New gallery honors memory of James Watrous

Artist and arts advocate James Watrous, a fixture on campus for nearly 70 years, no doubt would have been delighted with the gallery that bears his name.

The James Watrous Gallery opens Saturday, Sept. 18, in the new Overture Center for the Arts, under the auspices of the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.

Watrous, who died in 1999, would be equally delighted with the gallery’s inaugural show. “A Decade of Art from the Wisconsin Academy Gallery” will feature the work of a number of Watrous’ friends and colleagues. All exhibitors have had solo shows at the academy from 1994-2003. They include Jennifer Angus, Warrington Colescott, Jack Damer, John Wilde and many others.

Watrous’ own work is a major presence on campus. He painted the Paul Bunyan scenes in the Memorial Union between 1933-36, funded by the federal Public Work of Art project. Mosaics in the Social Science Building, inside the main entrance to the Memorial Library and on the outside of Vilas Hall also are the work of Watrous. He also was a prime mover in the campaign to create what became the Elvehjem Museum of Art, dedicated in 1970.

For more information about the new gallery or its exhibitions and related events, contact Randall Berndt at the Wisconsin Academy, (608) 265-2500.