Category: Exhibitions

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Professor Bauer at MoWA!

Professor Bauer will be included in the upcoming exhibition, The American Landscape: Beyond the Horizon, at the Museum of Wisconsin Art!

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, this exhibition offers a timely reconsideration of the landscapes we inhabit and the meanings we attach to them. Drawing from the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s collection alongside significant loans by Georgia O’ Keeffe, John Stuart Curry, and contemporary artists who reflect Wisconsin’s legacy. The exhibition also highlights contemporary voices engaging Wisconsin’s artistic legacy.

Opening Reception: May 2, 2:00–4:00 PM
On View: May 2 – July 19

Guest Curator: Rafael Salas

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Masking Tape Recovered

Bill Bohne’ Masking Tape (Early 1970s, Date Unknown)
Single Channel Video transferred from ¾” UMATIC Tape B/W, Silent, 11:50


Bill Bohne’s video Masking Tape was created in the vein of early conceptual video art, specifically within the mode often described as “performance for camera.” Emerging in the late 1960s alongside the growing accessibility of portable video technologies, this approach was adopted by many artists exploring the possibilities of this experimental medium. These artists used the camera as the primary site of the work itself. Typically employing fixed framing, minimal editing, and durational actions. Such works foreground the body, repetition, and constraint while stripping away narrative and spectacle in favor of conceptual procedure.

Masking Tape adheres closely to these conceptual strategies. The camera remains static, focused on a head-and-shoulders composition as Bohne methodically places disposable dust masks over his face, one after another, throughout the tape. The action is simple, repetitive, and task-based, aligning the work with conceptual art’s emphasis on systems and instructions. At the same time, the accumulating masks gradually become sculpturally absurd and begin to impede the mask’s function, introducing a subtle tension between safety and suffocation.

Originally recorded on 3/4″ U-MATIC tape, the video was rediscovered in a storage area of the Bush Art Center and later transferred to digital format by Archival Works in St. Paul, Minnesota. This material history reinforces the work’s origin in an early moment of video experimentation, when artists worked with emerging, often fragile recording technologies that have since required preservation to prevent deterioration.

Viewed today, Masking Tape accrues new layers of meaning. The act of placing mask upon mask, once read primarily through the lens of conceptual procedure or performance endurance, now inevitably recalls the lived experience of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. What may have originally functioned as an abstract or absurd gesture takes on renewed resonance as an image of protection, anxiety, and the social politics of masking. The work’s repetitive accumulation mirrors the psychological weight of prolonged crisis. In this way, Bohne’s video not only participates in the historical discourse of early video art but also demonstrates how such works can be reactivated by contemporary conditions, generating meanings beyond their original intention and context.


– Brandon Bauer, Associate Professor of Art (2026)

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Opening Tonight with a Special Presentation!

Join us tonight, 6:00–7:30 PM at the Bush Art Center for an evening celebrating 70 years of art at St. Norbert College.

Experience four exhibitions: the Senior Capstone Exhibition in the Baer Gallery, new work by Donald P. Taylor in the Godschalx Gallery, Past Present Future featuring faculty across generations in the Permanent Collection Gallery, and Masking Tape, a rediscovered early video work by Bill Bohne in the Media Space Gallery.

The evening also includes a special screening of Bill Bohne’s The Last Lecture in BAC 130!

Bill Bohne – Last Lecture: A Performance Piece (1974)
B/W, sound, 31:11, VHS transfer to digital video (original video source unknown)

Bill Bohne’s Last Lecture: A Performance Piece (1974) is a work in the vein of early conceptual video art, emphasizing duration, repetition, and the body. This approach frames performance as a procedural and conceptual act rather than a theatrical event.

The video begins with humorous meditations on the notion of the “last,” moving between popular culture and high art while foregrounding the lecture as a constructed performance. Language becomes both subject and material through repetition and self-reflexive commentary. Bohne states, “I don’t want to be there for my last lecture,” and goes on to say, “You’ll notice when you look around the room this evening that I am not there, only in a mediumistic manner.” These statements destabilize presence and authorship, aligning the work with conceptual strategies that privilege idea over object.

Formally, the video adheres to and disrupts the conventions of performance for the camera. Bohne’s face is never fully visible, either cropped out or turned away, reinforcing the sense of absence. Repetition structures both language and movement, while rudimentary analog editing reflects the technological conditions of early video.

Described by Bohne as a “death avoidance fake-out,” the work culminates in his promise to give the lecture the “run-around.” For the remainder of the tape, he circles the camera continuously. After briefly attempting to follow him, the camera returns to a fixed position, allowing him to pass through the frame at regular intervals, foregrounding a static viewpoint and durational action central to early conceptual video practice. The soundtrack layers repeated phrases of “this is my last lecture,” which Bohne describes as an incantation. This accumulation transforms language into a rhythmic, quasi-ritualistic structure, collapsing meaning into sound and duration. In this way, Last Lecture exemplifies how early conceptual video reduces performance to procedural constraints through which presence, authorship, and temporality are tested with both rigor and humor.

