Museum of Wisconsin Art ‘Visionary Women’

By Chadd ScottAugust 11, 2021August 10, 20210 Comments

Gina Litherland, Beautiful Wolf Lady, 2018. Courtesy of the artist and Museum of Wisconsin Art.

The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend, WI presents “Claiming Space—A New Generation of Visionary Women” on view through October 3, 2021. This exhibition celebrates MOWA’s 60th anniversary and its visionary founder, Melitta Hedwig Suder-Pick, with the work of thirty visionary women. The artists have contributed deeply personal works that touch on themes of motherhood, the body, life during the pandemic, daily routines, hair, and the otherworldly side of femininity. Accompanying the works of art are brief expositions written by curators, gallerists, historians, and poets.

The title, “Claiming Space,” refers to the long-overdue recognition of the underrepresentation of women in museum collections and art history as well as the expansion of this exhibition into MOWA’s permanent collection galleries.

“This exhibition raises timely questions about the place of women in the museum and more broadly in the art world,” Executive Director and CEO Laurie Winters said. “MOWA’s permanent collection is comprised of 19% works by women artists—more than 6% higher than the national average—but there’s still work for us to do. Every year we’re adding more works from historically underrepresented backgrounds including women and BIPOC artists. We are committed to correcting generations of oversight.”

MOWA is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30–4:00. Admission as low as $15 provides unlimited visits to the museum for one full year.

Jenny Jo Wennlund, Untitled, Lent by Linda Marcus

ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF WISCONSIN ART

A vital cultural center, educational institution, and an expanding network of ideas, the Museum of Wisconsin Art collects and interprets American art through the lens of a single state. Informed by dynamic initiatives and collaborations, MOWA is an innovative forum for contemporary artists, socially relevant exhibitions, lectures by artists and industry experts, and engaging classes and activities for all ages.

The museum’s primary venue—the modernist “Mothership”—rests along the Milwaukee River in downtown West Bend, drawing visitors and tourists from the far corners of the state. MOWA annually welcomes 200,000 visitors, making it a cultural destination for the art and artists of our time. Visit www.wisconsinart.org to learn more.