New galleries dedicated at Brauer Museum event

A Feb. 13 dedication of the Brauer Museum of Art’s new Byron Lee and Josephine Luecke Ferguson Galleries has increased the museum’s gallery space by approximately 25 percent. The museum is located in the Center for the Arts on the campus of Valparaiso University.

The Ferguson Galleries will contribute to the prominence of the Brauer Museum of Art‘s permanent collection of modern and contemporary works. These galleries were made possible through the support of longtime Brauer Museum donors Byron Lee Ferguson ’48 and Josephine Luecke Ferguson ’46.

Byron Lee Ferguson was Professor Emeritus of Chemistry after serving in Valpo’s Department of Chemistry for 38 years. He passed away in 2005. Josephine Luecke Ferguson served from 1950 to 1965 as the Director of Student Services and then the Director of Student Financial Aid at Valparaiso University. She is a resident of Valparaiso.

Josephine was the founding director and administrator of the FRIENDS of Art membership group for the Brauer Museum of Art. Byron served on the University’s Museum Council for more than 20 years and was involved in the FRIENDS of Art “poster project.” The poster project placed hundreds of posters, many purchased by the Fergusons on their travels, around campus in order to help familiarize students with artists and museums from all over the world.

“The elegant Ferguson Galleries reflect the culmination of years of work. They acknowledge and celebrate the Fergusons’ dedicated support of the museum. In addition to seeing the newly renovated galleries, viewers can also see displayed in the galleries new additions to the permanent collections purchased with Ferguson funds for this debut,” said Brauer Museum Director/Curator Gregg Hertzlieb.

“Supporters like the Fergusons ensure that Valparaiso University will grow and thrive in the 21st century. Their dedication to one of the jewels of campus, the Brauer Museum of Art, shows what donors can do to enhance the quality of the Valpo experience for our students and for the greater Northwest Indiana region,” explained Valparaiso University President Mark Heckler.

The Brauer Museum of Art was founded in 1953 and displays works of American art from 1830 to the present. The museum’s permanent collection of more than 3,000 works includes outstanding paintings by distinguished American artists, a collection of pieces by Junius R. Sloan, and works of international art of a religious nature.

The museum is also a home for exhibitions, lectures, panel discussions, and gallery talks.

For more information on the Brauer Museum of Art, visit valpo.edu/artmuseum/.