Exhibitions

All Union Art Gallery exhibitions are FREE and open to the public

You will find on this page, in this order:

Current Exhibitions

Upcoming Exhibitions

Virtual Exhibitions (ongoing)

Past Exhibitions

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Current Exhibition

 

50th Annual Juried Show

50th Annual Juried Show

Exhibition Dates: March 3rd-March 31st

Opening Reception: March 3rd from 5-7pm, remarks at 6

Artist Talks: Thursday, March 16th at 7pm via Zoom

Artist Talks Zoom link: https://wisconsin-edu.zoom.us/j/97615060019

The Union Art Gallery presents the 50th Annual Juried Exhibition, a showcase of artwork in a variety of mediums by college student artists from around the Greater Milwaukee area. Juried by a panel of three Milwaukee arts professionals (Celeste Contreras, Lois Bielefeld, and Melanie Ariens), the top exhibiting artists will be announced and awarded cash prizes during the opening reception. This is a great opportunity to see and support the incredible talent of emerging contemporary artists right in our local area!

Artist Credit from L to R: Clare Curran, 2nd Runner Up, Caroline Calvano, 1st Runner Up, Julia Bradfish, Best in Show, Ryan Story, 3rd Runner Up

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Upcoming Exhibition

First Year Experience 2023

Exhibition Dates: April 14th-April 28th

Opening Reception: April 14th from 5-7pm, remarks at 6pm

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts prepares students to be creative, engaged and ready to advance in their chosen areas of study. The first year is a time of artistic and personal development during which students choose their areas of concentration and begin to see themselves becoming practitioners in their field. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition is an opportunity for these students to showcase the work they have created during this process. Join us in celebrating the work of these talented artists!
BLICK Art AWARDS at First Year Experience Exhibition:
Each year Blick Art Materials Milwaukee selects Blick Awards at the First Year Experience exhibition. We thank Blick Milwaukee and their staff for supporting this annual event. Five works in the exhibition will be selected before the opening reception and announced on Friday, April 14th at 6pm during the opening reception. Award recipients will receive Blick Gift Cards.
Image preview

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Virtual Exhibitions (Ongoing)

The online versions of these exhibitions are still available to view on our virtual exhibitions page

First Year Experience 2022

April 14-May 6, 2022

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 14th 5-7pm, remarks at 6pm in the gallery

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts prepares students to be creative, engaged and ready to advance in their chosen areas of study. The first year is a time of artistic and personal development during which students choose their areas of concentration and begin to see themselves becoming practitioners in their field. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition is an opportunity for these students to showcase the work they have created during this process. Join us in celebrating the work of these talented artists!

 

This is also OFFICIALLY the last exhibition to go up in the current gallery space we have resided in since 1972. Join us for pop-up exhibitions and events in Fall 2022 and check out our new space coming to the Student Union in Spring 2023!

(Image Credits L to R: Jordan Sanders, Neveah Benning, Juleia Jocius)

49th Annual Juried Show

February 21- March 18, 2022

Virtual Scan Link

Opening Reception: Thursday, February 24, 5-7PM at the gallery, remarks and awards at 6pm

Artist Talks: Thursday, March 17, 7-8:30PM on Zoom -> Recording Link

The Union Art Gallery presents the 49th Annual Juried Exhibition, a showcase of artwork in a variety of mediums by college student artists from around the Greater Milwaukee area. Juried by a panel of three Milwaukee arts professionals (Evelyn Patricia Terry, Brad Bernard, and Molly Hassler), the top exhibiting artists will be announced and awarded cash prizes during the opening reception. This is a great opportunity to see and support the incredible talent of emerging contemporary artists right in our local area!

Artist Credit: Will Manley, 2021 Best in Show

Crossing Over 2021

Nov 15-Dec 16

Opened November 15th, 2021

Visit the exhibition online here!

The Crossing Over exhibition showcases work created by undergraduate students of the UWM Peck School of the Arts department of Art and Design who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in 2021. This exciting annual exhibition highlights the exceptional artwork produced by these promising emerging artists in a wide range of mediums and themes. Please join the Union Art Gallery in celebrating these outstanding UWM artists!

