Regional Touring Exhibition

Creatures Great and Small: Animals from the UW Art Museum Collection

Humans have long been fascinated with the natural world, especially with our fellow creatures. Evolutionary and biological connections, coupled with our close proximity on a shared planet, result in a complicated relationship with animals. Some animals are captured, studied, and domesticated by humans, while others remain mysterious and wild, captured only through art. Prehistoric cave paintings – the earliest artistic representations on the historical record – depict animals. Across cultures, they are featured in folktales, fables, legends, and myths. Personified as kind, wise, wicked, or clever, animals are often used to teach valuable lessons about humanity while instilling beliefs about the world.

This exhibition, featuring selections from the permanent collection, invites the viewer to reflect on the creatures that we have come to bond with as family, rely on for subsistence, and those that have come to represent untamed wilderness.

IMAGE: Wolfgang Pogzeba (German/American, 1936-1982), Prairie Monarch, 1965, etching, 9-1/4 x 11-3/4 inches, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Millman, 1974.16.5

Real and Imagined: Latinx Works from the University of Wyoming Art Museum Collection 

Full of vibrant imagery, political satire, realism, and surrealism, these artworks were created during a long period of revolution, rebellion, and artistic flourishing across Latin America. Spanning the late 1800s through the 1970s, they showcase a broad range of artistic styles and content drawn from the cultural and political landscapes of Central and South America. The 20th century in this region saw not only the formation of new governments outside those of the Spanish and Portuguese colonizers but also cultural and artistic identities. From the playful and satirical prints of Jose Guadalupe Posada (Mexican, 1852-1913) to the colorful surrealist works of Guillermo Silva (Colombian, 1921-2007), this exhibition invites viewers to celebrate the work of Latinx artists, consider the socio-cultural context of the works, and imagine the possibilities presented in the surreal. 

IMAGE: Guillermo Silva (Colombian, 1921-2007), Luna Llena, 1966, etching on paper, 16-1/4 x 17-1/2 inches, Friends of the UW Art Museum Purchase, 1968.6 

Curriculum and Activites Guide