Director Salvatore Scalora of the Benton Museum retired June 30.

Benton's Scalora Retires

By: Andrew Peters

Posted: 8/7/06

After nearly a decade at the helm of the Benton Museum, 58-year-old Director Salvatore Scalora retired June 30 from the institution he helped usher to prominence.

When he assumed the role of director in 1996, Scalora made it his goal to improve the museum both physically and artistically. Now after adding groundbreaking exhibits and making numerous renovations, he leaves a much-improved Benton to his successors.

"It's time to pass the baton to someone else," he said.

Various physical renovations to the Benton, such as the construction of a large addition and café, made the museum more visible, accessible and attractive to students. Scalora's overhaul of the building resulted in greatly increased student attendance.

"My story is all about change," Scalora said. "I wanted to make the Benton a good place for students to hang out. I think of the museum like a restaurant - if nobody's coming, you have a problem. It was my job to find the problem and fix it."

Scalora also addressed the Benton's lack of artistic diversity during his tenure. A major proponent of multicultural art, he raised the number of works by non-white artists from five to 1000.

"My job was to change the programming to interest the student body," Scalora said. "UConn is so excited about its diversity, I felt the museum needed to reflect that in its multicultural art."

While acting as director, Scalora also developed an acute interest in human rights and opened the Human Rights Gallery, a highly photographic set of exhibits designed to raise awareness of world issues and address the human condition through art.

"Of course the university's job is to enable you for success in your chosen field, but if we don't help students understand life and death issues, we've failed to create a compassionate human being," Scalora said.

"Photography mimics our world, so it's easier to relate to," he added. "I want everyone to be able to enjoy our art, not just art history majors."

Not surprisingly, Scalora's favorite exhibit at the Benton was a product of his human rights vision - the Tibetan monks' creation of the sand mandala, juxtaposed with vivid war photography by Time Magazine's James Nachtwey.

"You can't blow people's minds with terror all the time without giving them something to hope for - that's where the mandala comes in," Scalora said of the seemingly odd contrast. "Seeing art made right in front of our eyes is a beautiful thing, but it's ephemeral. Much like a broadway play, we don't keep it, but we keep the memory: a long-term idea for peace and harmony."

Benton Business Manager Karen Sommers will remember her colleague "Sal" not only for his contributions to the museum, but for the hard work he demonstrated in his quest for knowledge and understanding of art.

"Often when a large group was around the mandala, one would see Sal there teaching the crowd about the mandala and its purpose," said Sommers. "Sal was a teacher at heart and loved to personally give tours of the works of art in the galleries."

Succeeding Scalora as director of the museum is Steven Kern, former curator of European Art at the San Diego Museum of Art, according to ctnow.com.

Now retired, Scalora looks forward to spending more time with his wife. He hopes to enjoy the ephemeral beauty of life as he did great works of art during his tenure.

"I'm kind of young to be retiring," Scalora said, " but I think it's the right decision. You really never know how much time you have left on earth."