Museum of Wisconsin Art

If you are an art lover and a WI resident and you haven’t been here yet, WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH YOUR LIFE? SERIOUSLY. No really. This place is a real gem. I found the Carl Von Marr collection to be stunning. Fortunately a knowledgeable docent was on hand when I stumbled into it and my whole experience of it was grand. The size, grandeur, detail and solemnity of «The Flagellants» made me weak in the knees. Other pieces by other artists provided a pleasing and varied sampling of WI art. And of course, there are pictures of cows.
The building is all white and modern which makes this Milwaukean think fondly of the Calatrava, but it definitely also has its own identity and sits at a great place by downtown West Bend.
I went on a free day and was also given a free membership for a year. I’ll be back again and again.
Visit here and then treat yourself to the Grasshopper Café around the corner, which I also give five stars :-).

What a gem! Looking forward to future exhibitions and for the opportunity to view the permanent collection again. The collection is varied which makes the visit interesting and exciting.
The admission was an unexpected twist since you then become a «member» for a year. I think that will be an incentive to visit often.
I would have appreciated a spot to sit with a beverage to reflect on the experience. I don’t see the need for a full blown restaurant but a small coffee bar would have been just right.

I was pleasantly surprised by the exhibition AND the space, relative to what I was expecting to find in West Bend, Wisconsin. Definitely more challenging and interesting than what one would find (by contrast) at the Neville Public Museum or the Rahr West.
The admission scheme is… interesting. It’s $ 12 for 1, $ 24 for 2, and so on, but that makes you a member. The benefit to them is that they capture each visitor’s contact info, so they’ll be mailing newsletters and such in hopes of encouraging repeat visits. I would definitely be partaking of the MANY interesting opportunities they offer, except I live 2 hours away.
So most likely, I will only be visiting MOWA when I’m travelling on I-​43 for another reason. Then again, who knows?
Either way, definitely worth a visit… it took me about an hour to tour and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Updated 1÷31÷14 Well, I haven’t made it back down yet, but I wanted to say I’m really impressed with the mailings I have received as part of my membership. I really look forward to them — they’ve prompted me to go online and learn more about the various subjects mentioned. And I like the energy of the place.
Soooo…I’ll be renewing my membership even if I don’t get to use it in person.