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Janet Hilbert, co-founder of California art museum at Chapman University, remembered for her passion

December 12, 2024

Janet Hilbert had a passion for the landscape art that captured California’s diverse scenery – but it was the people in the artwork she was drawn to the most.

Hilbert, who died on Dec. 7 at age 83 at her home in Newport Beach, is being remembered for her contribution to the art community, as a thoughtful philanthropist who alongside her husband, Mark, dedicated her life to educating people about California scenic art.

Janet and Mark Hilbert co-founded the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University a decade ago. Earlier this year the museum celebrated a massive expansion, tripling its floor space to now house 26 galleries and more than 5,000 art pieces, many from the couple’s personal collection.

“I think her legacy is going to live on as long as this museum lives, which I think will be a very long time,” said Mary Platt, director of the Hilbert Museum located in Old Towne Orange. “We’re going to miss her physical presence, but her spirit will linger on in these galleries forever.”

The museum’s collection mostly draws from the California Scene Painting movement from the 1920s through 1970s. The Hilbert Collection includes oils, watercolors and sketches of scenes found throughout the Golden State – rural and urban scenes, coastal views, farms, ranches, freeways and landscapes.

The art form is based on scenes of everyday life: people working in the cities or on ranches, enjoying sailboats or the beach.

“Things we do as Californians,” Platt explained.

Chapman University President Daniele C. Struppa said Hilbert, who many called Jan, leaves behind a “profound legacy that has deeply touched our university and the broader community.”

“Jan was a remarkable individual whose passion for the arts and education left an indelible mark on all who had the privilege of knowing her,” he said in a statement. “Beyond her professional achievements, Jan was known for her effervescent aura which could be felt whenever she entered a room … Jan’s warmth, generosity and unwavering commitment to the values she held dear will always remain inspiring and uplifting to us all.”

Mark and Janet, left, Hilbert sign a book of California art at the grand opening of the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in 2016. (File photo by PAUL RODRIGUEZ/SCNG)

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Mark and Janet, left, Hilbert sign a book of California art at the grand opening of the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University in 2016. (File photo by PAUL RODRIGUEZ/SCNG)

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It was in a small consignment shop in Palm Springs in 1992 where the couple first stumbled upon an eye-catching California scene watercolor, choosing it to decorate their newly purchased home – a fateful piece of inexpensive decor that would spark their appreciation for artwork depicting the Golden State, and later a philanthropic spirit to share the passion with others.

Though they liked that first California landscape scene they purchased, Hilbert suggested to her husband they get another with people in it, so they went back and bought one, a simple depiction of a man walking down a road.

They were so enthralled with the art style, they began researching and purchasing more pieces, eventually amassing a collection now considered one of the most comprehensive and prolific to spotlight California scenic art.

Hilbert earned her master’s degree from USC and for 36 years was a professor of business at Santa Ana College.

“Education was always very, very important to her,” said Platt.

Initially, the couple thought to open their own museum with their collection, but then decided to partner with a college. Chapman University was the first they approached, quickly impressed with the outdoor art already displayed around the campus.

In November 2014, Chapman University announced it had received from the Hilberts a major gift of California art valued at more than $7 million, in addition to $3 million from the couple toward establishing a museum on campus.

The Hilbert Museum of California Art opened in 2016, free to the public.

The expansion into the building next door completed earlier this year took the museum’s footprint from 7,000 square feet to 22,000 square feet, the two buildings joined by the Janet Hilbert Arts Courtyard where a singular live oak serves as an “an expression of Jan’s enduring love for this place and its landscape.”

Platt described Hilbert as a “gentle, elegant and extremely intelligent woman.”

She was a beacon of light, her kindness, passion and dedication leaving a lasting impact, Struppa said.

“In honor of her memory, let us continue to celebrate the arts and the educational values she so passionately championed,” he said. “Her legacy will forever be a part of Chapman University.”

Hilbert is survived by husband Mark, three children and six grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made in her memory to the Hilbert Museum of California Art at Chapman University and Mariners Church at the Orange County Rescue Mission.

Janet Hilbert, co-founder of California art museum at Chapman University, remembered for her passion Orange County Register

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Janet Hilbert, co-founder of California art museum at Chapman University, remembered for her passion

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