New exhibits show art of college humor, James Watrous

Two new exhibits offer a first look at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s extensive collection of college humor magazines and celebrate the work of an artist who got his start drawing covers for UW–Madison’s Octopus.

At one time, 200 college magazines were published in the United States; nine of those are still going strong, including the University of Michigan’s Gargoyle and Harvard Lampoon. UW–Madison’s first humor magazine, Sphinx, was launched in 1899, followed by Octopus from 1919-59.

John Dobbertin Jr., editor for Gargoyle from 1962-64, started collecting college humor magazines two years ago and has amassed more than 1,000, which he and his wife, Barbara, who live in Chaseburg, Wis., recently donated to Special Collections at Memorial Library.

A new Memorial Union exhibit features more than 200 digitized reproductions of magazine covers from the Dobbertin collection, dating from 1876-2007. Five former Octopus staffers are scheduled to attend an opening reception from 7-9 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1, in the Main Lounge of the Memorial Union. An additional exhibit featuring more of Dobbertin’s magazines, including original covers, will be on display at Special Collections from Sept. 22-Nov. 25.

At the Kohler Art Library, another exhibit opening Aug. 1 focuses on James Watrous, longtime chair of the Department of Art History and a leader in establishing the former Elvehjem Museum of Art. Aug. 3 marks the centennial of his birth.

Watrous, who died in 1999, drew covers for Octopus as a student in the early 1930s and went on to paint the Paul Bunyan murals in the Memorial Union. His interest in art flourished in the 1950s, when he traveled to Italy to work as an apprentice in the studio of Giulio Giovinetti, a master mosaicist. Watrous returned to UW–Madison, creating memorable mosaics at Vilas Hall, Ingraham Hall, Memorial Library and the Social Sciences Building using small fragments of colored Venetian glass.

The Kohler Art Library exhibit displays photographs, books and objects from the University Archives, the Kohler Art Library and the Watrous family.

Exhibit details:

• Porter Butts Gallery, second floor Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.: “The Art of College Humor,” Aug. 1- Sept. 16. Octopus staffers expected to attend the Aug. 1 opening reception include: Bill Barney ’52 MBA ’60 (business manager), Ken Eichenbaum ’53 (editor), Wayne Arihood ’58 MS ’62 (editor), Tom Bontly ’61 (art editor), and Dave Trubek ’57 (editor and retired UW–Madison law professor).

Gallery hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. A podcast accompanying the exhibit will be available here for download beginning Thursday, July 31.

• Kohler Art Library, Conrad A. Elvehjem Building, 800 University Ave.: “College Humor to Italian Tesserae: Celebrating the Centennial of James S. Watrous, ” Aug. 1-Sept. 30.

Gallery hours: Aug. 1-Sept. 1 (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m.); Sept. 2-30 (Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-9:45 p.m.; Friday, 8 a.m.-4:45 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4:45 p.m.).