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Racine, WI January 24, 2011
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RAM Celebrates Wisconsin artists Ruth Grotenrath and Schomer Lichtner
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Ruth Grotenrath, Untitled, 1970, Casein
Racine Art Museum, Gift of the Schomer Lichtner Trust
and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.
Photography: Jon Bolton, Racine
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Beloved Wisconsin artists Ruth Grotenrath (1912-1988) and Schomer Lichtner (1905-2006)-who happened to be married-are both well known for creating colorful and compelling paintings and works on paper. Their significant and lengthy careers made them leaders in the regional art scene for most of their lives. RAM is pleased to debut a recent gift from the Schomer Lichtner Trust and the Kohler Foundation, Inc. Open through May 8, 2011, Ruth Grotenrath and Schomer Lichtner at RAM features works spanning from the late 1920s through the end of their lives. These new pieces, along with those already in RAM's collection, allow the museum to thoroughly chronicle the development of their aesthetic and thematic interests.
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Schomer Lichtner, Untitled, 1987, Acrylic
Racine Art Museum, Gift of the Schomer Lichtner Trust
and the Kohler Foundation, Inc.
Photography: Jon Bolton, Racine
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Grotenrath and Lichtner have a special history with RAM. Included in the show are nine Lichtner works from the museum's initial collection. These pieces were created as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federally funded project that employed artists during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Both artists were in the first exhibition at RAM's Wustum Museum of Fine Arts when it opened in November 1941, as well as in many exhibitions there over the decades. They also drove down from Milwaukee for many years to teach art classes at Wustum.
This exhibition, featuring over 80 works, emphasizes the bold lines, love of pattern and expressionistic composition that identified the work of both artists. Grotenrath tended to favor domestic interiors, while Lichtner developed a particular fondness for ballerinas and Holstein cows. While each artist is respected in their own right, it is illuminating to see their work side-by-side-allowing viewers to investigate the similarities and differences.
The presentation of this exhibition at the Racine Art Museum was made possible by: Presenting Sponsors - Karen Johnson Boyd and William B. Boyd, RAM Society Members, Jay Price Ruffo, S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., The Hearst Foundation, Inc., and Windgate Charitable Foundation; Gold Sponsors - Helen Bader Foundation, Inc., Racine Community Foundation, Inc. Racine United Arts Fund, and Wisconsin Arts Board; Silver Sponsors - Cotsen Foundation for Academic Research, Osborne and Scekic Family Foundation, Real Racine, and W.T. Walker Group, Inc.; Bronze Sponsors - Clifton Gunderson LLP, CNH America LLC, E.C. Styberg Foundation, Inc., Friends of Fiber Art International, Knight-Barry Title, Inc., and John Shannon and Jan Serr. |
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Together, the two campuses of the Racine Art Museum, RAM in downtown Racine at 441 Main Street and the Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts at 2519 Northwestern Avenue, seek to elevate the stature of contemporary crafts to that of fine art by exhibiting significant works in craft media with painting, sculpture and photography, while providing outstanding educational art programming.
Docent led contemporary craft and architectural tours of the museums are available. Both campuses of the Racine Art Museum, are open to the public Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, and are closed Mondays, Federal holidays and Easter. RAM is open Sunday Noon - 5:00 pm, while Wustum is closed Sundays. An admission fee of $5 for adults, with reduced fees for students and seniors, applies at RAM. Admission to Wustum is free. Members are always admitted without charge to either campus.
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For more information or to request images, please contact:
Laura Gillespie
RAM Marketing Assistant
262.638.8300 x 114
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