Conrad Schmitt

Gruenke Foundation Donations

The Gruenke Foundation is proud to have donated money to the following causes over the years:

10/05/97 – Judson College – Elgin, IL $1,000.00 donation towards an architectural scholarship

12/28/98 – Clement Church – Sheboygan, WI $3,800.00 donation towards altar, $6,800.00 donation towards cross

04/28/99 Waukesha School System – Waukesha, WI $2,875.00 MattBoard donated

02/28/01 Form/Reform – Chicago, IL $300.00 towards Scholarship Fund

09/10/01 Holy Hill – Hubertus, WI $3,000.00 St. Mary 4′ wood statue donated towards the Holy Hill Saints & Sinners Auction

01/18/02 UWM Milwaukee, WI $2,00.00 towards the SARUP Project

02/01/02 Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts – Brookfield, WI $70,000.00 towards Leptat Glass

03/11/02 Trinity Academy – Pewaukee, WI $6,00.00 Our Lady of Guadalupe mosaic donated

08/21/03 St. Josaphat Basilica – Milwaukee, WI $5,000.00 towards the Loaves and Fishes Gala

02/19/07 Vincennes University – Vincennes, IN $1,00.00 towards the George S. Ridgeway Architectural Scholarship

Bernard O. Gruenke, Sr. dedicated his entire life to the arts. As a young man, he received a scholarship from Ms. Marie Kohler, of the Kohler company, to attend the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C.

Afterwards, he joined and later purchased the renowned national art studio, Conrad Schmitt Studios, and went on to provide murals, stained glass and decorating for hundreds of churches, theaters and public buildings throughout the U.S.

He created several drawings or watercolors each day even into his 90’s. But his favorite times were working with children to help them understand that they are great artists.

Donar Recognition

Thank you for helping us continue to better the community through the promotion of art.

Donate to The Gruenke Foundation

If you would like to make a gift in support of the Gruenke Foundation for the Arts, print off, fill out and mail the document listed below.

GF Donation Env.

Thank you for helping us continue to better the community through the promotion of art. In recognition for your donation, you will be included in our donor recognition page.

Bernard O. Gruenke Oil Paintings Collection

In addition to collecting works of art, Bernard O. Gruenke was an accomplished artist in his own right. The Foundation maintains a collection of his oils, including portraits, landscapes, and still life paintings spanning more 70 years – a lifetime of art.

Stained Glass Collection

In more than a century of working in the ecclesiastical arts, Conrad Schmitt Studios acquired more than 100 stained glass pieces. These works are currently under the stewardship of the Gruenke Foundation, for the purposes of restoration and display.

16th to 19th Century Fine Arts Collection

Bernard O. Gruenke’s passion for art included collecting fine works of art from around the world. The collection includes beautiful Old Masters pieces.

Erhard Stoettner Collection

This collection includes drawings, paintings, stained glass, and sculpture donated by Ronald Stoettner for care and conservation by the Gruenke Foundation.

Bernard O. Gruenke: Watercolors & Pastels Collection

Some of Bernard o. Gruenke’s most personal artwork includes pieces in watercolor and pastel. In these informal works, Senior captured the moments of everyday life – views from his hilltop Wisconsin home, his children and grandchildren playing at the family like cottage, portraits of his family, and studies of religious figures.

Historic Architectural Renderings Collection

The traditional process for designing a stained glass window or decorative interior involves artists’ renderings of the proposed space. Today, these renderings are often completed on a computer, but for more than one hundred years, artists at Conrad Schmitt Studios produced these designs by hand, in pencil, ink, and watercolor. These drawings, dating from as early as 1915, are now under the stewardship of the Gruenke Foundation.