The work of former Lawrence University art professor Thomas Dietrich and his wife, Margaret Rappe Dietrich, opens Lawrence’s Wriston Art Center Galleries new summer exhibition series Wednesday, July 30.
The series is designed to engage the Fox Valley community in a conversation about artworks and artists of the Midwest. The inaugural exhibition runs through August 17.
An Appleton native, Tom Dietrich was a professor of art and later artist-in-residence at Lawrence from 1944-74. During a career spanning seven decades, Dietrich was best known for his watercolor paintings of the people, paper mills, bridges and landscapes of the Fox Valley. He died in 1998.
Margaret Dietrich grew up in Chicago and graduated from Lawrence in 1936. Like her husband, the Fox Cities were a favorite subject matter. She frequently captured Appleton’s Lutz and Pierce parks, as well as other local scenery, through her oil and watercolor paintings.
Beyond the 45 works exhibited at the Wriston Galleries, a map will be available that identifies other Fox Cities locations where the Dietrichs’ work can be seen, including the History Museum at the Castle and the Paper Discovery Center.
The Wriston Art Center galleries are free and open to the public Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from noon – 4 p.m. The galleries are closed on Mondays. For more information on the exhibition, call 920-832-6890.
About Lawrence University
Founded in 1847, Lawrence University uniquely integrates a college of liberal arts and sciences with a nationally recognized conservatory of music, both devoted exclusively to undergraduate education. It was selected for inclusion in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2015 and the book “Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think About College.” Individualized learning, the development of multiple interests and community engagement are central to the Lawrence experience. Lawrence draws its 1,500 students from nearly every state and more than 50 countries.
