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Dickinson College celebrates construction of new Thorpe Center, Rose Art Gallery
Artist’s rendering of the new Dickinson College building. ILLUSTRATION/PROVIDED BY DICKINSON COLLEGE
Dickinson College celebrates construction of new Thorpe Center, Rose Art Gallery
Listen to this articleDickinson College is celebrating the start of construction on the new Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples and the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery.
The “Framing Legacy” event honors Dickinson’s most consequential benefactor and the forthcoming Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery. The event is scheduled for May 2, at 11 a.m. The celebration will take place at the John M. Paz ’78 Alumni & Family Center, next door to the construction site on High Street.
Rose’s recent $35 million gift is funding the creation of the Thorpe Center and the gallery bearing Rose’s name.
“Sam’s philanthropy has been nothing short of game-changing for Dickinson,” President John E. Jones III said in a statement. “He has changed the lives of hundreds of students with his scholarship support. He’s now enhancing the vital work of the Center for the Futures of Natives Peoples and creating a world-class art gallery and educational space.”
According to a release, the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery will be housed alongside the new Jim Thorpe Center in the same building and will feature works by Indigenous artists and consider diverse stories of the American West drawn from Rose’s personal collection, a reflection of his commitment to Indigenous advocacy, including his efforts to restore the American bison as a traditional and ceremonial food source for Native peoples, per the release.
The gallery’s more than 150-piece collection, which includes works by Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, 1940-2025), Nicholas Galanin (Lingít and Unangax, born 1979), and Emmi Whitehorse (Diné, born 1957), will be included in Dickinson’s academic curriculum, expanding opportunities for cross-disciplinary study in art, culture, and Indigenous studies.
Rose’s lifetime giving to the college totals $100 million. He has funded scholarships for more than 230 students, supported the Durden Athletic Training Center, and co-founded an annual prize that brings leading environmental advocates to campus.
The gallery and the center are projected to open in 2027.
