Cape Coral, FL: When Kathleen Price, Associate Dean at the University of Florida, Levin College of Law talks about the major renovation at the University of Florida Legal Information Center, she references a new gallery area that has “miles and miles of white walls.” The new area is designed to hold art exhibits which will serve to culturally educate and inspire the students.

In an effort to help fill the void, a financial contribution has been made by alumni Steven E. Martin and Eviana J. Martin, the founding partners of Southwest Florida’s Martin Law Firm, PL. “We wanted to help them replicate an exhibit we had on loan there for a number of years,” Steven E. Martin said.

Of the eight-pieces previously on loan from the Martins’ private collection, seven were by Master Photographer Jerry Uelsmann, whose works are also in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Bibliotheque National in Paris, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography. The eighth piece was a work by American artist Man Ray. “Students in Gainesville have few opportunities to see real world class art,” says Price. “Steven and his wife, Eviana, recognized the necessity of reminding others that there is more of an obligation to the community than just studying, but also an obligation to the community’s culture.”

“Our hope is that this gift stimulates additional giving which will allow the law school to build its own art collection of significance,” Eviana Martin said.

Through the gift, the University has purchased one of Uelsmann’s works, “The Committee,” which is now on permanent display in the library.