Additional Programming:

Opening Reception:

Thursday, November 18th from 5pm to 7pm, remarks at 6pm
Artist Talks:
Thursday, December 2nd at 7pm, recording of event can be found here 

ReCollections: A Union Art Gallery Retrospective

Open Now!

August 30-September 30

Visit the exhibition online here!

The Union Art Gallery opened its doors almost 50 years ago in 1972 as an art space dedicated to bringing outstanding contemporary art by professional and student artists to UWM and the Milwaukee community. As the gallery prepares to move from its current space during the Union renovation, we are utilizing the gallery space one last time to stage a retrospective and reminisce about the space itself and the artists who have shown work within it by revisiting past exhibitions and events. Artwork and materials culled from various artists, collections, collectives, and the gallery’s own archives and Student Art Collection will be on display, allowing for a nostalgic and illuminating look at the gallery’s history. Join us on this trip down memory lane!

Additional Programming:

Lyrical Sanctuary Writing Workshop: Wednesday, September 8, 7-7:45pm in the gallery

Opening Reception: Thursday, September 9, 5-8pm in the gallery

Music in the Gallery: Wednesday, September 22nd and 29th 12:30pm-1:30pm

Past UAG Curators Talk: Thursday, September 16, 7-8:45pm on Zoom | Watch the recording here!

Mutòpe j. johnson: In Search of a Benevolent Kind of Blue

April 8 – May 13, 2021 (In Person, also available online)

Open Online!

Visit the exhibition online here!

Exhibition description:

Centering around an exploration of Milwaukee’s historic Bronzeville neighborhood, Mutòpe j. johnson: In Search of a Benevolent Kind of Blue celebrates and memorializes the rich local history of African American experiences through a contemplation of the past, the present and the future. In this solo exhibition, UWM alum Mutòpe j. johnson evokes the lively spirit of Bronzeville, inviting visitors to digest dynamic depictions and installations that also bring up issues of cultural loss and the negative impact of eminent domain policies on the neighborhood. Through vibrant, reimagined images of Bronzeville and its Jazz clubs, poets, and singers, johnson has transformed the Union Art Gallery into a charged space imploring critical thinking, open discussion, and unapologetic celebration!

Opening Reception

April 8, 2021 at 7:30pm

Recording Link here!

First Year Experience

Open Online!

Visit the exhibition online here! Click on the First Year Experience 2021 tile to view.

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts prepares students to be creative, engaged and ready to advance in their chosen areas of study. The first year is a time of artistic and personal development during which students choose their areas of concentration and begin to see themselves becoming practitioners in their field. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition is an opportunity for these students to showcase the work they have created during this process. Join us in celebrating the work of these talented artists.

Additional Programming:

Opening Reception: Thursday, April 1st, 7:30pm
Watch the Opening Reception here

48th Annual Juried Show

Open Online!

Visit the exhibition online here!

The Union Art Gallery presents the 48th Annual Juried Exhibition showcasing student artists from around the Greater Milwaukee area working in a variety of mediums. Juried by a panel of three Milwaukee arts professionals (Nykoli Koslow, Todd Mrozinski, and Valaria Tatera), the top four exhibiting artists will be announced and awarded cash prizes during the opening reception.

Additional Programming:
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 4, 7:30pm
Watch the Opening Reception here
Artist Talks: Thursday, March 11th, 7:30pm
Watch the recording here

Migrating Gestures

Open Online!

Visit the exhibition online here!

Bodies in motion communicate, influence, engage and instruct. Migrating Gestures showcases the work of sixteen interdisciplinary artists to explore the ways in which gesture has the capacity to live on and transfer knowledge between body, form and media, which in turn influence and shape our culture and understanding. Inspired by choreographer and performer Maria Gillespie’s 2016 show Mapping the Migration of Gesture at INOVA, this comprehensive exhibition expands to present gestural motions in a range of media presenting a truly multimedia experience of corporeal exchange and the body’s layered awareness.

