The Foster Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire will present “The Arnold
Collection: A gift to UWEC 1966-1971,” curated by UW-Eau Claire students in the spring
2025 Methodologies of Art History course, along with students Reagan Phillips, Emma
Wiegel and faculty member Dr. Karen O’Day, professor of art & design.
The exhibition features 20th-century paintings, drawings and collages by U.S. artists and
Asante gold weights from West Africa, donated by Emil J. Arnold to UW-Eau Claire. It will be
on view from Oct. 17-Nov. 12, with an opening reception from 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct.
16.
Students created nearly all the informational labels throughout the show, moving through
the process of curating an exhibit during the spring 2025 semester. They started by visiting
University Archives and Special Collections to read documents pertaining to Arnold’s gift.
Next, they analyzed each artwork’s visual characteristics and considered the historical
circumstances of each painting, such as the career of the artist. They then synthesized
these research steps into an interpretive label for each artwork.
The final step was for each student to design a layout for the art in the Foster Gallery.
Phillips and Wiegel, advanced art history minors, spent more than a year researching the
46 gold weights Arnold donated. Each of the informational labels represent the
culmination of this research, which was supported since summer 2024 by Office of
Research and Sponsored Programs Student-Faculty Research Collaboration Grants.
Phillips and Wiegel will share their research in the presentation “Cultural Stewardship:
Asante Metal Weights in the UWEC Permanent Art Collection” from 12:30-1 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 23, in the Foster Gallery.
All gallery events are free and open to the public. Persons with disabilities requesting accommodations are asked to email fostergallery@uwec.edu at least five business days in advance of the event. For gallery hours, visit the Foster Gallery webpage.
