The Museum of Wisconsin Art was founded in 1961 to collect the works of Milwaukee-born
artist Carl von Marr (1858-1936). It currently holds the best and most comprehensive
collection of his work anywhere. In 1998, after recognizing that no institution
was building a comprehensive survey collection of Wisconsin art, the Early Wisconsin
Art Collection was unveiled on the state’s sesquicentennial. This has grown to be
the most comprehensive collection of its kind anywhere.
MWA is a collaborator in the Wisconsin Visual Art Lifetime Achievement Awards along
with Wisconsin Visual Artists and the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters.
The goal of the WVALAA is to elevate the status of Wisconsin’s visual art by honoring
those whose contributions are substantial and in many cases often overlooked by
people outside of our region. MWA received one of these prestigious awards in recognition
of 45 years of collecting and championing Wisconsin art. The same day MWA was awarded,
the state legislature issued a proclamation acknowledging the fact that the Museum
of Wisconsin Art is, to all intents and purposes, the Museum of Wisconsin Art.
The MWA continues to grow its collection and fulfill its mission to collect, conserve,
document and exhibit Wisconsin art through the ages and to educate the public about
its cultural value.
Blue Star Museums
The Museum of Wisconsin Art has joined the National Endowment for the Arts in an
exciting new initiative – the Blue Star Museum program, a collaboration with Blue
Star Families’ Operation Appreciation.
Blue Star Families is a non-profit organization that works to support America’s
military families from all branches of the service. The goal of the Blue Star Museums
program is to offer free admission to museums across the country for active duty
military personnel and their families.
The initiative began on Memorial Day, May 31, 2010 and extends through Labor Day, September 6, 2010.
Over a million Americans have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, over 900,000 children
have said goodbye to a parent at least once since the fighting began, many have
endured 2, 3, 4 or more deployments. These families often feel that their sacrifices
may seem to go unnoticed. The Blue Star Museum program says to our nation’s military
families that the arts community recognizes and honors their contribution, by opening
the doors to our nation’s art treasures to those who have been serving so long and
so faithfully.
More than 600 museums from across the nation are offering free admission to military
families throughout the summer. We are proud to be a part of this important initiative.
Please help us to spread the word about this great initiative.
For more information about the Blue Star Museums program, including eligibility,
the proper forms of ID required and which museums throughout the country are participating,
please visit: http://www.arts.gov/national/bluestarmuseums/faq.html