Professional exhibiting artists include Maria Gillespie, Nirmal Raja, Portia Cobb, Barry Paul Clark, Rosy Petri, Nykoli Koslow and Kierston Ghaznavi

ExhibitinUWM student artists include Brandon Buhr, David Collins, Alex Dougherty, Ava Ferrier, Zoe Glise, Jessica Lueck, Finn O’Connell, Emily Olson and Faith Rae.

Additional Programming:
Opening Reception: Watch the recording here!

Crossing Over

Opened Virtually November 19, 2020

Visit the exhibition online here!

The Crossing Over exhibition showcases work created by undergraduate students of the UWM Peck School of the Arts department of Art and Design who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in 2020. This exciting annual event highlights the exceptional artwork produced by these promising emerging artists in a wide range of mediums and unpredictable themes. Please join the Union Art Gallery in celebrating these outstanding UWM artists!

Additional Programming:
Opening Reception: Watch the recording here!
Artist Presentation: View the recording here!

Here To Stay: Braving Barriers Through Performance

Opened Virtually September 11, 2020

We don’t have a guest book since we are virtual, but you can send us your comments on Here to Stay anonymously here!

Please join the UWM Union Art Gallery for this timely virtual exhibition challenging preconceived notions of who we are as a nation and expanding our understanding of our community. Positioned immediately preceding our presidential election, in the middle of a world-wide pandemic and amidst a modern day civil rights movement, Here to Stay highlights the work of three artists working in the realm of social justice, activism and immigration.

The UWM Union Art Gallery is honored to present the work of Chicago-based performance artist Sami Hussain Ismat, Chicago-based installation artist Aram Hans Sifuentes and Milwaukee-based artist and activist Jeanette Arellano. Alongside these artists, we are excited to present the work of six UWM Peck School of the Arts students working within these same themes; co-organized by UWM Peck student Austin Piszczek.

Artist Credit: Aram Han Sifuentes, Sami Hussain Ismat and Jeanette Arellano

Additional Programming:
Performance, Protest and Censorship: A Conversation with Aruna D’Souza and Artist Panel: Watch the recording here!
Home, Belonging and Democracy Story Slam w/ Ex Fabula: Watch the recording here!

 

First Year Experience

Opened Virtually July 9, 2020!

Visit the exhibition online here!

The First Year Program in Art and Design at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts prepares students to be creative, engaged and ready to advance in their chosen areas of study. The first year is a time of artistic and personal development during which students choose their areas of concentration and begin to see themselves becoming practitioners in their field. The Union Art Gallery’s First Year Exhibition is an opportunity for these students to showcase the work they have created during this process. Join us in celebrating the work of these talented artists.

Additional Programming:
Opening Reception: Watch the recording here!

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PAST EXHIBITIONS

 

Crossing Over 2022

November 11 – December 14, 2022

The Crossing Over exhibition showcases work created by undergraduate students of the UWM Peck School of the Arts department of Art and Design who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in 2022. This exciting annual exhibition highlights the exceptional artwork produced by these promising emerging artists in a wide range of mediums and themes. Please join the Union Art Gallery in celebrating these outstanding UWM artists!

Additional Programming:

Opening Reception:

Friday, November 11th from 5pm to 7pm, remarks at 6pm
Artist Talks:
Thursday, December 1st at 7pm over Zoom

MKE GENERATIONS: New Work by Willie G. and Michael Davidson

 Aug 26 – Sept 13, 2019

Opening Reception: Saturday, Aug 31, 5-7pm, Artist Talk at 7pm.

For the first time ever, University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee alum Michael Davidson and his father Willie G. are presenting artworks in a side-by-side gallery exhibition, showcasing their mutual lifelong devotion to painting. Willie G. helped shape 50 years of legendary and iconic designs as Vice President of Styling at Harley-Davidson, but it was his watercolor practice that inspired Michael’s childhood interest in painting. This fascination eventually led Michael to study at UWM before venturing into the art world of New York City. Although these two artists have explored a variety of styles and subjects independently throughout the decades, the elegant directness of paper, paint, and brush has guided their continued commitment to the expressive possibilities of their first love: abstract watercolors.

