The University of Lynchburg dedicated two new spaces on Thursday evening, Oct. 24, the E. Stewart Coleman Gallery and the Crank Plaza. A ceremony marking the occasion was held on the new plaza, which is located in front of Daura Museum of Art.

About 100 people were on hand for the ceremony, including several members of Lynchburg’s board of trustees.

What was once referred to as the atrium gallery, part of Lynchburg’s Daura Museum of Art, was named for Stewart Coleman ’86. Coleman, a philanthropist and a former member of the board of trustees, died in 2022.

“Stewart was a dedicated proponent of the arts and the Daura Museum,” Brooke Marcy, the Daura’s director and a friend of Coleman’s said, adding that he “generously contributed significant artworks and artifacts to the collection.

“In recognition of his philanthropy and devotion, the Daura Museum of Art is delighted to dedicate the E. Stewart Coleman Gallery in his honor.”

According to Tom Burrowes ’93, ’21 MA, a longtime friend of Coleman’s and Lynchburg’s senior director of alumni and external engagement, Coleman donated a large amount of artwork to Lynchburg’s Daura Museum of Art.

Included are works by the Colombia-born artist known as Umaña and Pierre Daura, a Catalan artist and namesake of the Daura Museum with his wife, Louise Blair Daura.

Burrowes estimated Coleman’s total contributions to the University at about $1.4 million over the past 20 years. In addition to artwork, he made numerous cash gifts and donated furniture and artwork for use at the home of the University’s president and Cloverlea Farmhouse at Claytor Nature Center.

He also supported Lynchburg’s theatre program, Historic Sandusky, most of the University’s athletics teams, and other initiatives.

“During GiveDay he’d make sure he gave to almost every sport,” Burrowes said. “He tried to support the college in whole. He tried to spread his donations out.”

Before the atrium gallery was renamed, the space underwent much-needed renovations — major roof repairs, in particular — which were accomplished thanks to a gift from Martha Daura, daughter of the museum’s namesakes, and the Daura Foundation.

“The atrium area … could not be used as part of the gallery space because of the large amounts of UV rays the glass ceiling allowed in,” Burrowes said. “The solution was to have the glass ceiling encased, which helped solve issues of water leaks and the sunlight.”

When Burrowes approached Martha Daura about renaming the space for Coleman, he said she wholeheartedly agreed with the idea.

“Based on [Stewart’s] overall donations to the University and his love of art, in our estimation it was deserving,” Burrowes said. “Based on what she knew of him, Martha was thrilled to have his name go on the gallery. She said she was in ‘enthusiastic support of this.’”

In her remarks, read that evening by Chief of Staff and Organizational Strategy Dr. Daniel Hall, Lynchburg President Dr. Alison Morrison-Shetlar thanked Martha Daura for creating the Daura Museum and for making the E. Stewart Coleman Gallery a reality.

“This honor wouldn’t have been possible without Martha Daura,” Hall read. “For decades, her extraordinary generosity has made this museum what it is today, and we are deeply grateful. Thank you for providing all of us with a sanctuary of loveliness and peace.

“And thank you for honoring Stewart in such an incredible way, by naming your gift of the atrium renovation after him.”

Coleman’s mother, Renie Coleman, attended the event. She said she was “very, very proud” and that her son “would have loved” having the gallery named for him. “He loved Lynchburg College with his whole heart and supported it as much as he could.

“He was a wonderful, wonderful person, good in every way, kind and giving.”

The new Crank Plaza was created with a $100,000 gift from Steve Crank ’73, ’74 MBA, a member of Lynchburg’s board of trustees. The plaza was dedicated in memory of Crank’s first wife, Susan Hornsby Crank ’74, an art major and educator who died in 2006.

In her written remarks, the president described Crank as a “double alum” whose impact on the University “has more than doubled, tripled, or quadrupled,” adding, “In fact, your legacy seems to just multiply, year after year.

“From the scholarships you’ve created to your dedicated service on the board of trustees to this gorgeous plaza, the difference you make to this University and its students never stops. It is extraordinary.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your kindness, your generosity, and your love for the University of Lynchburg.”

For years, Burrowes said, there had been “talk of how the atrium [now Stewart Coleman Gallery] entrance was never used because there was never anything there. It was a doorway to nothing.

“The idea of having someplace to display sculptured art outside has been in the works for 10 years. I think it was even older than that.”

Burrowes added that the hardscape, multipurpose patio, which includes a built-in projector and raised stage, can also be used for entertaining, classes, and other purposes. Marcy agreed.

“Through the generosity of the Crank family, the Daura Museum of Art will now have a sizable multiuse patio,” she said. “This project will bring about new opportunities for engagement, relaxation, and fun on the University of Lynchburg campus.

“The Daura Museum of Art would like to express their utmost gratitude to the Crank family.”

Crank, in attendance with wife Connie and other family members, gave a humorous address. He first claimed to be “not much of a speaker,” unlike his minister father, and then joked that he initially thought about just reciting one of his father’s old sermons that evening.

He said the dedication was a “great honor” and the plaza was “a lot nicer even than what was described.” He added, “Dad was a preacher, so I’ve got to put in something from the Bible, what God said when he created the universe: I am pleased.”

Crank said he and his wife visited the plaza, then in the final stages of construction, during the recent Homecoming and Family Weekend. When they arrived in front of the Daura Museum of Art, Crank said — eliciting laughter from the audience — the space was occupied by a “porta-potty bigger than a tractor trailer.

“I said, ‘Well, that’s going to be nice.’”

On a more serious note, however, Crank concluded that he was “so amazed at what they’ve done with the facility and can’t wait to see what they do here, and I hope that people enjoy it for many, many years.”