Laurentza Schantz-Hansen papers

Laurentza Schantz-Hansen came to Purdue University in 1929 as an instructor of applied design. By 1930, she had become the Head of the Department of Applied Design. She held this position for a quarter of a century, until her retirement in 1956. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Chicago and later pursued her Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. As a student of art, Schantz-Hansen studied painting in Woodstock, New York and Taxco, Mexico. She also travelled extensively in Europe to study her craft. In addition, Schantz-Hansen was awarded to Carnegie scholarships for advanced study in the history and appreciation of art at Harvard University. Close to the time of her retirement, Schant-Hansen presented Purdue University with her collection of more than 650 children's books as a donation to the Purdue Nursery School in the Department of Child Development and Family Life. Aside from the children's books, she also donated 350 volumes to the Purdue Libraries, most of which dealt with the arts and their cultural impact. Laurentza Schantz-Hansen passed away in 1974 in Iowa. She was 85 years old.