Dickinson Celebrates Start of Construction on Samuel G. Rose '58 Art Gallery
'Framing Legacy' Event Honors Dickinson’s Most Consequential Benefactor
by Craig Layne
Dickinson will mark the start of construction on the new Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples and the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery during “Framing Legacy: A Celebration of the Samuel G. Rose ’58 Collection,” a special event on Saturday, May 2, at 11 a.m. The celebration will take place at the John M. Paz ’78 Alumni & Family Center, immediately next door to the construction site on High Street.
The event will celebrate the impact of Samuel G. Rose '58, the college’s most consequential benefactor. Rose’s recent $35 million gift is funding the creation of the Thorpe Center and the gallery bearing his name.
The Samuel G. Rose ’58 Art Gallery will be housed alongside the new Jim Thorpe Center and will feature works by Indigenous artists and consider diverse stories of the American West drawn from Rose’s exceptional personal collection—a reflection of his deep commitment to Indigenous advocacy, including his efforts to restore the American bison as a traditional and ceremonial food source for Native peoples. The gallery’s more than 150-piece collection, which includes works by Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith (Citizen of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Nation, 1940-2025), Nicholas Galanin (Lingít and Unangax, born 1979) and Emmi Whitehorse (Diné, born 1957), will be woven into Dickinson’s academic curriculum, expanding opportunities for cross-disciplinary study in art, culture and Indigenous studies.
A Baltimore native, first-generation college student, businessman and lifelong champion of social and environmental justice, Rose has shaped Dickinson in ways few individuals could. His lifetime giving to the college totals $100 million. He has funded scholarships for more than 230 students, supported the Durden Athletic Training Center and co-founded an annual prize that brings leading environmental advocates to campus.
“Sam’s philanthropy has been nothing short of game-changing for Dickinson,” says President John E. Jones III '77, P'11. “He has changed the lives of hundreds of students with his scholarship support. He’s now enhancing the vital work of the Center for the Futures of Native Peoples and creating a world-class art gallery and educational space.”
The gallery and the center are projected to open in 2027.
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Published April 28, 2026