Please join the UWM Union Art Gallery as we present this pioneering exhibition of recent work by father and son, Willie G. and Michael Davidson.

Additional Programming:

Fall Welcome Trip to the Harley Davidson Museum:  Wednesday, Aug 28 | 12:30 – 2:30pm

Join us on a FREE trip to the Harley Davidson Museum, a Milwaukee icon! During the trip you can explore the museum. Free for UWM students w/ ID. Meet in the Union Concourse at 12:00pm on 8/28. Busses leave at 12:30pm and return at 2:30pm. Sponsored by Student Involvement.

Screening of “Willie G. Davidson: Artist, Designer, Leader, Legend”: Thursday, Sept 12 | 6pm

Union Art Gallery

Join the Union Art Gallery as we celebrate the Milwaukee icon, Willie G. Davidson, and the many depths that make the man the legend.

G • 2015 • 60 min • Biography/Documentary

10 Wisconsin Sculptors: Not Just a Boy’s Club

 Sept 20 – Oct 11, 2019

Opening Reception: Friday, Sept 20, 5-8pm, Artist Panel 5-6pm.

Creating sculptural works, especially those larger in scale, has historically been viewed as a male-dominated field within the arts. The reality however is that many significant women artists have influenced and shaped the sculptural conversation in Wisconsin. This exhibition, presenting ten Wisconsin artists, highlights some of the impactful work being done by women sculptors in Wisconsin. It is by no means a complete survey.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS: Emily Belknap, Prithika Deivasigamani, Yevgeniya Kaganovich, Katie Martin Meurer, Nirmal Raja, Lisa Beth Robinson, Mary Roley, Jill Sebastian, Valaria Tatera and Kristin Thielking

Additional Programming:

Wisconsin Avenue Sculpture Walk: Friday, Oct 4 | Buses leave UWM Student Union at 1pm

Public art is a fascinating topic with many different facets – motivations, intended audience, budget, location and many others. Join the Union Art Gallery for a FREE trip downtown to walk along Wisconsin Avenue and tour Sculpture Milwaukee, a temporary installation of large-scale public sculptures. The tour will include discussion led by a docent from the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Leah Schretenthaler Artist Talk: Thursday, Oct 10 | 6pm

Union Art Gallery

UWM MFA candidate Leah Schretenthaler will talk about her dual practices as an exhibiting photographer and sculptor and detail the process of designing and installing her new large scale sculpture, The Current Will Guide You. Commissioned by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Student Union, Leah’s sculpture is a new and public addition to the Union Art Gallery Student Art Collection.

 

 

Photographic Reflections: Documenting Community

 Oct 17 – Nov 8, 2019

Panel Discussion: Thursday, Oct 17, 6pm
Opening Reception: Saturday, Oct 26, 5-8pm, Artist Talk by Darcy Padilla at 7pm.

The UWM Union Art Gallery is honored to present the work of internationally-renowned photographers Alejandro Cartagena, Justine Kurland and Darcy Padilla. This exhibition is presented in conjunction with the Society for Photographic Education (SPE) Midwest Conference, being held at Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel from October 24-27. Photographic Reflections explores representations of diverse communities throughout the United States and Mexico.

While photography has a unique way of capturing small glimpses into reality, it is the recontextualization of these unrelated moments that offers new narratives. Because these photographs present images both familiar and unfamiliar, the analysis of the dichotomies grants the viewer opportunities to see the world in new ways, expanding an understanding of human existence.

This exhibition is cosponsored by the Union Art Gallery, the SPE Midwest 2019 Conference “Communities, Collaborations and Collectives”, the UWM Student Photography Club-FOCUS and Peck School of the Arts.

