Syracuse University Art Museum Receives Transformative Gift of Contemporary Art
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse University Art Museum has acquired a major donation of more than 25 works by 16 artists from the collection of prominent New York-based collector, gallerist, and educator Nancy Delman Portnoy, significantly enhancing its holdings in lens-based media, painting, and socially engaged contemporary voices.
Facilitated by university alumna Elizabeth “Liz” C. Tenenbaum ’98, the gift underscores a shared commitment to art that addresses political and social issues while serving as a dynamic teaching resource. Highlights include Rashid Johnson’s poignant 2009 photograph Green Belt, depicting the artist’s father in a moment of personal reflection amid 1970s social change; eight photographic works by filmmaker John Waters that recontextualize cinematic imagery; Shimon Attie’s laser-projection documentation of immigrant memories; and David Goldblatt’s stark apartheid-era image from Soweto, currently on view at the museum’s Louise and Bernard Palitz Gallery in New York.
“Rashid Johnson is one of the most incisive artists working today,” said curator Melissa Yuen. “This early photograph encapsulates ideas of Blackness, family, community, and access that spark interdisciplinary conversations central to our mission.”
Museum director Emily Dittman added, “This gift is transformative—for our collection and for the students and faculty who learn with it. It reflects a deep belief in the power of art to educate and expands our ability to teach across disciplines in meaningful ways.”
The donation aligns with the museum’s role as a laboratory for over 45,000 objects spanning 4,000 years, fostering collaborations with programs like Light Work and Film and Media Arts.
Portnoy’s vision enriches the university’s socially engaged curriculum, inviting new dialogues on history, identity, and place through contemporary lenses.
