HISTORY OF THE SLEETH
Information compiled by Brett Miller, College Archivist
The Sleeth Gallery
The Sleeth Gallery is named for Ronald E. Sleeth, 13th president of West Virginia Wesleyan College in a resolution passed by the Wesleyan Board of Trustees in May, 1985. Formerly located below the narthex of Wesley Chapel, the Gallery was moved to the first-floor lounge of McCuskey Hall when the Department of Art shifted from the Administrative Building Annex to McCuskey between 1993 – 1995. Originally the campus dining hall, McCuskey has become home to the WVWC Art Department.
Funded by an endowment established by Ronald and Natalie Sleeth, the Gallery is one of a very small handful of galleries — in all of West Virginia — showcasing contemporary works by practicing, nationally-recognized professional artists. The gallery acts as an educational and community-building space, in which students and members of the community can engage with the university and with artists. Along with offering an accessible space for the open exchange of ideas while engaging with contemporary art and culture, students are also encouraged to become involved in the gallery gaining valuable, real-world experience.
More information about President Ronald E. Sleeth can be found in the Summer 1985 edition of the WVWC Sundial (http://sleethgallery.wvwc.edu/?attachment_id=247 – PDF 651Kb).
Information about the history of the WVWC Art Department and its move to McCuskey can be found in the Winter 1995 edition of the WVWC Sundial (http://tinyurl.com/wvwc-sundial-1995 – PDF 1.6Mb).
A special thank you to Brett Miller, College Archivist, Records Manager and Music Librarian, for collecting the articles and information within this page.