With her "Left Behind" exhibit at Valparaiso University's Brauer Museum of Art, curator Patricia Korzeniewski hopes to extend its viewer's knowledge of American history far before 1492.

"If you go to school and you don't take a class on Native American history, you're going to read about two or three pages or you might watch a movie that's inaccurate and that Hollywood made up," she said. "I want them to understand true Native Americans, how they lived and where they lived."

The exhibit is on display at Brauer Museum of Art with "Selections for the Robert and Ellen Haan Collection of Historic Indiana Art" through Nov. 20.

Korzeniewski is an art major at VU and also majors in archeology at Indiana University Northwest in Gary and Indiana University in Bloomington. The Crown Point senior has also participated in archeological digs throughout the region.

Korzeniewski's passion for art and archeology made her the ideal candidate to curate an exhibit containing artifacts from throughout North America for the museum. Last year, VU became the recipient of more than 1,500 Native American tools, weapons, arrowheads and projectile points originating throughout North America from Pearl Schoon, the widow of Wheatfield farmer and artifact collector Robert Schoon.

Additional artifacts were loaned to Brauer for "Behind" from David Kilander, a Valparaiso-based relic collector and expert who also advised Korzeniewski for her exhibit. Between his donations and the Schoon's collection, the approximately 500 pieces that make up the exhibit represent, by Korzeniewski's estimation, nearly 13,000 years of North American civilization.

Korzeniewski, who catalogued the pieces and created all of the displays, graphic designs and accompanying text in the exhibit, sought to appeal to a wide variety of possible interests for viewers both in and out of the classroom.

"I wanted something that was aesthetically pleasing, but I also wanted something that had a little bit of everything in it for educational purposes," she said. "Everyone's going to have a different (educational) background, and I tried to hit on something (that would appeal) to everyone."

For Korzeniewski, the experience of curating "Behind" proved to be an educational experience as well.

"I've never taken a course that prepared me for this," she said. "The experience broadened my knowledge not only of archeology but of the lithics of archeology ... my education is far more surpassed from this."

Korzeniewski is scheduled to host a student coffee hour in relation to the exhibit at Brauer Museum of Art at 7 p.m. Nov. 4.

ANOTHER PIECE OF HISTORY

A look at acclaimed late 19th and 20th Century works created by Indiana artists is sharing space with "Behind" at Brauer Museum.

"Selections" features 30 works on loan to the museum by Lafayette-based collectors Robert and Ellen Haan.

For "Selections," Brauer Museum director Gregg Hertzlieb enlisted the services of Laurette McCarthy, a Lafayette-based independent art historian, appraiser and curator who assisted Hertzlieb in bringing an exhibit from the Jack Finley art collection to Brauer Museum a half decade ago.

McCarthy said selecting only 30 works from the Haan's collection was no small feat.

"It was extremely difficult choosing the pieces," she said. "(The collection) is the largest and most significant collection of historic Indiana art in the country, if not the world.

"(The Haans) are wonderful people and very generous people," she added. "They have collected all of this art on their own. They don't have a consultant or an advisor. They just have a great eye and they really put together an amazing collection of art."

McCarthy's goals for the exhibit were to present works that highlighted major themes in both Indiana an American art in the late 19th and 20th centuries, such as portraits, still lifes, landscapes and recreations of everyday life.

And while renowned artists such as painters Otto Stark and T.C. Steele were important to the period, McCarthy wanted to highlight lesser-known but still important painters and art movements in "Selections" and also highlight works by female and African American artists.

"If (viewers) come away with an idea of understanding how diverse and rich the artistic heritage of Indiana is, then my job is done," McCarthy said. "These are stellar works of art. They're comparable to works by other American and European artists. I think people should be proud of what they have in Indiana."

"(I want viewers to see) the diversity of quality of artistic styles that exists amongst Indiana artists and the variety of styles these Indiana artists pursued," Hertzlieb said of "Selections." "They can see the heavy hitters, the well-known figures in Indiana art, but also some lesser-known figures who are also represented by some very fine pieces."

The Brauer Museum of Art is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

"Selections for the Robert and Ellen Haan Collection of Historic Indiana Art" and "Left Behind: Native American Artifacts from the Robert Schoon Collection" through Nov. 20

WHERE: Brauer Museum of Art, Valparaiso University Center for the Arts, Valparaiso University, 1709 Chappel Drive, Valparaiso

COST: Free

FYI: (219) 464-5365; VALPO.EDU/ARTMUSEUM