The Falk Visiting Artist Series

Art endures.

Louise Dannenbaum Falk ’29, ’75 LLD earned her undergraduate degree in English from North Carolina College for Women and never relinquished her affection for her alma mater. Beginning in the 1960s, Louise and her husband, prominent attorney Herbert Falk, promoted visual arts through leadership, fundraising, and drawing corporate attention to UNCG’s Weatherspoon Art Museum. In 1975 they were awarded honorary Doctor of Law degrees from the University for their service to the campus and community. After Herbert’s death in 1975, Louise established The Falk Visiting Artists Series as an ongoing tribute to her husband. The series has been produced by UNCG’s School of Art and the Weatherspoon Art Museum since 1982, providing students and the public free access to renowned contemporary artists.

Louise continued her devotion by establishing an acquisitions endowment to purchase works for the permanent collection of the Weatherspoon Art Gallery and Foundation. She was a life member of the Weatherspoon Board of Trustees, vice president of the UNCG Alumni Association, and served on the UNCG Board of Trustees. At her memorial service in 1997, Louise’s family honored her dedication to art, requesting in memoriam donations for the Weatherspoon Arts Foundation in lieu of flowers.

Director of the School of Art, Christopher Cassidy, describes The Falk Visiting Artists Series:

“Two Falk visiting artists each year mount solo exhibitions at the Weatherspoon Art Museum, and all Falk visitors give public talks and meet with our MFA students individually. These visits have a tremendous impact on the entire School of Art community, introducing students to contemporary professional work and providing new perspectives on the study and creation of art.”

Last year’s artists included Sanford Biggers, who created connections with his audience that resulted in the Weatherspoon’s purchasing one of Biggers’ pieces, based on a communal vote by donors.

Director Cassidy observes, “The Falk Program has welcomed artists and arts professionals at all stages of their careers, and the combined reputations of the Falk Program and the Weatherspoon Museum have been instrumental in bringing renowned artists such as Judy Pfaff, Peter Campus, Janine Antoni, and Hank Willis Thomas to UNCG. This Fall and Spring, the Falk program is collaborating with the University Concert and Lecture Series to bring internationally famous artists Ann Hamilton and Carrie Mae Weems to campus for public events and visits with art students.”

Louise and Herbert Falk galvanized a link between UNCG and the community by creating free access to significant contemporary artists and their work. Like art itself, the Falks’ legacy of enrichment endures.

Written by Zoe Dillard, Donor Relations