Kenosha
Public Museum
Exhibits
Temporary Exhibits
Birds and Mammals of North America - From the Kenosha Public Museum Collection
Open Through 2013 - Abbott Labs Treasures Gallery
Transparent Watercolor Society of America, 37th Annual National Juried Exhibition
May 4 - August 4, 2013; Kenosha Public Museum West and South Galleries
Join us for the opening reception and refreshments Sunday, May 5, 2013, 1-4pm.
Join members of the Transparent Watercolor Society of America for Sunday Gallery Talks at 2pm in the exhibit - May 5, June 9, July 21, 2013.
Adults and children can enjoy the TWSA exhibit with a "Family Guide." Pick up a copy of guide at the exhibit entrance and return at the end of your visit.
Experience Watercolors!
Saturday, July 6, 2013; 10am-2pm
Members of the Transparent Watercolor Society will be in the West Gallery painting amongst the paintings. You can experience watercolors, too, on the Mezzanine where paints, paper, brushes, and objects to arrange your own still life await you.
Art and the Animal - Society of Animal Artists
May 18 - June 30, 2013; Touhey Gallery
The 52nd annual members exhibition National Museum Tour. Find exhibit programming here and here.
Produced by David J. Wagner, Ph.D., curator and tour director.
Wisconsin Visual Artists Southeast Chapter Membership Exhibition
July 13 - September 29, 2013; Touhey Gallery
Join us for the opening reception Saturday, July 13, 2013 at 4-6pm.
Exquisite Miniatures - Wes and Rachelle Siegrist
August 10, 2013 through January 5, 2014
Landscapes, wildlife, still-life, and portraits. Over 40 finely crafted gems by two of the world's most acclaimed painters of miniature art. Produced by David J. Wagner, L.L.C., David J. Wagner, Ph.D., curator/tour director, davidjwagnerllc.com.
America's Parks Through the Beauty of Art
August 17 - October 13, 2013; Kenosha Public Museum
An international art competition and exhibition recognizing excellence in original works of art depicting any park in North America. Produced by David J. Wagner, LLC, the exhibit will premiere at The Ella Carothers Dunnegan Gallery of Art in Bolivar, Missouri and also tour to The Roger Tory Peterson Institute 15 miles from Chautauqua in western New York. Here is more information about this exhibit.
Permanent Exhibits
Permanent Exhibit: The Wisconsin Story
The Wisconsin Story is an immersive experience placing the Museum collections in an exciting multi-disciplinary adventure. Visitors will experience the change in climate, the development of a variety of ecosystems, the evolution of plants and animals, and the life of Native Americans as it happened in our area over hundreds of thousands of years. This permanent exhibit area is designed to correspond to school curriculum needs.
Highlights of the first floor exhibits include coral reefs and primitive monsters of the deep, the Ice Age and the eventual melting of glaciers, the Schaefer mammoth dig, the Hebior mammoth replica, and the story of Native Americans of Wisconsin.
The Schaefer mammoth, excavated by the Museum, is significant because it documents the earliest interaction of mammoth and man east of the Mississippi River. The actual Schaefer mammoth bones are set in a special floor display exactly as found on the Schaefer farm in Paris, Wisconsin. Further research on the Schaefer mammoth bones tells us that this site is one of the oldest sites of human habitation in all of the Americas.
The Hebior mammoth was excavated in Kenosha County, Wisconsin and is the largest, most complete mammoth excavated in North America. A life-size replica of the Hebior mammoth was purchased by the Friends of the Museums for this exhibit.
Temporary Galleries
The Touhey and West Galleries host changing exhibits representative of the broad mission of the Kenosha Public Museum. Visitors can see everything from baby dinosaurs to ivory carvings to animals from five continents. Stop in often and see what's new.
Decorative and Fine Arts Gallery
The Kenosha Public Museum has an exceptional fine and decorative arts collection. The Museum collection boasts works by renowned artists like Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, and Salvador Dali as well as regional artists who have achieved significant recognition such as Lorado Taft, Ruth Miles, William Bloom, and Lee Weiss. The decorative arts are well represented with Chinese ivory carvings, an ancient Chinese bronze goddess, Wisconsin salt glazed pottery, and glassware.
The works in this gallery change frequently, so be sure to visit often.
Treasures Galleries
(First and Second Floors)
A rest and study area is centrally located on each floor. This is an area where smaller collections associated with the themes of the floor are displayed on a long-term, temporary basis. These changing areas feature collections installed in an "intensive study" fashion.