An Art Educator Leaves a Mark With ‘Prints’

He hardly knew he would leave a legacy, but G. Ray Kerciu did just that when he acquired a few etchings as a teaching tool for Cal State Fullerton’s art department in the early 1960s.

Over four decades, Kerciu’s vision has helped this humble collection swell to more than 220 works, including original prints by Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Louise Nevelson, Roy Lichtenstein and Frank Stella.

Eighty-four of these prints are on view through Thursday at the university’s main art gallery in a rewarding exhibition called simply “Prints From the Cal State Fullerton Collection.�

Packed with information about printmaking, the show is a celebration of a significant permanent collection that has never been exhibited as such. It is also a nod of respect to Kerciu, who left full-time teaching in 1997, still teaches part time and will retire next year.

“This has always been my baby,� Kerciu said.

“I began the collection so my students could see what a classic etching or great European lithograph would look like.

“Then I started collecting contemporary printmaking, because that was the most exciting thing happening in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s. For example, we have a very large Rauschenberg print that is one of the largest he’s ever done. It’s one of the masterpieces of our collection.�

Organized by James Toller, a graduate student in Cal State Fullerton’s exhibition design/museum studies program, the show also includes stunning pieces by Robert Breer, Sam Francis, Sandow Birk, Ed Ruscha, Ellsworth Kelly, Lita Albuquerque and many more.

Over the years, Kerciu collected these images gradually. He assembled work from famed print houses, including Gemini and Tamarind in Los Angeles and Lakeside in Michigan, where he once produced prints.

Some funding was available through the university, but Kerciu also garnered gifts, among them a superb suite of prints called the New York Collection for Stockholm. Organized in the ‘60s by a curator in Stockholm and printed in New York, the project includes works by Warhol and other luminaries.

“Once people knew we were serious collectors, donations started coming in,� Kerciu said. “The collection was something that was built on goodwill, trust and a lot of luck.�

“Prints From the Cal State Fullerton Collection� also includes works made in the ‘80s in the main art gallery by artists in residence.

“Ed Ruscha, Alexis Smith, Lita Albuquerque and Coy Howard were all in residency here,� art gallery director Mike McGee said. “They would set up a studio in the main art gallery, and people could come and watch them work.�

The exhibition also features a 1963 lithograph by Kerciu. Called “God Bless Mommy, Daddy and John Birch Society,� it is a jab at the ultraconservative, anti-communist organization “that was maybe more my position at the time,� Kerciu said. “I was a social-commentary type when I first came to Orange County.�

Despite Kerciu’s dedication and the significance of his acquisitions, the print collection languished unseen for years, first in the university’s library and later in a gallery storage area.

Kerciu said he did not do the best job of looking after the collection, but McGee offered another explanation.

“When the collection was developed in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the university didn’t realize it would be as valuable as it is today. It just got lost in the shuffle,� McGee said.

Once the show ends, the university plans to house the entire print collection in its library, where it will be available for study.

McGee hopes to expand and maintain the collection by selling a few prints that are duplicates or do not have historical significance, as well as a Mary Corse painting that was donated to the university.

“There are three or four prints in the collection that definitely need a little conservation,� McGee said.

* “Prints From the Cal State Fullerton Collection,� Cal State Fullerton Visual Arts Center, 800 N. State College Blvd. Today-Thursday, noon-4 p.m. Ends Thursday. Free. (714) 278-3262.