WAUSAU — Fifty years ago, one of America’s longest running advertising campaigns inspired artists from all over the U.S. to paint a famous train station located in Wausau. Those paintings will be on display at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, 309 McClellan St., beginning Oct. 18.
The art exhibit, titled “The Wausau Story … Revisited,” also explains the marketing strategy and history behind the well-known train depot illustration used by the former Wausau Insurance Companies for many years. Liberty Mutual Insurance acquired Wausau Insurance in 1998 and recently donated the depot paintings to the Marathon County Historical Society, which is presenting the exhibit to the public.
“We are delighted to team up with the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art on this project,” said Mary Forer, executive director at the Marathon County Historical Society, in a news release. “The art museum is located in the former Wausau Club building, and we know there were plenty of important, historic insurance decisions made there years ago. It’s a perfect venue for The Wausau Story … Revisited.”
The exhibit also features the original depot illustration that eventually became the logo of Wausau Insurance Companies and many of the most popular Wausau Insurance TV commercials that aired on national television. The exhibit is free to the public on Tuesdays through Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m. and is scheduled to run through mid-January.
WMOCA’s third annual National Juried Exhibition of contemporary art is also on display at the museum through Dec. 28 and features 44 selected works from all over the U.S. Renowned art expert and juror, John Dalton from County Kerry, Ireland, visited Wausau last week and announced awards for the best paintings.
