UNM Health Sciences Center
Art Program
The UNM Hospital Gallery, and what has now become the UNM Health Sciences Center Art
Program, was established in 1991 by Jonathan Abrams, M.D., and former hospital administrator
Thom Sloan, to acquire art for the newly constructed UNM Hospital Ambulatory Care Center.
This building houses our outpatient clinics and therapy programs, as well as faculty offices
for a number of clinical departments. These include the departments of Internal Medicine,
Surgery, Obstetrics-Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Neurology.
The initial works of art placed in the hospital were acquired through multiple donations and
through a few purchases made possible through the one percent for art program. Over the years,
the UNM Health Sciences Center has been very fortunate to receive many additional gifts. The
collection now numbers more than 700 pieces valued at over $1 million. None of this would be
possible without the generous support of our many friends and supporters.
Significant gifts to our collection have been given by Romona Scholder, Ray Graham, Bruce
Warren Davis, and the Horwitch Family. Artists themselves have been exceedingly generous and
there are now substantial holdings of three New Mexico artists: Garo Antreasian, Susan
Linnell, and Harry Nadler. The collection also includes a number of fine lithographs
acquired from UNM's Tamarind Institute of Lithography and many works, on loan, from the
Albuquerque Museum.
We are always interested in receiving new gifts of art. We have just completed
construction of a new day-surgery center, on University Boulevard, which has many empty walls
that we hope to fill with donated art. In addition, we are planning to construct four more
new buildings on the UNM Health Sciences Center campus which will provide extensive wall
space for artwork. With much of the new construction in the design phase, there are still
opportunities to design spaces to accommodate large works and sculptures.
Any work that is accepted into our collection may be tax deductible, based upon an item's
appraised value and the advice of your tax consultant. While we emphasize quality in our
collection, we can accept works of art that may not be appropriate for our local museums, and
therefore our gift or acquisition policy is quite liberal. We have established a fund at the
UNM Foundation for those who would like to support our program through tax-deductible cash
contributions. Funds are needed to appraise, maintain, and conserve the existing collection;
frame and install new works; and establish an endowment to fund future purchases.
If you would more information on the UNM Health Sciences Center Art Program and how to
support it, please contact Christina Fenton at 272-9700.
