5 Artsy Road Trips to Take Over Holiday Break
Originally published on Milwaukee Magazine 12/23/22Want to add an artful adventure to your winter break? Take a trip to these neighboring towns to check out some incredible, soon-to-close art exhibits.
1. Trout Museum of Art
APPLETON | 1 HOUR AND 45-MINUTE DRIVE
Appleton’s Trout Museum of Art is wrapping up their latest exhibit, “Reclaiming Identity,” on Jan. 6. The exhibit is curated by Dakota Mace, a Diné artist and a UW-Madison alum based in New York. Reclaiming Identity features 25 Indigenous artists from across the U.S. and Mexico. The art “tells stories of identity and shares what it means to take control and preserve their culture” with themes of colonization, assimilation, family histories and more.
2. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center
SHEBOYGAN | 1 HOUR DRIVE
The John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s exhibit “Otis Houston Jr.: My Name is My Word” ends on Jan 14. The exhibit features the works of Otis Houston Jr., a multi-media performance and installation artist. According to the gallery, Houston is best known for his public performances and installation work on FDR Drive by New York’s East River, where he has been working since 1997. His work evokes conversation around racism, poverty and addiction. “My Name is My Word” is the 68 year-olds first museum exhibition.
3. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
MADISON | 1 HOUR AND 20 MINUTE DRIVE
Wendy Red Star’s “Apsáalooke: Children of the Large-Beaked Bird” exhibit at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art offers a new narrative about Native American history through the examination of historic imagery, artifacts and other sources. Red Star, an Apsáalooke contemporary multimedia artist from Montana, received the name Baahinnaachísh or Baaeétitchish (One Who Is Talented,) the original name of her grand-uncle. Her exhibit closes on Feb. 26.
4. Racine Art Museum
RACINE | 40 MINUTES
The Racine Art Museum’s exhibit “Quiet Elegance: The Jewelry of Eleanor Moty” features 35 metalsmith sculptures in the form of jewelry pieces from the collection of artist Eleanor Moty. According to the museum, Moty had a 28-year teaching career at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She founded the school’s metal department, which has grown into one of the most well-regarded in the country.
5. The Miller Art Museum
DOOR COUNTY | 2 HOURS AND 20 MINUTE DRIVE
Wrap up 2022 with a visit to Door County’s Miller Art Museum before the two exhibits “Hanseatic: The Life and Work of Karsten and Ellen Topelmann” and “New Acquisitions from James J. Ingwersen” close on Dec. 30. The Topelmanns and Ingwersen are well-known artists on the peninsula and have contributed dozens of works of art through their lifetimes. The Topelmann exhibit was curated by Lars and Lisa Topelmann and includes art from the family’s personal collection. Ingwersen’s collection of paintings and sculptures is a gift that followed the 2018 exhibition Captured Moments: Select Portraits by James J. Ingwersen, which presented personal works from over six decades of Ingwersen’s life.
