Brauer Museum of Art at Valpo Announces Winter Exhibitions

Opening Reception is Jan. 8

Valparaiso University’s Brauer Museum of Art continues to grow its permanent collection with major acquisitions from the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. These, along with prints, sculptures, paintings and other works from artists from around the world comprise exciting winter exhibitions, which kick off with an opening reception Jan. 8, 2016.

The winter exhibitions run Jan. 8 through April 3 and feature artwork in a variety of media. “Celebrating Life: Betty LaDuke Retrospective Exhibition,” curated by Gloria Ruff, in the Wehling and McGill Galleries and Education Room, presents the artist’s thoughts about the world around us and the worlds within us. Visitors can enjoy the exhibition’s narrative while exploring the use of color, shape and gesture.

In the West Gallery, “Carlos Lopez: A Forgotten Michigan Painter,” curated by George Vargas, Ph.D., features works by the Cuban-born artist who was a talented modern painter and draftsman. Lopez serves as important link connecting American modern art in Michigan with a new Latino history of the state. Paintings and drawings from all phases of his career will be on display, including paintings borrowed from the U.S. Navy Art Collection.

Gallery 1212 will house “So Small Between the Stars, So Large Against the Sky — Five Studies for a Monument: New Works by Neil Goodman.” The title is based on a line by famed singer-songwriter-poet Leonard Cohen, which addresses the ambiguity of scale and how we can simultaneously be both large and small, significant and insignificant. These beautiful sculptures were created with Valparaiso University in mind; the artist spent much time on campus in order to create works that relate to the landscape here. Goodman and the Brauer Museum are working toward one of these smaller scale works being realized in bronze on a large scale for permanent installation on the University’s grounds.

Finally, “Michael Miller: An Appreciation” in the Ferguson Gallery presents a retrospective view of the late artist’s career, who retired from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2014. Miller was worked with traditional printmaking methods and expanded on them to create mixed media works of remarkable complexity. The exhibition includes early etchings, prints and drawings reflecting a variety of approaches, as well as the last portfolio of prints that he created.

In April, the Brauer Museum will display original artwork by Valpo students in the Wehling and McGill Galleries and by Valpo faculty in the West Gallery. Additionally, George Pati, Ph.D., associate professor of theology and Surjit S. Patheja, M.D. Chair in World Religions and Ethics, will curate “Sacred Spaces and Objects” in the Education Room. Also in Gallery 1212, the Brauer Museum will present paintings by the Indian artist Kartik Trivedi.

The summer exhibitions, on display May 17 through Aug. 7, include new acquisitions in the Wehling and McGill Galleries, “Images of the Dunes from the Brauer Museum’s Permanent Collection” in Gallery 1212, and “An Artist’s Journey: Works by the Area Artists Association of Michigan City” in the West Gallery.

Throughout the season, the Brauer Museum will host coffee hours and gallery talks with artists, curators and art collectors. The film/lecture series “Thursday Night Noir” returns Jan. 21 to offer film screenings and discussions that will explore the classic film genre.

Visit valpo.edu/brauer-museum-of-art for more information about the season and upcoming events.