Don't call Steve Shey a philanthropist.
Sure, he and his wife have been major donors to UF's Harm Museum of Art for almost 20 years, and yeah, the two have made possible the newest exhibition at the on-campus museum by donating nearly 100 pieces of artwork.
But don't use the P-word.
"Maybe a mini philanthropist," Shey conceded. "A half-time philanthropist, right?"
Shey, a nearly 70-year-old Gainesville resident, and his wife, Carol, who have donated to the Harn since its conception in 1990, are the benefactors of the newest Harn exhibit, "Paradigms and the Unexpected."
The exhibit, which opened Feb. 10. and will run until May 18, features modern and contemporary works from various artists and time periods.
Christian Hale, Harn spokeswoman, said the new exhibition has been in the works for about nine months.
"Working with [the Sheys] over the time we've been preparing for the exhibition, I've become awed at how deeply they care about the art," Hale said. "Their collecting is very personal to them."
Steven Shey worked for more than 40 years building and renting apartments to Gainesville students, and though his realty days are behind him, Shey said he isn't retired. He's only working half as much now - only 12 hours a day, he joked.
Shey now uses his time to invest in charitable foundations, something he learned to do with his wife.
The Sheys met in 1959 at Hofstra University, a private college in Long Island, N.Y. Carol was a freshman. Steve was a senior.
A few years later, the allure of a favorable property market and a sparsely populated Gainesville brought the couple down south.
"There was nothing in this town when we got here," Shey said. "We couldn't build [apartment complexes] fast enough."
But the market took a turn during a "mini-recession," Shey said, and he began taking classes at UF's law school.
Carol also joined The Gator Nation and earned a degree in psychology from UF while raising four young girls.
When the market improved, Steve quit class.
"I enjoyed school very much, but it was tough competing with those young studs," he said. "I was thankful when business changed and I was able to get back to work."
When the Harn opened, the Sheys were just "minor donors," he said.
"A couple thousand a year," Shey said. "That was a lot of money for us."
Over the years, that small contribution grew to what Hale calls "quite impressive." She said the Harn does some if its own purchasing, made possible by endowments, but much of its collection comes from donors.
"We've been hearing a lot about these budget cuts that are coming up, so it's great that we have support in the community," Hale said.
Shey said he and Carol started collecting art when the Harn's founding director, Budd Harris Bishop, encouraged them to do so. They began seriously collecting around 1993, he said.
But just like his habit of altruism, Shey is humble about his extensive art collection.
"Everybody collects art," he said. "Whether it's poster art or lithographs or photographs, everybody has something hanging on their wall."
Shey said he knows many students don't take advantage of the art he shares with them, but he doesn't take offense.
Kids today have a lot on their plates, he said. Still, he said he hopes they make room for art.
"There's always something going on, but art is part of history, and you can't live the future without knowing what the past is," Shey said.
