Newton E. Tarble considered his time at Eastern (1903-1909) the most happy and profitable times of his life.

After a stint in World War I as an infantry officer, Tarble co-founded the Snap-On Tool Company in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Still, he never forgot his Illinois roots.

In 1973, Eastern presented Tarble with the Distinguished Alumni Award; the same year, he pledged $1 million towards construction of a facility that would “take the arts to the people.”

The following year, the university’s School of Fine Arts was established.

It was 1978. The art center began to materialize and James Johnson, Dean of Arts and Humanities, became the Chair of the art department.

“It was the reason I decided to come to Eastern,” said Johnson. “The opening was quite exciting because we realized the potential it had for the university.”

“Tarble not only provides the experience of art, but its design truly is a work of art within itself,” Johnson said.

Under the leadership of Dr. Vaughn Jaenike, former Dean of Fine Arts, the Tarble Art Center opened its door to the public in the summer of 1982 with an emphasis on community engagement, artistic appreciation and education.

In 2004, an east wing addition was made possible with donations from the Tarble family. Mrs. Newton (Pat) Tarble gave a $2.3 million gift, and their daughter, Jan, gave a $2 million gift.

Now, the center is commending its quarter-century landmark with the exhibition “The Tarble at 25: Celebrating the Collection.”

The center’s permanent collection, which mostly pre-dates the buildings incarnation, focuses on Illinois folk art, contemporary Midwestern art on paper and American Scene art.

Michael Watts, director of Tarble for 21 years, said the permanent collection is meant to reflect and recognize the area’s artistic contributions.

Throughout the year, Tarble hosts a variety of events and temporary exhibitions.

These range from a chamber music series, interactive and mixed media instillations, to workshops for the community.

There are also annual undergraduate, graduate and faculty shows, as well as a youth exhibit for surrounding area schools.

The exhibits themselves balance interest between the students and community. Although student visitors are sometimes stagnant, there is constantly a new audience, said Watts.

“A challenge and on-going issue about arts is they lack the same recognition as other areas of activity,” said Watts. “Student apathy is significant.”

Johnson said he feels students can benefit from Tarble and art’s ability to allow people to expand on awareness.

While half of the permanent collection is folk art (quilts, carvings and other textile art), new art forms and technology will continue to challenge the Tarble Arts Center.

“I tell people you might not like every exhibition, but in the course of a year there should be two or three that you’ll really like,” Watts said.

Tarble is the only facility on campus constructed entirely through donated funds.

Made possible by membership contributions and endowments, Tarble will preserve and exhibit art for future generations.