The art gallery at Bunker Hill Community College has been re-named the Mary L. Fifield Art Gallery following a unanimous vote by the BHCC Board of Trustees on June 24.
Mary L. Fifield, Ph.D., who retired as BHCC President on June 30 after more than 16 years of outstanding leadership, launched the gallery in 2004 with the support of the BHCC Foundation when she took an unused area of an auditorium lobby and created a vibrant, vital area to showcase local, regional, national and student art.
Reading from a statement by the BHCC Board of Trustees, Board Chair Marita Rivero said, “It was President Fifield’s vision of this space that provided the opportunity for the college community to view both well known and little known artists, thought-provoking exhibits and BHCC student exhibits. She designed the space in a way that it is integrated into the A-300 lobby and indeed into the life of the College.”
Since 2004, the galley has showcased paintings, photos, videos, sculptures and multimedia in a broad range of subjects, with featured exhibits on Black History, feminism, Fenway Park’s 100th anniversary, the conundrum of kitsch and American politics, to name a few. Artists have included noted African-American painter Paul Goodnight, Boston Globe photographer Bill Brett, and Chelsea painter Arnie Casavant. The gallery also has become an inviting venue for meetings, receptions, dinners and a quiet moment to enjoy an artistic experience.
President Fifield thanked the Trustees for recognizing her and said she was humbled by their decision to re-name the gallery in her honor.