SPE Conference Events:

UWM Artist Now Lecture Series / SPE Midwest 2019: Wednesday, October 23 | 7:30pm

Alejandro Cartagena at UWM Art Center Lecture Hall 120 (ACL 120)

SPE Midwest 2019 Featured Speaker: Thursday, October 24 | 7:30pm

Justine Kurland at Saint Kate Hotel Ballroom

MIAD Creativity Series / SPE Midwest 2019: Friday, October 25 | 6-8pm

Strange Fire Collective at MIAD’s 4th Floor Raw Space

Union Art Gallery / SPE Midwest 2019 SPE: Saturday, October 26 | 7:00pm

Darcy Padilla at UWM Union Ballroom

Peck Arts Center Gallery Exhibition:

Boundaries and Borders Opening Reception at the Arts Center Gallery: Saturday, October 26 | 5:00pm – 6:30pm

Open concurrently with the reception for Photographic Reflections: Documenting Community, exhibition featuring the work of Alejandro Cartagena, Larry Chatman, Dave Jordano, Barbara Minor and Johanna Warwick.

Crossing Over

 Nov 15 – Dec 12, 2019

Opening Reception: Friday, Nov 15, 5-7pm, Remarks at 6pm.

The Crossing Over exhibition showcases work created by undergraduate students of the UWM Peck School of Arts department of Art and Design who have received a scholarship and/or fellowship award in 2019. This exciting annual event highlights the exceptional artwork produced by these promising emerging artists in a wide range of mediums and unpredictable themes. Please join the Union Art Gallery in celebrating these outstanding UWM artists!

Additional Programming:

Crossing Over Artist Talks: Thursday, Dec 5th | 5:00-7:00pm

Union Art Gallery

Select undergraduate students exhibiting in this year’s Crossing Over exhibition will come speak about their works, their processes and their aspirations as emerging artists.

Manufacturing Creativity

Manufacturing Creativity: Reginald Baylor Studio

 Jan 21-Feb 14

Thursday, Jan 23 5-8pm: Opening Reception

Thursday, Jan 23, 6-7pm: Talk by Milwaukee-based artist and RBS Studio Owner, Reginald Baylor and RBS Creative Director, Melissa Courtney

Thursday, Jan 30, 6-7pm: “The Business of Art” talk by Milwaukee-based artist and Gallery Director, Pamela Anderson.

Friday, Feb 7, 1-3:30pm: Tour of Reginald Baylor Studio and Material Studios + Gallery. Free and open to UWM students with ID – transportation provided (meet in the Union Concourse).

Thursday, Feb 13, 6-7pm: “The Business of Art” talk by Milwaukee-based artist and educator, Mutope Johnson

Venturing out of painting, Milwaukee-based artist Reginald Baylor has shifted his focus to building brands. After realizing the time it took him to finish a painting that most people couldn’t afford, Baylor turned to the examples of past business-minded artists like Takashi Murakami, Kehinde Wiley, and Andy Warhol for the inspiration to imagine manufacturing creativity.

In 2018, in order to advance the creative industry, he relocated Reginald Baylor Studio to Walker’s Point where it now targets its energies on the design and development of brands. The diverse brands produced at Reginald Baylor Studio sell products and produce short films, while co-branding and offering specialized design services.

Please join the Union Art Gallery for this innovative exhibition, focusing on new models of creative output and the business of design, and showing what creativity can do for the community.

47th Annual Juried Show

 Feb 21-Mar 13

Opening Reception: Friday, Feb 21, 5-7pm, Awards at 6pm.

The Union Art Gallery presents its 47th Annual Juried Exhibition showcasing student artists from around the Greater Milwaukee area working in a variety of mediums. Juried by a panel of three Milwaukee arts professionals, the top three exhibiting artists will be announced and awarded cash prizes during the opening reception. This year’s jurors will be: Michael Davidson: Milwaukee-based painter and educator. Fatima Laster: Milwaukee-based visual artist and interior designer and owner of 5 Points Art Gallery and Studios. Rosy Petri: Milwaukee-based multi-disciplinary artist and 11th Pfister Artist-in-Residence.

47th Juried Show Artist Talks: Thursday, Mar 5th | 5:00-7:00pm