Amidst the constant buzz of cell phones and the soft pad of leather shoes on carpet, the Balsar Art Collection offers a contrast to the brisk and hurried atmosphere of the Steinberg Conference Center. If anyone can actually find the collection, the pieces hung on the walls of the bustling second floor contain a plethora of styles and talents ranging from the less well known to the renowned.
Warhol's Grape Series I and II jump off the stark white walls at the businesspersons hurrying by--a few of them even stop to ponder just what James Coignard was trying to communicate with his work Dynamic Horizontal. The fluorescent colors of Cerj Lalonde's pieces meet and greet those entering one of those ever-serious conference rooms. The styles of the art work cover a wide spectrum of mediums. Bronze sculptures by Jacqueline Jacovini are scattered throughout the halls. For the more traditional tastes, Lowell Mapes' Boats and Country Landscape provide a break from the more abstract prints. A Burmese tapestry is hung next to Michael Gallagher's compilation of bright colors and shapes; two such different forms of artistic expression compliment one another and play off their respective differences.
The collection is intriguing but its inaccessibility detracts from the aesthetic pleasure it could offer Penn students. Few know where it is and those who do see it are hurrying to a meeting or taking a coffee break. The pieces in the collection lighten the atmosphere of the ultra-serious conference center through their eclectic appeal--it's just too bad no one but businesspeople get to appreciate the collection.
The Steinberg Conference Center is located at 255 S. 38th Street.
