LINCOLN COLLECTS

Curatorial Notes
Sponsored by the University of Nebraska—Lincoln’s School of Art, Art History & Design, Lincoln Collects: The Steve Wake Collection was the first in an ongoing series that will showcase works belonging to notable art collectors in the Lincoln area. This show highlighted a sampling of artwork from the private collection of local collector Steve Wake. At the time of this exhibition, Wake was vice chairman (now chairman) of Seward’s Jones Bank.
He joined the bank founded by his grandfather Claudius Jones after serving in Army Intelligence during the Vietnam War era and earning a law degree from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Mr. Wake was a gracious host who welcomed us into his home and his past, as he told story after story about various works that exist across three floors of his home— in every room, including the kitchen, forming an ecosystem where art and life are inseparable. Private collections of this scale are more than decor; they are an investment in culture, memory, and the continuity of human creativity. Each artwork becomes a piece of history that carries the weight of the artist's vision, the time in which it was created, and the potential to influence future generations. An art collection, in this sense, is like assembling a timeline of creative expression—preserving significant moments in time and offering future generations the opportunity to witness, understand, and appreciate the intricacies of those moments. Art collectors, in essence, are custodians of history—curating and safeguarding the visual expressions that define our shared humanity. It was a privilege to work with him and explore his collection.

Anchored by contemporary studio glass, this show highlighted the possibilities and masterful manipulation of glass as a material. Other mediums represented in this exhibition were contemporary ceramics and sculpture, as the three mediums reflect the bulk of Wake’s collection. Together, these works offered but a glimpse into the diversity of Wake’s collection.

Narrowing down a sample and determining who the artists were was no small feat. With an outdated inventory, we did our best to research as much as we could in the time we were allotted. Ultimately, there were titles, medium particulars, years, values, and artists that we were unable to establish. Most of the themes explored in his collection (and in this exhibition) fall under formal abstraction, decoration, functional purpose, and concepts surrounding identity.

Known artists from the exhibition include:

Nicolas Africano (American, b. 1948)
Latchezar Boyadjiev (Bulgarian, b. 1959)
Jose Chardiet (American, b. 1956)
Matthew Curtis (British, b. 1964)
Chad Fonfara (American, b. 1974)*
Martin Janecky (Czech, b. 1980)
Karen LaMonte (American, b. 1967)
Jiyong Lee (Korean, b. 1971)
Benjamin Moore (American, b. 1952)
David Reekie (British, b. 1947)
Ross Richmond (American, b. 1971)
Sophie Ryder (British, b. 1963)
Therman Statom (American, b. 1953)*
Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, b. 1934)
Tip Toland (American, b. 1950)
Bertil Vallien (Swedish, b. 1938)
Kenny Walton (American, 1947 - 2019 )*
(Walton passed a month after this exhibition came down. We were touched that he and his wife Karen Kunc made it out to see it.)
Leah Wingfield (American, b. 1957)
Richard Whiteley (Australian, b. 1963)
Marek Zyga (Polish, b. 1968)
Toots Zynsky (American, b. 1951)

*Indicates a Nebraska-based artist