COLOMBUS, OHIO.- The Columbus Museum of Art (CMA) is pleased to announce that the Scantland Family has generously donated 33 works of art by leading contemporary artists to be featured in PRESENT '23: Building the Scantland Collection, on view since June 8 and continuing to October 8th, 2023. The gift is coupled with a gift of $2 million to support the Museum's contemporary art initiatives. PRESENT '23 is the second survey of works in the Scantland Collection at CMA, now totaling 60 works in the Museum's permanent holdings.

The Scantland Collection at the Columbus Museum of Art was inaugurated in 2019 with a transformative gift from the Scantland Family including 27 works of art and a $2 million endowment for the newly named Scantland Family executive deputy director of learning, experience and engagement. In 2021, the Museum held an exhibition showcasing the initial wave of gifts. This most recent contribution will provide critical support for initiatives such as biennial solo presentations of emerging artists, allowing the Museum to remain nimble and responsive to the art of our time.

“The Scantland Collection’s ability to connect visitors with art of the present aligns with the Museum’s intention to champion artists who drive meaningful conversations,” says Brooke Minto, executive director and CEO of the Columbus Museum of Art. “The Scantland Family’s generosity has a profound impact on enhancing the Museum's offerings, allowing visitors to engage more deeply in the cultural dialogues shaping our world.”

PRESENT '23 spotlights artists spanning 10 countries and more than 10 U.S. states, from Alabama to Alaska. Featured artists include Hayley Barker, Raphaël Barontini, Gabriella Boyd, Kenturah Davis, Angela Dufresne, Veronica Fernandez, Sayre Gomez, Asif Hoque, Devin B. Johnson, Heather Jones, Tidawhitney Lek, Amy Lincoln, Kat Lyons, Kylie Manning, Danielle McKinney, Jaime Muñoz, Robert Nava, Patrick Quarm, Lauren Quin, Kenny Rivero, Jamea Richmond-Edwards, Lauren Satlowski, Marina Perez Simão, Sarah Slappey, Emma Webster, Blair Whiteford, Nicole Wittenberg, Mikey Yates, Oscar yi Hou, Guimi You, Yuri Yuan and Yesiyu Zhao.

“We are thrilled to continue to support the Columbus Museum of Art’s pioneering leadership and collection,” says Pete Scantland, CMA’s board president. “The Museum is an integral institution in Columbus, and our commitment to CMA is all about supporting our hometown, our neighbors and our community. Art’s ability to transform and engage has never been more important than in this moment when we all need to explore and embrace how a wide range of experiences and perspectives shape our community and world. It is our hope that through this gift, we will help the Museum to more fully tell the story of art made by our generation and at this momentous period in our history.”

The paintings and textiles in PRESENT '23 confront and challenge various histories and art historical categories. With dreamlike landscapes, meditations on the figure and explorations of urban space and culture, the artists offer an array of approaches to painting as the exhibition reworks surrealism, expressionism and other modernist frameworks in the service of personal visions and emerging forms of identity.

"The Scantland Collection is fueled by a true passion for supporting contemporary art and deep commitment to the future of the Columbus Museum of Art’s collection,” says Tyler Cann, guest curator of PRESENT '23 and senior curator of modern and contemporary art at the Honolulu Museum of Art. “This second wave of promised gifts to CMA’s collection provides a lens through which the next generations of CMA’s visitors and curators will think about this period of history.”

The Scantland Collection is poised to be a pillar of CMA’s growing permanent collection. The artists featured in the 2021 exhibition, which showcased the initial wave of promised gifts from the Scantland Family, have consistently garnered acclaim and recognition. Notably, Lauren Halsey recently completed The Rooftop Garden Commission at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while Jadé Fadojutimi and Felipe Baeza were included in the 2022 Venice Biennale. Additionally, Derek Fordjour, Deana Lawson, Jammie Holmes, Vaughn Spann and Claire Tabouret have been the focus of significant solo presentations in major museums worldwide.

Artists featured in the 2021 exhibition include Felipe Baeza, Cristina BanBan, Greg Breda, Coady Brown, Lucy Bull, Jonathan Lyndon Chase, Somaya Critchlow, Julie Curtiss, Jadé Fadojutimi, Derek Fordjour, Louis Fratino, Jerrell Gibbs, Aaron Gilbert, Jenna Gribbon, Lauren Halsey, Alexander Harrison, Angela Heisch, Jammie Holmes, Deana Lawson, GaHee Park, Hilary Pecis, Devan Shimoyama, Emily Mae Smith, Vaughn Spann, Claire Tabouret, Ambera Wellmann and Robin F. Williams.

Scantland Family

The gift is supported by Alan and Peggy Scantland and their children and spouses, Matt and Meara Scantland, Susan and Rob Littleton and Pete and Michelle Scantland. Matt Scantland and Alan Scantland are co-founders of CoverMyMeds, where Matt Scantland served as CEO until 2020. CoverMyMeds creates software that helps patients get the medication they need to lead healthy lives. Pete Scantland is the founder and CEO of Orange Barrel Media, an outdoor media business operating nationwide, focused on partnering with cities to develop innovative media projects that unite art, architecture and community content. Together, the family is an active investor in technology, healthcare and real estate businesses and is highly involved in various civic and philanthropic activities focused on education and the arts. Pete Scantland is one of the most active art collectors of his generation. He is president of the Board of Trustees of the Columbus Museum of Art and has served as a trustee since 2009.

The Scantland Collection is one of the most active private collections of contemporary visual art in North America. From its position in Columbus, Ohio, the Collection is committed to a global perspective on the creative energies of this moment; it intends to form an evolving and wide-ranging picture of art in the mid-21st century. With a growing list of gifts to the Columbus Museum of Art, the Scantland Collection at CMA ensures that its ambitious program to collect the art of the present will remain part of its community for generations to come.