Barbara Wilson and Dora Peregrine, “Creative Histories: Examining Multimedia Pop Artist Red Grooms’ 1972 Portrait of UWM Students & Instructors”
Mentor: Joseph Mougel, Art & Design
Poster #222

Outside the Arts Center Gallery on UWM’s main campus is a mural done in 1972 by notable American artist Red Grooms. It shows thirty-three life-size portraits of UW-Milwaukee’s Art and Design department’s students and faculty, all painted from life on site and thus capturing a vibrant snapshot of the Peck School of the Arts over fifty years ago. Despite this, the mural has no signage identifying the artist or the individuals depicted. Sadly, historical details and professional documentation are not currently accessible to the students and other members of the public who encounter the work. In our research, we were able to gather these important details and create professional documentation of the mural by conducting interviews with former Art and Design faculty and students as well as collaborating with current faculty in the Photography & Imaging department. This historical investigation informed production of signage presented alongside the mural and includes a brief bio of the artist, Red Grooms, a description of how this commission came about, and an infographic key of who is included in the mural. This valuable work of art serves as a snapshot into the lives of Art and Design students and faculty during the 1970s. It deserves this contextualization of its special significance to the UWM community, where it has been on display for over half a century.