– Brandon Bauer (2026)

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New Spring Exhibitions – Past Present Future!

The Bush Art Center Galleries are pleased to present a new slate of spring exhibitions celebrating the past, present, and future of the St. Norbert College Art Department.

This year marks a significant milestone: the 70th anniversary of the Art department and the 25th anniversary of the Bush Art Center as our department home!

The Art program was established in 1956 to bring art education to the campus community. Founded by Professor Daniel F. Dickhut, the College’s first full-time art faculty member and notably its first lay faculty member. The Art department played a pivotal role in shaping the institution’s evolution. In many ways, the Art department helped usher in a more expansive, interdisciplinary academic environment at St. Norbert College.

The exhibitions on view reflect this legacy, featuring selections from the permanent collection, new work by past and present faculty, and the Senior Capstone Exhibition, which highlights the achievements of graduating seniors as they prepare to carry their creative practices beyond the College and into the broader world.

Exhibitions Include:

  • 2026 Senior Capstone Exhibition (Baer Gallery)
    Featuring work by Margaret Byrne, Itzel Chavarria-Castaneda, Lara Deshler, Kyler Lasee, Finn Noto, Meredith Posanski, Tyli Scheetz, and G. Szczerba.
  • Donald P. Taylor: are you making any Art? (Godschalx Gallery)
    Presenting new work by emeritus faculty member and former gallery director Donald P. Taylor.
  • Past Present Future (Permanent Collection Gallery)
    Showcasing work by current and former faculty, including Brandon Bauer, Bill Bohne, Daniel Dickhut, Abbey Gagne, John Gordon, Jim Neilson, Charles Peterson, Brian Pirman, Marilyn Stasiak, Donald Taylor, and Michael Wartgow.
  • Masking Tape by Bill Bohne (Media Space Gallery)
    A work of early video art recently rediscovered and digitally archived for exhibition.

The opening reception will take place on April 17, 2026, from 6:00–7:30 p.m. and will include a special presentation of Bill Bohne’s video performance piece, The Last Lecture, in the Bush Art Center Lecture Hall (BAC 130).

Please join us in celebrating 70 years of art at St. Norbert College and the vibrant community of artists, educators, and students who continue to shape its future.

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Exhibition Reception!

Join us for an evening of art and conversation at the Carol & Robert Bush Art Center!

Now on view: The Days Go By Like Wildness by Colin Matthes in the Baer Gallery, Tell Me What Democracy Looks Like by Aaron Hughes in the Godschalx Gallery, and The Cut by Eliseo Ortiz in the Media Space Gallery.

Meet artists Aaron Hughes and Colin Matthes at the exhibition reception on Tuesday, February 24 | 5–7 PM.

Carol & Robert Bush Art Center
St. Norbert College
403 3rd St, De Pere, WI 54115

Free and open to the public. All are welcome!

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Imagining Human Rights

The Imagining Human Rights project was featured in the latest installment of the Behind The Arch series produced by the St. Norbert College Office of Alumni Engagement. As they state on their site:

“In this latest installment of the ‘Behind the Arch’ series, SNC professor Brandon Bauer (Art) details how students from multiple classes put the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in visual form to commemorate the historic document’s 75th anniversary.”

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Work Study Make

Poster designed by Sydney Suchy.

This exhibition features art made by the six students who currently work as gallery assistants in the Bush Art Center Galleries: Catherine Nelson, Jade Ruiz, Molly Wardius, Nikki Tranel, and Sydney Suchy.

Jackson Venski, Einstein. Oil on canvas.
Molly Wardius, Delphinium. Poster design

Working in the gallery provides the opportunity to see things from the other side of the desk, so to speak. Gallery skills include learning a myriad of ways to install art, problem-solving complex installations, writing blog posts, answering visitor questions, and many, many other miscellaneous tasks. There’s much more to gallery work than meets the eye!

This year’s staff includes students studying Art Education, Studio Art, and Graphic Design.

Jade Ruiz, Playroom. Milk paint on wood

Work Study Make is on display from October 2 through December 1 in the Godschalx Gallery.

Sydney Suchy, Dessert. Acrylic on canvas
Nikki Tranel, Cardigan. Yarn
Catherine Nelson, Self Portrait 2021. Acrylic on canvas
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2023-24 Juried Student Art Show

The annual juried exhibition of work by current St. Norbert College students is on display! All current students were able to submit work made during their time in college.

This year’s strong show features six award-winning artists, selected by juror Laura Schley, the Public Arts Coordinator for the City of Green Bay. Laura graduated from UWGB with a double major in Art and Arts Management with emphases in Painting, Textiles and Gallery and Museum Practices. Her personal artistic practice includes painting murals, sewing and mending clothes, and experimenting with fibers and natural dyes.

Congratulations to the following award winners:

  • First Place: Maddie Smith
  • Second Place: Catherine Nelson
  • Third Place: Gia Minneci
  • Honorable Mentions:
    • Emma Fry
    • Tylie
    • Samuel Satterlie

Honorable Mentions

Emma Fry, Smile. Illustration, print on paper.

