Renovated art gallery unveils new name in honor of donors, during reception Oct. 22

Christine Davis Mantai
Cathy and Jesse Marion
The Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery is being named after the Marions, above, in acknowledgement of a major gift they made to the Fredonia College Foundation. Cathy is a Class of 1979 alumna. She and her husband are avid supporters of the arts around the world.

The main art gallery at SUNY Fredonia will host its first exhibition of the season beginning Saturday, Oct. 22, and visitors will notice significant changes to the space.

The gallery, located on the main level of Rockefeller Arts Center, underwent a renovation this summer and fall. The public will get its first look at the new space with an opening reception for the exhibition, “Then and Again,” from 7 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 22.

“I am very excited about the gallery renovations and all of the changes taking place at the art gallery,” said Tina Hastings, art gallery administrator. “The newly renovated space, which will include a moveable wall system and additional square footage, will provide an excellent backdrop for the contemporary artists that are featured each year.”

“Then and Again” features work from the faculty and select graduates of SUNY Fredonia's Department of Visual Arts and New Media, as well as graduates of some other institutions.

It runs through Nov. 13 with works by 22 artists, including Ray Bonilla, Robert Booth, Anna Christenson, Kristen Davide-Puirek, Jason Dilworth, Abraham Ferraro, Maggie Finlayson, Tim Frerichs, Phil Hastings, Jill Johnston, Steve Komp, Liz Lee, Michelle Leedy, John Malinoski, Alberto Rey, Hide Sadohara, Allison Schumacher, Peter Tucker, Kyle Turner, Megan Urban, Kim Waite and Emily Zeller.

Major gift and naming of the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery 

The Art Gallery’s renovation and reopening coincides with its renaming. As of Saturday evening, it will be known as the Cathy and Jesse Marion Art Gallery, in honor of the Class of 1979 alumna and her husband, who are avid supporters of the arts around the world.
 
The Marions, residents of Houston, Texas, have graciously made a $500,000 commitment to SUNY Fredonia during the current Doors to Success Capital Campaign. The gift will be used for programming and community outreach, and comes via the Marion Foundation, which the couple founded to support such issues as health, education, the arts, and children and animal welfare. Their foundation has become a fixture of the Houston region’s philanthropic community, although its giving has extended as far away as Wyoming, Alberta, Canada, and Egypt, in addition to Mrs. Marion’s native Chautauqua County.
 
Born in Jamestown, N.Y., and an alumna of Falconer Central School, Cathy graduated from SUNY Fredonia with honors with a degree in psychology before moving to Houston. She pursued a career in marketing, public relations, corporate publications and event planning for profit and nonprofit organizations. She also serves on the board of the Fredonia College Foundation and the advisory board of the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, and the Marion Foundation has provided support for the Chautauqua Institution as well. Cathy was honored in 2007 with the Fredonia Alumni Association’s Outstanding Achievement Award for her distinguished professional achievement and humanitarian service.

Her husband, Jesse, is the founder of Millennium Seismic, Ltd., a seismic data library company in Canada, as well as Marion Investments, Inc. He is a board member of the Memorial Hermann Foundation and Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital, and a trustee of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists Foundation.

Gallery hours are 2 to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 2 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Both the opening reception and exhibition are free and open to the public. To learn more, call 716-673-4897.

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