Court documents are expected to be filed in Porter County on Monday against Valparaiso University and its president, Jose Padilla, in an attempt to stop the sale of artwork from the university’s Brauer Museum of Art in violation of the trust that provided it to raise funds for the renovation of dorms for first-year students.
As controversy swirled on the Valparaiso University campus weeks after President Jose Padilla announced the private school was considering selling three cornerstone pieces from the Brauer Museum of Art to fund dorm renovations for first-year students, the university purchased The Market, formerly Strongbow Inn, for $2.2 million, according to Porter County records.
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.