Past Exhibitions

Through February 2015
 
Featuring an array of mediums, sizes, and styles from realistic portraits to loosely sketched figures and abstract shapes and forms, these works created over a span of sixty years further the Woodson Art Museum’s Collections Goal: to set the standard for art of the avian world. With a watchful eye on the art market, the Museum has added to the collection twentieth-century works by Jim Dine, Milton Avery, Charley Harper, David Bates, Joseph Stella, and Neil Welliver.

Through February 2015

Often, typical birdwatching experiences involve treks into quiet or obscure areas, high-powered binoculars, and patience. As an alternative to slogging through shallow waters, swatting mosquitos, and braving cold or rainy weather, the Woodson Art Museum’s collection offers the best indoor birdwatching to be found. Birdwatching: Selections from the Collection includes historic works by Jessie Arms Botke, Rubens Peale, and Percival L. Rosseau.

November 22, 2014 – February 22, 2015

From Steve McCurry’s unforgettable Afghan girl to Nick Nichols’ iconic image of Jane Goodall and chimpanzee to Thomas Abercrombie’s never-before-seen view of Mecca, see some of National Geographic magazine’s most compelling photographs from its more-than-120-year history.

November 22, 2014 – February 22, 2015

A series of 23 prints by revered nineteenth-century American artist James A. McNeill Whistler comprises this exhibition from the Dr. Richard L. Shorkey Collection and organized by the Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont. Whistler, best known for the painting Arrangement in Grey and Black (a.k.a. Whistler’s Mother), was born in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1834.

To celebrate the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet’s 45th anniversary, expressive masks – along with initial design sketches – created for Wausau Dance Theatre’s “Alice in Wonderland” will be featured in “En Pointe: Central Wisconsin School of Ballet Unmasked.” The oversized masks were designed and fabricated ten years ago by Joyce and Bob Ritz of Integrity Designworks “to pull characters off the pages of storybooks,” said Patrik Kasper, Wausau Dance Theatre artistic director.

December 5, 2015 – February 21, 2016

Lyrical landscapes of snow-covered hills and sun-drenched harbors, portraits, and still-life paintings exemplify American artists’ varied approaches to Impressionism during the early twentieth century. Oil paintings and works on paper reveal the abiding interest they shared – capturing the effects of light and atmosphere in loosely brushed compositions. Arranged by artists’ colonies from New England to Taos, New Mexico, and California, the exhibition explores the critical role of the colonies in the development of American Impressionism in the 1880s through the 1940s. Colony artists – surrounded and inspired by scenic locations – taught, collaborated, and escaped the daily rigors of their city studios.

Forest Folklore: A Multisensory Experience
December 5, 2015 – February 21, 2016

An entirely tactile fairy-tale forest is the site-specific creation of Colorado-based artist Ann Cunningham. Visitors are encouraged to touch the artworks, which will inform all about the needs of those who use other senses “to see.”

February 27 – April 3, 2016

This 39th annual exhibition at the Woodson Art Museum celebrates Youth Art Month and the artistic endeavors of north central Wisconsin students in grades 9-12.