Brauer Museum of Art Announces 2013-2014 Season

Opening Reception is Sept. 6

The Brauer Museum of Art at Valparaiso University’s 2013-2014 exhibition season features works from the Museum’s extensive permanent collection, as well as digital art, prints, sculptures and paintings by prominent artists from around the world. An opening reception will be held Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. to kick off the season.

The opening exhibitions will be on display through December 15. Seven of the Brauer Museum’s galleries showcase selections from the permanent collection that highlight major art movements from the first part of the 19th century through the present day. The exhibition includes a wide variety of media including paintings, drawings, prints, sculptures and photography.

“With recent acquisitions by the Brauer Museum, we are able to provide a more substantive overview of major movements in American art than ever before,” said Gregg Hertzlieb, Director and Curator of the Brauer Museum of Art.

“Glimpses of Grace: Digital Collages by E. John Walford” is on display this fall in the Brauer Museum’s Education Room. Walford retired from his position as professor of art history at Wheaton College in 2011. His art incorporates visuals found in the public domain and illustrates Biblical concepts using current technology, offering a new take on familiar passages of scripture.

In January, the Brauer Museum will debut three new exhibitions on display through April 6. “Trucks: Recent Work by John Himmelfarb” will feature playful, abstract art by the prolific Chicago-based sculptor, whose works explore the subject of trucks and are executed in a variety of media.

Also on display in January, “Mr. Imagination: Chicago Self-Taught Artist” will feature eclectic multimedia sculptures by the eccentric, self-taught artist Gregory Warmack.

The exhibition will include selections from the collection of Robert Alter and Sherry Siegel and will be curated by Hertzlieb and Nina Corazzo, Walter E. Bauer Professor of Art History.

The final winter exhibition, “Modern Vision: Japanese Prints from the Ruth A. Ruege Collection,” will feature modern works showcasing an experimental approach.

From April 16 through May 11, the Brauer Museum will showcase art by Valparaiso University students and faculty. Each spring, faculty members select outstanding works by students in their studio arts classes to display in the Museum. Valpo professors, who create art in addition to teaching, will also display a variety of pieces using media such as ceramics, drawings, paintings and photographs.

Along with the student and faculty art, “Classical and Popular School Japanese Paintings” from the Walter and Dörte Simmons Collection will be on display, showcasing Japanese ink paintings on paper from the 19th century.

The summer exhibitions will be on display from May 16 through Aug. 10. “Parallel Pursuits: Tom Brand — Finding Form, Carole Stodder — Shaping Space” offers an opportunity to compare and contrast the abstract works of two Michigan City, Ind. artists. Brand’s art features carefully composed shapes with a smooth surface, while Stodder’s paintings feature geometrical patterns with hard edges.

Rounding out the exhibitions will be selected drawings by Fred Frey, a retired Valpo professor, and new acquisitions to the Brauer Museum’s permanent collection. Featured pieces include Greek and Roman carvings, a work by the New York artist Romare Bearden, as well as modern prints by the acclaimed printmaker Letterio Calapai.

Throughout the 2013-2014 season, the Brauer Museum will host coffee hours and gallery talks with artists, curators and art collectors. Visit valpo.edu/artmuseum for more information about the season and upcoming events.