Chagall historian, lecturer and author Vivian R. Jacobson creates $500K endowment at UNCP to support student, faculty in art-related travel

PEMBROKE — The University of North Carolina at Pembroke students and faculty will now have the opportunity to explore art beyond the classroom thanks to a generous gift from Vivian R. Jacobson to support art-related travel.

Jacobson, an internationally recognized expert on 20th century artist Marc Chagall, has traveled to art galleries and museums around the world, dedicating more than half of her life to researching, studying and lecturing on Chagall’s artistic feats.

During a special ceremony on July 10, Jacobson joined UNCP Chancellor Robin Gary Cummings on campus to announce the Vivian R. and Ralph Jacobson Art Travel Endowment.

“Dr. Jacobson’s passion and dedication to the arts have profoundly impacted UNC Pembroke,” Cummings said. “This endowment will open doors for our students and faculty, allowing them to experience art and culture in ways that were previously beyond their reach. We are deeply grateful for her continued support and her investment in enriching the educational journey of our students.”

The $500,000 endowment will provide funding for UNCP art students and faculty members to travel domestically and internationally each year to pursue art-related study and research. Multiple trips to different locations will be supported during the same year, expanding the number of students and faculty who can participate.

“I want to provide art students and teachers with the same opportunities I had to travel, do research and visit exhibitions,” Jacobson said. “Exhibitions feature some of the world’s great works of art, so it’s important for the students to travel and see these works in person. I am thrilled that these funds will be there in perpetuity for art faculty and students at UNCP.”

The July 10 ceremony served as the official opening of The Vivian R. & Ralph Jacobson Special Collections at UNCP’s Mary Livermore Library. Because of a generous donation by Jacobson, the space was named in the couple’s honor in 2022, and recently underwent a $1.7 million transformation. The Special Collections houses the university’s most treasured documents, books, and archives.

Jacobson was joined by more than 120 friends, family and UNCP dignitaries to celebrate the occasion, which included a special performance by concert pianist, conductor and composer, Seth Weinstein. During her remarks, Jacobson paid a heartfelt tribute to her late husband, Ralph, acknowledging his unwavering support and encouragement to pursue her passion for art. She noted his investment in her dreams was a significant motivation behind the endowed gift, aiming to continue his legacy and inspire others through the same support she experienced.

Jacobson has devoted a significant portion of her life to the study, research and preservation of Chagall’s work. In 1974, she co-founded the American Friends of Chagall’s Biblical Message Museum in Nice, France, and served as president from 1978 to 1982. Jacobson worked closely with Chagall for the last 11 years of his life and wrote Sharing Chagall: A Memoir. She began lecturing on Chagall in 1978 and has presented in the United States, Europe and Israel. Jacobson was a Chagall speaker for the North Carolina Humanities Council from 2001 to 2020.

Over the course of 40 years, Jacobson gathered a significant collection of books, catalogs, special letters, articles and media representing Chagall’s life and work. The Jacobsons donated the Jacobson Chagall Art Research Collection to the university in 2021. The collection is accessible to scholars, students and the public. Researchers from around the world have accessed the collection and some have traveled to UNCP to learn more about Chagall’s message of hope, peace, reconciliation and love.

The Jacobsons have been steadfast supporters of UNCP, establishing a scholars program in 2016. Since then, Vivian Jacobson has remained active on campus. She has presented several Chagall lectures, was a featured speaker at UNCP’s annual Women’s Empowerment Summit and has accompanied numerous groups of UNCP students and faculty on international trips dedicated to art research, including a trip in spring of 2024 to Madrid, Spain, to study Chagall and visit some of the city’s top art museums. In December 2023, the university awarded Jacobson an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

“Being immersed in Chagall’s art and other similar works was phenomenal,” said Monika Czartoszewski, a studio art major with a concentration in drawing and digital art. “There is such a difference between looking at an artist’s work on a screen and seeing in person the paint as it has been moved. It’s not flat; there is texture, there are lumps. It’s incredible to see.”

Czartoszewski, who traveled to Spain with UNCP in spring, said one of the biggest highlights of her trip was the opportunity to learn from Jacobson.

“It’s so rare to meet someone who worked directly with a famous artist like she did,” she said. “I learned so much from her about Chagall’s life and what influenced his work. She is a remarkable woman!”