The George Segal Gallery Opens

On April 5, 2006, Montclair State officially unveiled the permanent installation of George Segal's Street Crossing, a seven-figure bronze sculpture that embodies the culmination of Segal's aesthetic. The sculpture, a gift to the University from the George and Helen Segal Foundation, marks the new partnership of Montclair State with the Foundation, which maintains the artist's estate and a vast collection of his works. Many of these have yet to be seen by the public.

MSU has named the University's art gallery, a magnificent 7,000-square-foot space, in honor of this renowned New Jersey sculptor. Helen Segal, Rena B. Segal '75 and Susan Kutliroff were the guests of honor at the opening reception. Helen Segal is George Segal's widow and president of the Segal Foundation. Rena B. Segal is the artist's daughter and vice president of the Foundation; and Susan Kutliroff is his niece and secretary/treasurer of the Foundation.

The George Segal Gallery will be the new home to nationally significant exhibitions focusing on masters of the 20th and 21st centuries. The Segal Gallery opening marked the beginning of a two-week exhibition documenting the creation of Street Crossing. In fall 2006, the Gallery will feature a major exhibition of Alexander Calder's weavings, the first retrospective of these works created for the American Bicentennial. Already scheduled for Montclair State's Centennial Celebration in 2008 is a major retrospective of Segal's work.