WINTHROP COLLECTION EXPANDS ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE PRESERVING LEGACIES:


Charlie and Nancy Wofford recently donated a modern art collection that contains more than 33 pieces of contemporary art. The couple has close ties to the university.


shows examples reminiscent of the various trends and sub-styles in American Abstract Art as they gained momentum and recognition throughout the 20th century.


“El Señor,” by painter Nancy Reese, was donated by Charlie and Nancy Wofford to the university’s art collection.


The Woffords looked for a suitable place to house the collection and decided to reach out to Winthrop. Both have ties to the university through family members who were educated here since the early 20th century.


Mike Gentry


A drive around the Win- throp campus and a walk through many of its build- ings reveal one of the university’s valued trea- sures: art. And a recent gift of major artistic significance has expanded Winthrop’s notable collection, accord- ing to Mike Gentry ’08,


director of the Winthrop Galleries.


“Remarkably, a couple from Greenville with close ties to Winthrop recently donated an entire mod- ern art collection to the institution,” Gentry noted.


The gift from Charlie and Nancy Wofford includes more than 33 pieces of contemporary art collect- ed by Juliet McIver, a native South Carolinian and close cousin of Charlie.


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McIver spent most of her life working in the art world of Los Angeles, and over the years became a key member of that city’s vibrant art community. She was well known for supporting artists at all stages of their careers, nurturing emerging and under-represented artists.


Her collection at the time of her death in 2022 was close to 200 fine art pieces made up of trending contemporary art mostly produced by southern California artists. Some of her pieces were designated for LA museums and art institu- tions, others given to friends.


The Juliet McIver Collection After studying the initial collection, Nancy rec- ognized the value of its content and selected from it special pieces that make up The Juliet McIver Collection. Nancy said that she attempt- ed to bring together a body of work which best


Ties That Bind Charlie’s aunt, Kate Wofford, graduated in 1916. She became the first woman county superin- tendent of education in South Carolina and the first president of the S.C. Teacher Association (later S.C. Education Association). Wofford was also among the first women to enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces in World War I, joining the Navy as a yeoman. Winthrop’s Wofford Hall, a former high-rise residence hall that housed thousands of Winthrop students for over 50 years, was named in her honor.


A Rock Hill native, Nancy, who graduated from Winthrop in 1967 as an art and education major, is one of 13 family members who either attended or taught at Winthrop. Her grandfa- ther, Thomas, arrived to head the science de- partment in 1915, and her mother, Nancy Biggs Thomas ’41, taught Winthrop student interns at


Macfeat Early Childhood Laboratory School for many years.


The couple was thrilled when Winthrop said yes to accepting their art collection offer.


Next Steps for the Collection Gentry said he will work with Art History Pro- fessor Karen Stock to review the McIver collec- tion for an exhibition that he hopes will open in January. They expect to work with a class to explore the Abstract Expressionist Movement and the artists who were active in the Los An- geles area from the late 20th through the early 21st centuries. It will also give students a look at how museums and galleries operate.


“This is a great opportunity for students to research the work of these artists’ and write about their connections to other prominent works of art history,” Gentry said.


Gift Funds Other Needs, Scholarship Once the Woffords made their generous art donation, now retired Senior Development Officer Debbie Garrick ’87, ’89, realized that Winthrop needed a permanent storage area for the artwork. After Gentry identified three unused adjoining rooms in the Rutledge Building, the Woffords agreed to underwrite a


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