I can hardly believe it, but it was just over 2 years ago that the exhibit “The Finest in the Western Country: Wisconsin Decorative Arts 1820-1900″ opened at the Milwaukee Art Museum. This exhibit, sponsored by the Chipstone Foundation, was a unique opportunity to bring together over 40 important examples of Wisconsin decorative arts from collections across the state.
To explore the virtual exhibit, visit Chipstone’s online gallery and click on the exhibit’s title image (or take the time to browse the archive of other exhibits Chipstone has presented at the Milwaukee Art Museum). To navigate the Wisconsin decorative arts exhibit, click on the black arrows near the upper left to move forward or back through the show.
The original exhibit and its online counterpart featured furniture, stoneware, earthenware, art pottery, metalwork, beadwork, finger weaving, needlework samplers, coverlets and quilts on loan from private collectors and museums throughout Wisconsin. Participating institutions included:
Chippewa Valley Museum
Douglas County Historical Society
Elmbrook Historical Society
Kenosha Public Museum
Milwaukee Art Museum
Milwaukee County Historical Society
Mineral Point Historical Society
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Neville Public Museum of Brown County
Pendarvis Historic Site
Villa Louis Historic Site
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
Wisconsin Historical Museum
–Posted by Emily Pfotenhauer
