CRAVA celebrates, supports and provides opportunities to visual artists, thereby enriching the arts culture of the community.
The Coulee Region Association for the Visual Arts has been a recognized 501(c)(3) organization since June 2019. CRAVA provides financial and material support to local and regional artists, groups and other entities that meet the scope of the CRAVA mission. Our organization supports events, activities, galleries, individual projects and more in a sustained effort to grow the Coulee Region into an arts destination. CRAVA was founded at the request of Ronald Burman in honor of his late wife, Valerie Lee Wentzel-Burman – an artist and teacher whose love for the Coulee Region will continue to live on through our future artists.
History
CRAVA is a non-profit organization designed to nourish artists and creators in our own backyard. It is also, at its core, a memorial to a woman who loved the arts and believed in the Coulee Region. CRAVA was founded in 2019 by Ronald Bruman and Mark Halter. Ronald is a retired English professor from UW-Lacrosse, where he met the love of his life, Valerie Lee Wentzel. The couple shared a love of the arts and envisioned a future where the Coulee Region would become an arts destination similar to the art scene in the larger cities. Together, they enjoyed 43 years of wonderful marriage within the La Crosse area. Valerie passed away in 2010, but Ron has found a way to make sure her memory continues to live through the passion of our future artists. In 2019, Ron gave Mark Halter the title of CRAVA President and committed his estate of $3.2 Million towards artist funding. His donation and the continued support from other independent donors will give young artists the opportunity to share their own artistic passion with the community and help bring the couple’s dream of an arts destination to life.
