A memorial gathering for Suellen Rocca was held on October 16, 2021 on the campus of Elmhurst University. Family, friends, colleagues, former students, and representatives of arts organizations met in the A.C. Buehler Library to celebrate her life, surrounded by the art collection which she referred to as “one of my passions as well as my job.”
Delayed and socially distanced due to COVID, this event marked the formal dedication of the Suellen Rocca Gallery, a works on paper collection which she developed as her final contribution to the ongoing development of the art collection. Simultaneously, the Highlights of the Elmhurst University Art Collection audio tour was launched. It serves as yet another modality for carrying on Suellen’s legacy of disseminating information about the collection.
In an undated transcript of an address given for then President Cureton, one of Suellen’s objectives as curator was to “increase the awareness, understanding and appreciation of the collection campus-wide, community-wide, throughout the greater Chicago area, and Midwest and beyond.”
“I am always delighted with the opportunity to tell someone about the collection whether in a casual encounter or a more formal presentation.”-Suellen Rocca
Suellen Rocca commenting on students interacting with the collection
