Past Exhibitions

December 2, 2017 – February 25, 2018

Our dependence on – and love for – wood cannot be overstated. It’s integral to our very existence in a range of ways, encompassing our man-made environments as well as both utilitarian and decorative items. The organic qualities of wood, our ability to manipulate its shape, its abundance, and its renewable potential are among the reasons wood permeates our culture – including the art world. The more than seventy objects comprising Explorations in Wood highlight the diversity and unlimited potential of wood via this sample of the work held in the collection of Philadelphia’s Center for Art in Wood, gathered over a thirty-year period. These works stem from a love of wood and display a rich variety of wood type and processes, including wood-turned vessels as well as more sculptural forms. Many celebrate the natural beauty of wood, evident in rich warm-brown tones and assorted grain patterns, typical of materials gathered around the globe.

April 8, 2017 – February 18, 2018
Avian marvels that live in and pass through Midwest cities, rural landscapes, and our backyard feeders connect us with nature. They are alluring to watch, sing melodiously, and balance our ecosystem. Whether perched atop a tree, taking a turn at the nest, or foraging for food, birds provide unlimited inspiration for creative artistry. 

September 9, 2017 – February 18, 2018

Complementing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2017 Federal Duck Stamp Competition, held at the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, September 15-16, 2017, this Woodson Art Museum exhibition comprises an instructive grouping of preparatory drawings, finished watercolor, presentation print, sheet of stamps, and memorabilia related to Owen J. Gromme’s 1945 winning Federal Duck Stamp artwork, Three Shovelers. The preparatory drawings are among works in the Woodson Art Museum’s collection, thanks to the generosity of Gromme’s daughter, Anne Marie Gromme, who also loaned additional artworks for this exhibition. For details about related programs, check this UW-Stevens Point webpage: 

September 9 – November 26, 2017

The source of limitless creative inspiration, birds connect us to the rhythms of life. Their migrations mark the shifting seasons, their music heralds each dawn, and their shoreline searches highlight the ebb and flow of the tide. Avian art resonates and inspires in endlessly novel ways, too. Talented artists from throughout the world push standards ever higher by continually striving to be among those selected for the internationally renowned Birds in Art exhibition. The 42nd annual exhibition features new interpretations in original paintings, sculptures, and graphics created within the last three years. Artwork for the 2017 Birds in Art exhibition was selected in May; see this list of 2017 Birds in Art artists’ names whose work is included in this fall’s exhibition.

September 9 – November 26, 2017

In celebration of the International Wisconsin Ginseng Festival, September 15-17, in Wausau, organized by the Wausau-Central Wisconsin Convention & Visitors Bureau, Woodson Art Museum curator Andy McGivern invited Midwest botanical artists, including Wisconsin’s Lynne Railsback and Minnesota’s Wendy Brockman, whose artwork also is featured in the 2017 Birds in Art exhibition, to create drawings and watercolors focused on ginseng.

June 3 – August 27, 2017
Innovative and bold sculptural forms by more than forty contemporary Japanese ceramists, inspired by the natural world, depict mountains, waterfalls, ocean shores, and bamboo groves. More than sixty ceramic works – from exquisite flower vases and serene tea bowls to whimsical sake cups and robust platters – reveal the earthly beauty of Japanese ceramics. Select pieces are paired with digital photographs, taken by photographer Taijiro Ito, highlighting their poetic connection to nature. The featured ceramists are closely associated with many of Japan’s traditional pottery centers and are supporters of the mingei movement, in which objects of unsurpassed beauty are made for everyday use. Nature, Tradition, & Innovation: Contemporary Japanese Ceramics from the Gordon Brodfuehrer Collection was developed by Mingei International Museum in San Diego, California, and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, DC.

February 25 through July 30, 2017
A selection of Birds in Art Master Artist Andrea Rich’s woodcuts – printed only with black ink and utilizing only one woodblock – is intended to complement M.C. Escher’s black-and-white artworks in M.C. Escher: Reality and Illusion.

December 3, 2016 through July 30, 2017

American art glass was greatly influenced by the tenets of Art Nouveau. Between 1890-1910, artists eschewed the elaborate Victorian decoration and repetitious designs of the industrial revolution. Instead, favoring form following function, they used sinuous asymmetrical lines, floral- and plant-inspired decorations, and deep vibrant colors highlighted with metallic iridescence – favrile. Louis Comfort Tiffany, Emil Galle, the Daum Brothers, and others pushed the boundaries, creating beautiful decorative and utilitarian glassware for all to use and enjoy. Enduring Beauty is a survey of works from the collection produced during this nature-inspired era.