WAUSAU, Wis. (WJFW) — The Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art is hosting the Locals Show Exhibition throughout the next couple of months to give local artists a platform and a place to connect.
“This is unlike any other exhibit we’ve done here in the past 9 years,” said David Hummer, executive director for the museum.
Over Hummer’s time with the Museum, it has mainly hosted nationally and internationally known artists. But now it’s time for the museum to tap into Wausau’s art community.
“Local artists need the exposure,” Hummer said. “They need to be seen and recognized in their community.”
The museum held an artist reception Saturday night for people to meet the artists, see the local artwork and witness just how strong the community is.
“It’s very strong and it’s just getting stronger all the time,” he said. “More and more people are recognizing this place as an arts community. More and more artists are actually coming to town and making a go of it here.”
According to Hummer, the community punches above its weight.
“You know, I’ve been doing this my entire life and I’ve been to different museum openings and different art gallery receptions like tonight,” he said. “This is as strong as any big city that I’ve ever seen.”
The reception helped artists like Stephanie Kohli, whose art is in the exhibition, connect with each other and the rest of Wausau.
“There’s a lot of really great connections for people to make here in Wausau,” Kohli said. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are in the same field as me, other muralist friends and other teacher friends, and we love to connect and we love to show artwork.”
It also served as a letter of appreciation for how artists improve a community.
“Art is so important for people to connect,” she said. “To connect to each other and to express themselves and a lot of communities that are more successful are going to support the arts.”
Research conducted by the University of Pennsylvania suggests that mural artwork reduces crime rates in the area it’s displayed.
“When you start to get to know these people you realize they are major contributors to the quality of life in our community,” Hummer said. “They deserve a little respect for that.”
The exhibition is free to the public and local artists will be on display at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, 309 McClellan St., until Feb. 28.
