Despite mounting criticism from the campus community, Valparaiso University is holding firm on its decision to sell three cornerstone pieces of artwork from the Brauer Museum of Art to fund renovations at dorms for first-year students.
For Valparaiso University junior Ashley Vernon, a visual media arts major, news that the university plans to sell three cornerstone works from the Brauer Museum of Art to raise funds to renovate dorms for first-year students was just another thing that makes her feel as if the university is increasingly pushing arts programing to the side.
As the Valparaiso University campus grappled Thursday with news about the pending sale of cornerstone artwork from the Brauer Museum of Art for dorm improvements, four organizations representing North America’s art museums issued a statement condemning the university’s decision and the irreparable harm they said it will cause.
Dick Brauer is threatening to remove his name from the museum at Valparaiso University after finding out that the university’s board of directors voted to sell Georgia O’Keeffe’s “Rust Red Hills” to fund improvements at dorms for first-year students.