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| Mountain Landscape by Frederic Edwin Church |
Valparaiso's decline began with a possible $20 million sale of three paintings, donated to the school.
A loud national uproar responded with questions about selling the art to pay for two Valpo dorms being renovated. Likewise, some of us have wondered about the obsession of building unaffordable gyms (Martin Luther OJ College and Bethany Lutheran OJ College) to attract more better students. The ELS and WELS professors are supposed to be synodical buddies, so why would they plunk down $30 million for two gyms within 35 miles of each other?
The paintings are now in a secure and undisclosed place. Lawyers are on full alert. Selling paintings for dorm improvements seems to be ludicrous, but removing theology from a soi-disant Lutheran school (Valpo) is pathetic.
An Indiana University’s Plan Sell $10M. Worth of Art to Fund Dorm Renovations Overcomes Legal Hurdle
In 1953, the donor trust agreement made between collector Percy H. Sloan, who donated nearly 400 works to the university including 276 by his father artist Junius Sloan, and Valparaiso University stipulated that “the collection shall be open to the public generally during … reasonable hours…; it being the intention of the parties to make the benefits of this collection available to all persons.” Though it required pieces from Sloan’s collection to be on view in a dedicated space, it made no clear provisions on the future sale of any of the artworks in the gift.
In a statement, Valparaiso University president Jose D. Padilla said that the plan “is consistent with the donor’s intent in that it will result in more students on campus and more students able to appreciate the art displayed at the university.”
But, but, but - trading paintings for a newly painted dorm or two is not consistent with the concept of a university.
Valpo's history is worthy of a small book. The new president, Jose Padilla, is a Roman Catholic. As of February 2024, the paintings remain unsold.
