The first 28 Inuit drawings to arrive on campus were showcased in an exhibition titled “The Story Teller’s Hand,” which was held at the University Gallery in Old College from Oct. 19 through Dec. 17, 2000.

A major exhibition of the entire collection is slated for 2003, in observance of the United Nations’ “Decade of the World’s Indigenous People” and the University Gallery’s 25th anniversary.

Frederick and Lucy S. Herman of Norfolk, Va. are veteran collectors of drawings by important American and European artists, some dating back to the 15th century. Many of these works on paper have been exhibited in major museums throughout the United States, and, over the years, the Hermans have welcomed countless art historians and student scholars into their home to study and conduct research on their collection.

Almost 15 years ago, the Hermans also developed a strong interest in Inuit art, attracted by drawings which compellingly depicted a society on the verge of transition. Until recently, the Inuits were a semi-nomadic people who roamed from British Columbia to the Arctic Circle. Although known as carvers of whalebone and soapstone, it was not until the late 1940s and early 1950s that the Inuit were introduced to the concept of drawing as a “make work” project of the Canadian government.

When they first discovered Inuit art, the Hermans, with guidance from the late Joe Murphy of the Inuit Art Gallery in Vancouver, began educating themselves about the lives of these native artists, and began acquiring works by masters like Irene Avaalaaqiaq and Jessie Oonark of Baker Lake and Pitseolak Ashoona of Cape Dorset.

The Hermans’ Inuit drawings, which now number almost 200 and comprise the majority of works in their Native American art collection, portray the Inuits’ everyday lives and traditions over the span of three generations. There are scenes of their hunts, rituals, myths, and legends and wildlife. Increasingly evident in the work collected in the 1990s is the emerging awareness and influence of modern life in the 21st century.

The images share a unique artistic perspective, and, as importantly, serve as critical anthropological documents which chronicle a quickly vanishing culture.

In seeking a permanent home for their collection, the Hermans were impressed by the recent establishment of the University of Delaware’s Center for American Material Cultural Studies, continuing a UD tradition of interdisciplinary studies, and the University Gallery’s commitment to teaching students the standards and practices of the museum profession by using collections for hands-on way training.

It is the Hermans’ intention for their collection to be used extensively by faculty to give UD students the opportunity to learn about Inuit culture through art. The Hermans also support access to the collection by teachers and schoolchildren throughout the state.