steel's gift is a contribution to Campaign Oregon: Transforming Lives, the University of Oregon's $600 million fund-raising initiative.

In 2002, the family of Wan Koo Huh and his wife, Young Ja, gave a major gift to the university's art museum to establish a wing for Korean art in the couple's honor. The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's Huh Wing and Jin Joo Gallery are the only university museum galleries in the United States specifically designated to exhibit Korean art.

Two well-known Korean art scholars, Kumja Paik Kim, curator of Korean art at the San Francisco Asian Art Museum, and Yoon Se Young, director of the Korea University Museum, have praised the strength of the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art's growing collection of Korean art.

The museum's collection includes examples of many different media including painting, ceramics, metalwork and textiles. Objects include items from the first century to contemporary artworks.

Established in 1956, Eugene-based Farwest Steel has become one of the largest steel service centers on the West Coast. With nine locations in the Northwest and more than 400 employees, the company specializes in the distribution of carbon steel products and the fabrication of reinforcing steel.

The Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art reopened in January 2005 after completion of a major renovation and expansion project that nearly doubled the size of the building. The Huh Wing and Jin Joo Gallery were introduced upon reopening and currently feature "True Views: Traditions of Korean Painting." The exhibition, funded by a grant from the Korea Foundation, includes the 19th century screen "Scholar's Accouterments," recently given to the museum by the Huh family.

For more information about the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, contact Katie Sproles, public relations and marketing coordinator, at 541-346-0942.

LINKS:

Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, http://jsma.uoregon.edu

Online media kit, including fact sheet and images: http://waddle.uoregon.edu/?id=357