Barton Community College held a private reception for Bank of the West personnel Thursday afternoon in the Shafer Art Gallery. The intention was to show key figures of the bank how the college planned to display four large murals by Pat Potucek, which Bank of the West donated to the Barton Foundation several months ago.
The response from the guests upon entering the gallery was, “wow.” The large murals stand several feet tall and are so wide they won’t fit entirely on one wall. In addition to the reception, the college offered the bank four small metal-printed replicas of the murals to hang in the bank’s newly opened location, which was too small to house the murals that were displayed in the main lobby of the previous location.
The Barton Foundation technically owns the works of art, though the Shafer Gallery will be tasked with maintaining the large paintings. Executive Director of Institutional Advancement Darnell Holopirek and Shafer Gallery Director Dave Barnes took the reception to the next level by inviting the children of Pat Potucek to attend and share some anecdotes about their mother and her unique work.
“I am honored that mom’s work has such a magnificent display,” said Scott Potucek, son of Pat Potucek. “I really am more than pleasantly surprised at how they display and look in the gallery. My mother would be pleased and proud of how her work is shown – she would be on cloud nine for weeks.”
Lesle Knop, Pat Potucek’s daughter, echoed her brother’s remarks.
“I’m overwhelmed with gratitude for the bank, the college and the foundation,” she said. “Mom would have been so honored and so pleased to see what you have done.”