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RELEASED: May 29, 2003
DANVILLE, KY—A Centre College alumna recently donated more than 250 pieces of early American glass to the college.
A Danville native and a member of Centre's class of 1950, Nancy Hensley Amos and her late husband, Ralph, shared a passion for glass and built the extensive collection over a period of years.
According to Richard Trollinger, Centre's vice president for college relations, the collection has an appraised value in excess of a quarter of a million dollars.
"We're deeply grateful to Nancy Hensley Amos for offering this outstanding collection of glass to her alma mater," Trollinger said. "While the monetary value of this collection makes it a substantial gift, it's the beauty of the individual pieces that will do most to enrich the campus community."
Knowing that Centre has an acclaimed hot glass program and an extensive collection of art housed in its Norton Center for the Arts, Amos decided to offer the collection to the college instead of placing it in an art museum. She was especially pleased to learn of the interest of renowned glass artist and Centre professor Stephen Powell in using the Amos Collection as a teaching resource, Trollinger said.
"The collection has historical significance," Powell said. "It documents some of the leading glass makers of that period. We can show students some of the different techniques displayed in the collection."
Powell and graduate assistant D.H. McNabb accompanied Trollinger to Amos' home in Richmond, Va., to transport the collection back to campus in March.
The Ralph and Nancy Hensley Amos Collection will be permanently housed in the Norton Center although it's anticipated that pieces from the collection will be displayed in the college's Jones Visual Arts Center as well.
Though no decisions have been made, Powell would like to see some of the glass pieces put in a study cabinet in the JVAC on a rotating basis.
"It will inspire students to explore early American glass," Powell said. "We'll be able to show the real works instead of what's in books."
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Communications Office
Centre College
600 W. Walnut Street
Danville, KY 40422
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