Visitors to the newest exhibit to the Erman B. White Gallery of Art at Butler Community College will be able to view a vast array of artwork.
The show, titled "A Collector's Journey" and which opens today, features works from the collection of Bob Peterson, Butler theater director.
"With this art collection, it is sort of an autobiography," Peterson explained. "It is really sort of my journey in this marvelous thing called living."
The art has been collected over the years for a variety of emotional reasons, all representing different points in Peterson's life.
"I just collected what I like and I ended up collecting some really good pieces of art," he said.
One painting is of a boy eating a bowl of oatmeal at a kitchen table.
This piece reminded Peterson of himself as a kid when he would get up for school and his mother would have hot chocolate and cinnamon toast waiting for him.
Others represent his grandfather's farm.
"I bought things that remind me of great pleasures," he explained.
He also feels fortunate to have gotten some of the pieces.
Two of his paintings belong to fellow instructor and artist Valerie Haring, who teaches art at Butler and is the curator of the gallery.
"I wanted them very much and didn't know if I could afford them," he said.
They agreed to each write down a price on a piece of paper and see how close they were.
Peterson recalled that Haring had written down "whatever Bob could pay."
Other artists also have worked with him, selling him pieces for less than they could have sold them elsewhere.
"Artists, if they see someone who would like to have that (the art) around them, it is amazing that artist will make sure their art goes there," Peterson said. "I think that is the sign of a true artist when they love their art so much they give it to someone else who loves it."
He also has some unique pieces, including two costumes designed for his parts in "Amadeus" and "Labette."
Then one pedestal in the room includes his presidential collections. Among the pieces here is a piece of material from the bolt of cloth from which Pat Nixon's mother of the bride dress was made.
