Kenosha
Public Museum
Exhibits
Temporary Exhibits
Peter V. Bianchi: The Art of Science
August 2009--May 2010
South Gallery
The late Peter V. Bianchi was a native Kenoshan who became known for his illustrations for National Geographic. The exhibit features selections of his work, including preliminary sketches as well as completed illustrations from the Museum's permanent collection.
Jack Fleischer Retrospective
August 1-- November 29, 2009
East Gallery
The exhibit highlights Fleischer's journey through numerous stylistic phases in his more than 40 years as an artist and educator, from abstraction to photorealism. Fleischer's aviation paintings were featured in a solo exhibition at the Experimental Aviation Association and selected for inclusion in an international aviation art show at the Smithsonian's Air and Space Museum. He resides in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin.
Ethnographic Pottery
Opens August 15, 2009
KPM Mary Frost Ashley Treasures Gallery
The exhibit includes ancient pottery of the Americas and traditional pottery by modern masters.
Rocks and Minerals from the KPM Collections
Opens November 21, 2009Abbott Labs Fund Treasures Gallery
Two More or Less Unrelated Artists - C.W. Peckenpaugh and Betsy Benes
December 5, 2009--March 21, 2010
East Gallery
Artists reception Sunday, December 6, 2009, 2pm-4pm.
Kenosha Art Association Membership Show
October 3--February 21, 2010Permanent 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. A large sculpture is featured in the southwest windowed corner of the building.
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.