Theresa Pollak

Theresa Pollak (August 13, 1899 – September 18, 2002) was an American artist and art educator born in Richmond, Virginia. She was a nationally known painter and she is largely credited with the founding of Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts. She was a teacher at VCU's School of the Arts between 1928 and 1969. Her art has been exhibited in the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. She died at the age of 103 on September 18, 2002.^[1]

Early education

After graduating from John Marshall High School, Pollak accepted a scholarship to attend Westhampton College at the University of Richmond.^[2] She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate, and her alma mater University of Richmond presented Pollak an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts on May 13, 1973.^[3]

Professional study

From 1912 to 1917, Theresa Pollak studied at the Richmond Art Club under Adele Clark and Nora Houston. She then studied at the Art Students League of New York from 1921 to 1926. In 1932, she was awarded a fellowship to the Tiffany Foundation in Oyster Bay, Long Island. In 1933 she was awarded a Carnegie Fellowship at Fogg Museum, Harvard University.^[4]

Founding of the School of Arts

In 1928, the School of Art opened at the Richmond Division of the College of William and Mary under Theresa Pollak's leadership. The first location of the School of Arts was the loft of the Saunders-Willard house stable. By 1970 it had expanded into the School of the Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University.,^[5] also known as VCU School of the Arts.

Vice-President of the Richmond Artists Association

Theresa Pollak was an early member and Vice President of the Richmond Artists Association (RAA) (also known as RAA) from 1958-1959. In 1978, she became a lifetime Honorary Member and was a frequent exhibitor with RAA as long as that organization existed.^[6]

Other Richmond exhibitions and honors

In the 1970s Pollak's art was exhibited at Scott-McKennis Fine Art, a gallery owned by her former student Gail McKennis, and she maintained an upstairs art studio on Thompson Street, between Cary Street and Floyd Avenue. Her art was shown in Richmond Artist Association and Virginia Museum of Fine Arts juried shows, as well as in invitational and curated shows at local venues Reynolds/Minor Gallery, Artspace 1306, Artspace, and Art6 Gallery.

She was the first Richmond artist honored by the Virginia chapter of the Women's Caucus for Art as an "Artist of the Year." Anderson Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University honored her with a retrospective in 1969. Richmond Magazine named its annual awards for excellence in the arts "Pollak Awards" in her honor. In 1975, she was a participant in Virginia Commonwealth University's Oral History Program.^[7]

The Pollak Building at the Virginia Commonwealth University's School of the Arts is named for her.

On her 100th birthday, in 1999, Richmond Mayor Tim Kaine issued a letter of proclamation honoring her accomplishments.^[8]

On May 12, 2015 the Richmond Times Dispatch announced that Virginia Commonwealth University's Anderson Gallery was closed and that the Anderson Gallery Collections, including its holdings of art by Theresa Pollak, would be moved to VCU's James Branch Cabell Library.^[9]

The Theresa Pollak Award for Excellence in the Arts is named for her. Bosnian-born Richmond artist Tanja Softić has been one of the recipients of this award.

References