Musings • March 2023

Attend Our Upcoming Partner Events

While we hope you stop by the PoCo Muse in March to visit our current exhibits, we also encourage you to attend two partner events taking place outside our gallery walls.

Tonight, Monday, February 27, at 6:30p at First Christian Church in Valparaiso, join the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes Watershed Group for an engaging evening of history, live music, and complimentary refreshments.   The evening will feature a presentation by Ed Seykowski that explores the history of the Valparaiso & Northern Railway and period music from the interurban’s era by the South Shore Brass Band Quintet.
On Saturday, March 25, at 4p, join us at the Brauer Museum of Art in the Valparaiso University Center for the Arts. After a two-year hiatus, the Brauer Museum of Art reopened to the public in the fall of 2022. Join us for a field trip to the Brauer to officially welcome its new director, Jonathan Canning, and visit its newest exhibition, Celebrating Black Artists.

WHAT TO DO

Partner Event: Interurban Trolley Presentation & South Shore Brass Concert

Monday, February 27, 6:30-7:45p

First Christian Church 1507 E Glendale Blvd Valparaiso, IN 46383

Field Trip: Brauer Museum of Art

Saturday, March 25, 4-5p

Valparaiso University Center for the Arts 1709 Chapel Drive Valparaiso, IN 46383

DONOR EXCLUSIVES

Guided Tour with the Executive Director

Saturday, March 4, 10a

This tour is only for PoCo Muse donors. Email or call the museum to reserve your spot.

Consider Making a Donation Today!

WHAT TO SEE

Connections: Permanent Exhibit

Gathered throughout the PoCo Muse are pairs of objects that speak to each other in surprising ways. The objects may appear different at first glance, but after closer consideration, they may reveal important relationships.

Eunice Slagle Gallery

Prehistoric Pop-Up: Featured Exhibit

Our award-winning Prehistoric Pop-up exhibit from the 2022 Porter County Fair tells the story of the American Mastodon remains found on Myron Benedict’s Porter Township farm in 1949.

Montague/Urschel Gallery

Porter County Art: Rotating

The Robert Cain Gallery honors M. Robert “Rob” Cain (1930-2022), a lifelong Valparaiso resident and beloved Valparaiso High School art teacher. Like his classroom of years past, the gallery features Cain’s work and a revolving display of other artists’ works from our permanent collection.

Robert Cain Gallery

Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor

The Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor was displayed on the courthouse square from 1943 until 1973 in commemoration of the Valparaiso citizens who contributed to the war effort during World War II. It was installed in the PoCo Muse in December 2022.

MORE TO EXPLORE

Muse News: January through March 2023

Stay up-to-date with all that’s happening at the PoCo Muse by checking out our most recent newsletter, Muse News.

Fire History in Downtown Valparaiso

During February and March on social media, we will be sharing stories of five impactful fires that occurred on the courthouse square in Valparaiso. For more in-depth history, you can read the digital version of the special-edition Fire History Tour publication.

Looking Back: March 1923

Each day on social media, the PoCo Muse looks back by featuring century-old historical excerpts selected from that day in 1923 in the Evening Messenger and Valparaiso Daily Vidette newspapers.

Gary & Valparaiso Railway Interurban, Car #1, circa 1910s; The Interurban’s inaugural run in Valparaiso on July 4, 1910; ”Factory Workers,” by Morris Topchevsky (1898-1947), circa 1943. Charcoal and pastel on paper, Sloan Fund Purchase in honor of Richard H. W. Brauer, Valparaiso University Brauer Museum of Art , 2009.04; Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour, 2019. Photograph by the NWI Times, 2019; Linocut block, by Hazel Hannell (1895-2002), circa 1930s; Installation view of Prehistoric Pop-Up Exhibit, December 2022; “Sad Self-portrait,” by Edna Agar, watercolor on paper, 1946; Installation view of Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor, December 2022.