Falling Leaves: Tracing Seasons in the Art of Truman Lowe

Nationally-acclaimed Ho-Chunk artist Truman Lowe, whose sheltering sculpture is nestled on the banks of Turtle Creek at Nature At The Confluence, was a close observer of the woodland environment of the upper Midwest. He also loved the changing seasons of his native Wisconsin. Join Jo Ortel for this informal slide talk to see how Truman captured the shortened days of autumn in pencil and pastel, and the icy cold of a winter stream with metal. You might be astonished at how his art will change where you look for that first glimmer of hope next spring, and the abundance of summer. 

About the speaker: Jo Ortel taught at Beloit College for 22 years before retiring in 2020. There, she held the Nystrom Chair in Art History. She also played a leading role in the growth of Beloit’s Environmental Studies program, helping students recognize the ways the arts and humanities shape our perceptions of the environment. In essays and articles that have appeared in art journals, anthologies and exhibition catalogues, Jo’s scholarship has focused on contemporary Native American art. She is currently working on an expanded edition of her book, Woodland Reflections: The Art of Truman Lowe, originally published by the University of Wisconsin Press in 2004.