THOUSAND OAKS, CA - The William Rolland Gallery of Fine Art, possibly the country’s only dedicated art gallery housed inside a stadium, will open to the public on Saturday, Oct. 29.

The gallery will open at 11 a.m. A dedication for the $8.9 million William Rolland Stadium and Gallery of Fine Art will be held at 12:30 p.m., just prior to the 1 p.m. homecoming football game against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

The initial exhibit in the 2,200-foot gallery will feature large bronze statues depicting the life of a Native American, oil and watercolor paintings and an Indy 500 racecar that belong to Rolland. In the future, additional pieces from Rolland’s large and eclectic collection as well as visiting exhibits will be displayed. A specially commissioned 7-foot-2-inch bronze statue of a football player, “Heading for the End Zone,” will stand outside the stadium entrance.

The museum-quality interior features a decorative ceiling with a floating panel, a highly polished tile floor and recessed lighting. Bronze-tinted windows look out over the entry terrace.

Rolland, who donated $5.45 million for the stadium, requested that the facility include a gallery that could display his art. The real estate developer and former Los Angeles City firefighter from Westlake Village began buying pieces in the mid-1950s and has amassed a huge collection ranging from 17th-century to contemporary works. A fan of the artistry of high-performance automobiles, he owns race cars dating back to the 1940s including winners of the Indianapolis 500 from three eras. He also has bronze sculptures that belonged to Elizabeth Taylor, a collection of Murano glass and such curiosities as a letter penned by Mark Twain. The cars and artworks will be displayed in the gallery on a rotating basis.

As the feats taking place on the field and the pieces inside the gallery are both examples of what people can accomplish, Rolland sees them as fitting together well. He is also excited by the possibility of exposing sports fans who may not otherwise visit a gallery to various types of art.

CLU officials have embraced the unconventional combination of art and athletics under one roof, viewing it as a reflection of the broad experience that CLU provides to students as a liberal arts university.

The stadium is located on the north side of Olsen Road between Campus Drive and Mountclef Boulevard on the Thousand Oaks campus. Admission to the gallery, ceremony and game is free.