FIRE BREATHER, FIRE EXTINGUISHER. “And Art Lives On,” a joint exhibit at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the Chippewa Valley Museum, features works by deceased local artists, including Dragon (left) by Vincent “Frenchy” Petrick and Rescue by Vernona Ellen Welsh.

When contemplating helping assemble an exhibit featuring the works of deceased artists with local ties, Eau Claire artist Anders Shafer looked up the word “soul” in the dictionary and found the phrase “that which survives death.” That definition helped shape the new exhibit, “And Art Lives On,” a unique joint show that runs through Sept. 3 at both the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library and the Chippewa Valley Museum.

The broad variety of works of 20 artists created in the 19th through 21st centuries is a reminder that art and soul can be synonymous. “Whether it was philosophical or religious beliefs or beliefs about beauty, that’s what lives beyond these individuals,” explained Anders Shafer’s wife, Barbara, herself an artist and a member of the library’s visual arts committee. She said the idea for the exhibit grew from two sources. First, the library’s most recent exhibit, featuring works by the late Kay Dawson, got committee members thinking about other Chippewa Valley artists who have died. Second, the library typically stages a group show in the summer.

A group of art committee members, including Barbara Shafer, decided to assemble works by artists who were born in Eau Claire, lived in Eau Claire, or could otherwise be considered part of the community. They brainstormed about artists who had died and how to track down their works. “People said, ‘Oh, I know where we can find that,’ ” she said, and that led to contacting the museum and scouring items held in public and private art collections.

As far as anyone from the library or museum can recall, this is the first joint exhibit between the institutions. Carrie Ronnander, the Chippewa Valley Museum’s curator, said she hopes the project can lead to more collaboration in the future.
The show is broad and deep enough for two venues, with works ranging from 19th century paintings by Norwegian immigrant Sevald O. Lund to an unfinished work by Annie O’Brien, a 22-year-old UW-Eau Claire art student who was killed in a hit-and-run accident in 2003. Sixty-eight items are on display in the library’s gallery while 22 artworks belonging to the museum will be on display in the museum’s auditorium. The artists’ mediums range from oil and watercolor paintings to block prints, woodcarvings, sculptures, and woven items.

The artworks hint at the varied backgrounds and fascinating stories of their creators. For example, Vincent “Frenchy” Petrick, whose pieces will be on display at both venues, created intricate carvings when he wasn’t working as a machinist at Uniroyal. His work only received wide attention shortly before his death in 1997 when UW-Eau Claire art professor Mike Christopherson noticed the intricate carvings on Petrick’s garage door and inquired about them. Other artists include Andrea Cecchini, an Italian immigrant with a passion for life drawing; George Hagale, a UWEC art professor whose religious artworks grace many churches, including the Ecumenical Religious Center on campus; Karl Knaths, an Eau Claire-born early and mid-20th century cubist painter who became world-renowned; Emilian Glocar, an eccentric former Orthodox priest who taught painting and at one time lived in an unheated, vacant building on the Eau Claire River; and Signe Ortiz, a member of Eau Claire’s prominent Midelfart family who created fiber art into her 90s.

Shafer said the show will also include a book sharing tidbits from the artists’ lives. (The late Jan George, for example, would paint still life images of fruit when she was dieting.) Ultimately, however, the artworks speak for themselves.
“Bringing them all together to explain a piece of what Eau Claire is is probably what this is about – the history of our community,” Shafer said. “I’m sure a lot of people have never seen most of this work.”

An opening reception for “And Art Lives On” will be 7-8:30pm Thursday, June 6, in the second-floor gallery at the L.E. Phillips Memorial Public Library, 400 Eau Claire St. The displays can be viewed during normal hours through Sept. 3 at both the library and the Chippewa Valley Museum in Carson Park.