Current Exhibition

Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad
Sept. 6 – Dec. 22, 2024

Sometimes called the “railroad industry’s very own Picasso,” Gil Reid’s work ranks among the all-time great railroad art. Gilmore Wiley Reid (1918-2007) was born in St. Louis but, following his service in the Second World War, made his lifelong home in Wisconsin where he practiced as a commercial artist for decades. Reid worked for Kalmbach Publishing in B次元 from 1956 to 1978 as assistant art director and illustrator for Trains and Model Railroader magazines. He also created illustrations for Amtrak’s annual calendars from the 1970s to the early '90s, among his other work for books, posters, and prints.

Reid’s longtime friends and collectors, Rita and Chris Burger, have established an archive of his art and Amtrak calendar work at the Grohmann Museum from which this exhibition is drawn. A railroader and rail executive for 39 years, Chris is perhaps best known locally for managing the Chicago & North Western’s Wisconsin Division, where he was the moving force behind the railroad’s “Good Will Ambassador” steam program in the 1980s. Over the course of his career, Chris both collected Reid’s work and commissioned numerous pieces for his annual Christmas cards.

Gil Reid and Friends is a must-see for any railfan. From initial sketches to printed product, the railroad art of this amazing watercolorist will be joined by other images of railroading from the museum’s collection by O. Winston Link, David Plowden and others, including Chris Burger himself.

Be sure to catch this rare display before it leaves the station!

Upcoming Exhibition

January 17 – April 27, 2025
On the Edge: The Labor and Environment of Dimensional Stone Quarries 

Photographs by Michael Schultz
Gallery Night Event—Jan. 17, 5-9 p.m., featuring a Gallery Talk with the Artist at 7 p.m.

We are pleased to once again share Michael Schultz’s photography with our patrons and campus community. Over past 15 years, we have presented his Foundry Work (2010), Forge Work (2015), and his exploration of Electric Steel (2021). The present exhibition represents a departure from the metallurgical industries to focus on yet another industry borne out of the earth—quarry work.

While the thematic focus has changed, what remains consistent through Mike’s work is his treatment of space. Again, he demonstrates a gift for capturing the sheer size and scale of these monumental industrial operations. Over the course of this years-long project, he has visited quarries in Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Vermont, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and even Portugal.

Through his work, we are treated to awe-inspiring views of an entire industry, from breaking and drilling to the stone cutters at work in refinement and finishing. The superbly crafted images celebrate the light within while directing our attention to the labor and laborers of heavy industry.

Upcoming Events

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Past Exhibitions

2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007