Purdue University. Visual Arts & Design Committee

Dates

• Existence: 1933 - present
• Usage: 1963 - 1993
• Usage: 1957 - 1963
• Usage: 1946 - 1957
• Usage: 1933 - 1943

Biography

The Hoosier Salon started in 1925 as an annual art exhibition featuring works by Indiana artists. The Hoosier Salon’s early exhibitions were held in Chicago. The Hoosier Salon included Purdue Days, where Purdue alumni, faculty, and students would gather to view the art. J.E. Walters, director of the Memorial Union, took an interest in the exhibition and worked to bring the exhibition to the Memorial Union. In 1929, the Union held the Hoosier Salon Art Exhibit in the Union. This exhibition was sponsored by the Lafayette Art Association, the Memorial Union, and other local organizations. The exhibition was a success, and the Memorial Union continued to display selected works of the Hoosier Salon and other art exhibitions in subsequent years. Exhibitions were often displayed in the Music Room. The Art Committee of Union was formed to develop and oversee the art displays at the Union. Initial members of the Art Committee of Union included J.E. Walters (Union Director), Virginia C. Meredith (Board of Trustee member), and Edith Palmer (School of Home Economics). The success of the Memorial Union’s exhibitions led President Elliott in 1933 to create the Special Advisory Committee on Art Affairs to coordinate and cultivate art throughout campus. The committee also oversaw Purdue’s permanent art collection. The first chair of the committee was Laurentza Schantz-Hansen, Head of Applied Design in the School of Home Economics. During World War II, the committee disbanded. In 1946, after the war, Laurentza Schantz-Hansen revived the committee as the Faculty Committee on Promotion of Interest in the Fine Arts within the University Senate. In 1957, the name was changed to the Committee on Promotion of Interest in the Visual Arts and in 1963, it was changed to the Visual Arts Committee. The name would later be changed to the Visual Arts & Design Committee.

In 1963, the Visual Arts Committee submitted a proposal for an annual weeklong arts festival that would feature guest lectures, exhibitions, performances, and fine arts events. In 1964, the Visual Arts Committee held the first Purdue Arts Festival. The first art festival was built upon pre-existing spring exhibitions, concerts, and fine arts events. The Art Festival was a success and became a recurring 1–2-week event held in late spring semester. Due to a lack of funds and capacity, the Art Festival was canceled for 1969. In 1970, the festival was brought back under the partnership between the Convocation and Lectures Office and the Visual Arts Committee. Mary Molter, from the Convocation and Lectures Office, was hired as the Art Festival Coordinator in 1970. On September 8, 1972, the Visual Arts Committee voted to fully turn over the administration of the Art Festival to the Convocation and Lectures Office. The Visual Arts Committee continued to be involved in the Art Festival in an advisory capacity. The Visual Arts Committee sponsored several lectures, exhibitions, and events. They also worked closely with the Purdue Libraries Audio-Visual Center to acquire films and hold screenings of movies. The Visual Arts Committee developed the Purdue Art Collections and cultivated gallery spaces on campus for students and faculty exhibitions and visiting exhibitions. The underground tunnels between the Memorial Union and parking garages were empty spaces that the Visual Arts Committee decided to transform into an art gallery filled with art reproductions and posters. The Underground Gallery was successful and was replicated at Mackey Arena. The Home Economics Building II, later known as Matthews Hall, contained the Fine Arts Gallery overseen by the Visual Arts Committee. In 1972, a fire damaged the Fine Arts Gallery and destroyed most of Purdue’s permanent art collection. In 1973, Robert Ringel became the dean of the School of Humanities, Social Science and Education (HSSE) which would later become the College of Liberal Arts. After becoming dean, Ringel worked on establishing Purdue Galleries as a permanent unit within the Department of Creative Arts. In 1978, Ringel hired Mona Berg as the first Director of Purdue Galleries. Over time, Purdue Galleries took over responsibility for caring for Purdue’s permanent art collection from the Visual Arts Committee. The Visual Arts Committee also oversaw the Purdue lending art collection. Started in 1972 by Barbara Pinzelik, the lending art collection consisted of posters and reproductions that individuals or departments could check out and display in offices and buildings around campus. In the 1990s the lending art collection was handed over to the Purdue Galleries.

The chairs of the Visual Arts Committee are as listed: Laurentza Schantz-Hansen (1933-?), Hiatus during World War II (1942-1946), Laurentza Schantz-Hansen: (1946-1951), Elanore Cammack: (1951-1952), Henry Feuer (1952-1953), Alvin Rolfs (1953-1954), Robert C. Geldmacher (1954-1955), (Dorothy Powelson 1955-1956), O.C. Dunn (1956-1958), R. A. Rankin (1958- 1960), D. Schuder (1960- 1961), G.K.W. Yim (1961-1962), Philip H. Best (1962- 1963), R. Allen (1963-1964), Merle M. McClure (1964-1966), Jesse L. Senn Jr. (1966-1967), Thomas F. Hull (1967-1968), Merrill M. May (1968-1969), Jules Janick (1969-1970), Philip H. Best (1970-1971), David Moses (1971-1972), Ralph Scarcelli (1972-1973), Barbara Pinzelik (1973-1975), Ben Olson (1975), Jim Lesko (1975-1976), Ed Ferringer (1976-1977), Barbara Pinzelik (1977-1978), M. N. Diskin (1978-1979), Arnold Tubis (1979-1980), Anne Gregory (1981-1982), Al DeVito (1982-1983), Bill Theobald (1983-1984), Marjorie Levy (1984-1986), Graham Cooks (1986-1989), Tom Eismin (1991-1993), Tom Eismin (2013-2015), David Hovde (2015-2018), Laura Bittner (2022-2025).

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records: