Exhibits

Temporary Exhibits

At the Edge of the Ice: Mammoths, Mastodons & More

Through March 11, 2012- West Gallery

Mammoths and mastodons are hot news! Mammoth and man were living together in southeast Wisconsin 14,300 years ago.

Since the excavation of the Schaefer Mammoth almost 20 years ago, new research, data, and scientific evidence have changed our views of the peopling of the Americas. Learn about the years of research and other mammoth discoveries and how it's rewriting the history books.

African Art and Culture from the KPM Collections

Now through March 2012 - Mary Frost Ashley Treasures Gallery

Gifts from the Friends of the Museums

Now through Spring 2012

View fine art and crafts from the permanent collections of the Kenosha Public Museums received as gifts from the Friends of the Museums.

Wolves and Wild Lands

October 8, 2011 through March 25, 2012 - KPM West Gallery

Presented by the Uline Company.

Mason Dixon Lines - Recent Artworks by Reginald Baylor

Opens November 25, 2011 - KPM East Gallery

Figures and landscapes on canvas, fabric, leather, and wood explore the cultural divide, questions of place and self-identity, boundaries and places of harmony, unity, and coexistence.

Russian Lacquer

Opening Dec. 27 in the KPM Abbott Labs Treasures Gallery

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 East 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.