Contact Information
Destiny Crider
Curator of Fine Arts Collection
Koren 319
Luther College
Decorah, IA 52101
Email: cridde01@luther.edu
Phone: 563-387-2156
Search for Artwork
Numbering over 2,200 works, the Collection contains art dating from ca. 500 BCE to the present with a focus on art produced in the 20th century.
The Luther College Fine Arts Collection is supervised by Curator, Destiny Crider. While many of the artists represented in the Collection originated from the upper Midwest, exemplified by Orville Running, many notable works were created by artists outside that area.
Fine Arts Database
History
The Fine Arts Collection began in the 19th century when Herbjørn Gausta, noted Norwegian-American artist and Luther College art faculty member, donated over thirty works to the college. This initial gift was augmented by several large bequests which together built the core collection. During the early years of Luther College’s development, the Fine Arts Collection was informally considered part of the library’s caretaking responsibilities. The art was stored and displayed in Koren until the opening of Preus Library in 1969 and was maintained by the Library until 2010, when the collection was transferred to the Art Department. It is now supervised by the Curator, Dr. Destiny Crider, and a team of student curators. The students not only manage the daily curatorial work, they also research and create exhibitions of collection objects.
Luther has been blessed with generous gifts of individual art pieces and collections from donors and this art is displayed on occasion for public enjoyment as well as used for teaching purposes for our students.
Gifts of such pieces are coordinated through the Fine Arts Collection Committee and must be approved before being gifted to the college to assure that they are appropriate additions to the college collection/inventory. If you are interested in discussing the opportunity to gift an individual piece or collection to Luther, Dr. Destiny Crider.
If approved by the Fine Arts Collection Committee, you can coordinate your gift through the Luther College Development Office to assure proper tax credit for any in-kind gift to the collection. Gifts of art are subject to specific limitations and rules regarding their valuation and tax deductions—so we also suggest that you work with your tax advisor to assure compliance to these rules. A qualified professional appraisal will be required for any individual piece or collection valued at $5,000 or more; however, valuation for any in-kind gift is required no matter what level of gift and it will be the responsibility of the donor(s) to acquire such valuation to establish the tax deductible value. In-kind gift forms are also available for review on the Luther College Development website. If you have questions, you may contact Maria Smith at (563) 387-1096 or smithmar@luther.edu.
Contact Information
Destiny Crider
Curator of Fine Arts Collection
Koren 319
Luther College
Decorah, IA 52101
Email: cridde01@luther.edu
Phone: 563-387-2156
Search for Artwork