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How Collectors Bob and Jane Clark Turned Collecting into Community Building

What began as a shared interest in architecture and design has grown into a 300-work collection spanning Black, Asian and Indigenous artists, now displayed across Clayco's offices nationwide.

For collectors and enthusiasts, art imbues an otherwise matter-of-fact world with purpose and meaning. Collector Bob Clark’s interest in art grew organically out of an interest in architecture and design, and naturally found its way into Clayco, the design and construction company he founded in 1984, whose motto is still “The Art and Science of Building.” Today, the company displays works from his collection in its offices across the country.

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“Over time, we’ve been able to work with many of the top architects globally, like Jeanne Gang and Bjarke Ingels, and a lot of really top-notch architects and designers. That naturally led to the arts,” he told Observer during Aspen Art Week. He was quick to admit that he didn’t get serious about collecting art until around 2010, when he began spending more time away from the business and met his second wife, Jane, with whom he has shared his collecting journey.

Jane had herself been interested in art, but had had little time to pursue it while working full-time as a dentist. “Since we’ve been married, I’ve been able to experience this whole new activity that I always wanted to pursue, in terms of going to art fairs and meeting artists,” she told Observer. “It’s fortunate that I was able to find a partner who also had an interest and a passion for pursuing the arts in this way.”

Early on, the couple met Theaster Gates, at a moment well before his career reached its current prominence. At the time, work by Black artists was only beginning to receive broader attention from collectors, but it quickly became one of their first areas of focus. “There were a few amazing artists who were doing well, but not like you see today,” Bob recalled. Among their first acquisitions were works by Derrick Adams, Rashid Johnson, Vaughn Spann and Ebony G. Patterson, when their markets and reputations were still developing. “We loved their work. We were really taken by it. It was work that we wanted to be around.”

From the beginning, the Clarks wanted to work with emerging artists. “Helping artists created enthusiasm in us—being with them on the........

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