Dawn Long

I am working with the Friends of Art Collection.  Friends of Art was a group that was put together in the early 1980s by a group of individuals who had a vision for Valparaiso University to have an art museum. It was founded by Josephine Ferguson and Richard Brauer, who both worked for the University.  They created the group for the exhibition of works by University art students, local artists, and national artists.  The group was very passionate about the work and, although the group no longer exists, the Brauer Museum of Art still can be visited today in the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts (VUCA).

The reason that I picked this project is I have always had a place for art in my heart.  I take my children to Chicago all the time, and now I can take them here on campus and show them what some of the students are producing and what other artists in the area are doing.  This experience has been challenging and interesting. I am one of the oldest interns and have come across a lot of interesting people. I respect the Archives for what they are doing to preserve the things from the University’s past.  We are also working with items that pertain to the Holocaust, and I find that fascinating.  Although the work is challenging, I know that in the end it will have been an honor to have helped preserve this history.