Samuel Satterlie, Ghoul. Monotype print on paper

Tylie Scheetz, Orange You Glad It’s Tea Time? Clay

Tylie Scheetz, Orange You Glad It’s Tea Time? Clay

Third Place

Gia Minneci, Cavities. Monotype print on paper

Gia Minneci, Cavities. Monotype print on paper

Second Place

Catherine Nelson, Room to Grow. Relief print on paper

Catherine Nelson, Room to Grow. Relief print on paper

First Place

Maddie Smith, Behind the Scenes of An American Farmer. Photograph on paper.

Maddie Smith, Behind the Scenes of An American Farmer. Photograph on paper.

The exhibition will be on display from November 6-December 1, and the reception was on November 9th from 5-6:30 p.m.

Congratulations to all!

Poster, marketing materials, and awards cards designed by Sydney Suchy.
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Storied Lives: Select Works by David Graham and Terri Warpinski

Storied Lives is an exhibition of remarkable photographs, featuring portraits by David Graham from his book Land of the Free and selections from Death|s|trip by Terri Warpinski.

Terri Warpinski, Anton Walzer, October 8, 1962

Accompanying Warpinski’s photographs are laser-cut text panels, which overlay historical maps. According to Warpinski’s artist statement,

Death[s]trip is a story of human mortality written on the landscape. In looking at present day Berlin through the filter of history, these works combine contemporary photographs and text with archival elements to reveal some of the consequences of enforced political borders. From 1961-1989, 140 individuals died in failed attempts to flee over the Berlin Wall from Soviet occupied East Germany to freedom in West Berlin. Focusing on these victims, Death|s|trip probes the contingent properties of meaning, memory, and reflection in relation to both the landscape and the photographic image.

Each site was photographed on the date that coincides with the anniversary of the victim’s death, in the specific location where the event took place.

David Graham describes his work as follows:

Land of the Free is photographer David Graham’s tribute to the American people in all their idiosyncratic splendor. A tireless traveler and a natural-born visual storyteller, Graham has photographed ordinary folks in their homes, at work, and at play across the nation to assemble a composite picture of America. Graham’s colorful portraits showcase the personalities who give America its character.

David Graham, Todd Gerding as a Hessian Granadier, Richboro, PA

Storied Lives is on display now in the Baer Gallery until September 21. Graham and Warpinski are the directors and curators of NewARTSpace, a local gallery and studio just across the bridge in downtown De Pere, Wisconsin.

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Fall 2023 in the Galleries

Storied Lives: Select Works by David Graham & Terri Warpinski

Baer Gallery, August 28 – September 21

Reception: September 7, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Storied Lives features portraits by David Graham from Land of the Free and selections from Death|s|trip by Terri Warpinski.

Land of the Free is photographer David Graham’s tribute to the American people in all their idiosyncratic splendor. A tireless traveler and a natural-born visual storyteller, Graham has photographed ordinary folks in their homes, at work, and at play across the nation to assemble a composite picture of America. Graham’s colorful portraits showcase the personalities who give America its character.

Death[s]trip is a story of human mortality written on the landscape. In looking at present day Berlin through the filter of history, these works combine contemporary photographs and text with archival elements to reveal some of the consequences of enforced political borders. From 1961-1989, 140 individuals died in failed attempts to flee over the Berlin Wall from Soviet occupied East Germany to freedom in West Berlin. Focusing on these victims, Death|s|trip probes the contingent properties of meaning, memory, and reflection in relation to both the landscape and the photographic image.

Each site was photographed on the date that coincides with the anniversary of the victim’s death, in the specific location where the event took place.

April Beiswenger: Grace Me No Grace

Godschalx Gallery, August 28 – September 21

Saturdays Are For Road Trips: Photographs by Frank Juárez and Pat Ryan

Baer Gallery, October 2-October 26

Exhibition Reception: October 19, 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. 

Saturdays became an excuse to get in the car to embark on random road trips throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states to explore, connect, and decompress from life’s stressors centered around covid. This photographic exhibition is a testament to their friendship, love for photography, and traveling. It highlights two distinct perspectives of turning the mundane to a thing of beauty and capturing life as it happens through the eye of the lens. 

Frank Juárez is an award-winning art educator, publisher, art coach and former gallery director. His photographs are driven by daily observations and interactions. He aims to tell a story that connects viewers’ experience, emotions, and memory. 

Pat Ryan is a photographer who attended Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) in the 1970’s. He started with film cameras then transitioned to digital. His photographs are inspired by shapes, textures, and symmetry that he encounters during his travels.

Work/Study/Make

Godschalx Gallery, October 2-December 1

This exhibition features art made by students who work in the St. Norbert College Art Galleries.  

2023-24 Juried Student Art Exhibition 

Baer Gallery, November 6 – December 1

Awards Reception: Thursday, Nov. 9, 5-6:30 p.m.

The Juried Student Art Exhibition features art made by current St. Norbert College students. The works in the show are selected by the St. Norbert College Art faculty and awards are judged by an arts professional. Entry forms will be available in the Bush Art Center at the beginning of the semester.

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