Past Exhibitions

March 4 – May 28, 2017
The most iconic works by Dutch artist M.C. Escher (1898-1972), including a pair of hands drawing themselves and fish morphing into birds, are familiar to many. This exhibition of 120 woodcuts, lithographs, mezzotints, and drawings delves deeper into both the literal and impossible worlds Escher created over a career spanning five decades. Drawn from a large private collection of M.C. Escher’s work, Reality and Illusion includes early figure drawings, lesser-known book illustrations, detailed Italian landscapes, the tessellations for which he became famous, and examples of his signature architectural fantasies in which stairways seem to go both up and down. From the collection of Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece, www.herakleidon-art.gr
M.C. Escher images © 2017 The M.C. Escher Company, The Netherlands. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com

On view through May 21, 2017

This dazzling, historic array of bird imagery in artworks spanning the early-nineteenth through late-twentieth centuries includes work by John James Audubon, Martin Johnson Heade, Jasper Cropsey, Albert Bierstadt, Frank W. Benson, N.C. Wyeth, and Andrew Wyeth.

February 25 – March 26, 2017
This 40th annual exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum celebrates Youth Art Month and the artistic endeavors of north central Wisconsin students in grades 5-8.

December 3, 2016 – February 26, 2017
Tiffany Studios leaded-glass lampshades and windows, designed with colorfully luminous opalescent glass, shine as some of the twentieth century’s most striking, iconic decorative objects.
As a painter, Louis C. Tiffany – son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of luxury retailer Tiffany & Company – was captivated by the interplay of color and light. As his artistic and business interests expanded, Louis Tiffany directed hundreds of Tiffany Studios artists and artisans who created an array of decorative art objects. The use of opalescent glass and innovative techniques, marking a departure from the centuries-old stained glass tradition of painting on the surface of glass, achieved impressionistic effects in Tiffany’s signature leaded-glass work.
Tiffany Glass: Painting with Color and Light was organized by The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, Queens, New York.

December 3, 2016 — February 26, 2017
Suffused with cherries, ribbons, flowers, fluting, and frills in vibrant colors ranging from iridescent and opaque to transparent and glittering with silver and gold, art glass baskets are a feast for the eyes. Blown-glass baskets were produced in the United States between 1880 and 1905 encompassing the Victorian era. During this dawn of the Industrial Revolution, an economic boom increased the demand for decorative tableware, and the flamboyant, fanciful designs of art glass suited the eclectic decor of late-Victorian-era homes. This exhibition features a selection of glass baskets collected by Alice Richardson Yawkey, the mother of the Museum’s namesake, Leigh Yawkey Woodson.

On view through February 19, 2017
Art museums by nature are acquisitive. Growing the Woodson Art Museum’s collection remains a core value and ongoing goal. This selection of recently acquired artworks demonstrates the strength of the Woodson’s collection as it strives to set the standard for avian-inspired art.

On view through February 19, 2017

This selection of avian-themed drawings ranges from quick sketches to intricately detailed illustrations, highlighting artists’ varied approaches and the importance of field observation.

September 10 – November 27, 2016

Long venerated for embodying freedom, grace, and beauty in flight, birds continually provide creative inspiration to exceed limits of earthbound human existence. As we aspire to sing, soar, and preen like them adorned in brilliant attire, avian art inspires in endless ways. When talented artists from throughout the world strive to be among those chosen for the internationally renowned Birds in Art exhibition, the resulting depictions are breathtaking. The 41st annual exhibition celebrates avian marvels through fresh interpretations in original paintings, sculptures, and graphics created within the last three years by 112 artists from throughout the world.