Catch it before it closes: The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery at the Grohmann Museum
The Grohmann Museum’s current exhibition, The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery, is on display now through Aug. 19.
The Center for Railroad Photography & Art (CRP&A) along with the Grohmann Museum present the first public exhibition of Kalmbach Media’s historic art collection. Totaling 55 original paintings and drawings, it is a pillar of rail-themed art filled with landmark works from Howard Fogg, George Gloff, Gil Reid, Ted Rose, John Swatsley, and many others. Tens of thousands of railroad enthusiasts have viewed these paintings thanks to their use in Kalmbach publications including Trains magazine and best-selling books such as The Hiawatha Story and The Nickel Plate Story.
The exhibition celebrates the importance of imagery in Kalmbach’s printed materials and the company’s collaborations with artists. Strong bonds formed between the company’s editorial staff and the artists they hired or commissioned; they helped each other. Artwork brought publications to life while words added context and meaning to the paintings. This pairing of images and words created decades of memorable stories for railroad enthusiasts. Kevin P. Keefe, a CRP&A board member and former vice president-editorial at Kalmbach Media said, “In so many ways, Trains and Kalmbach Books played indispensable roles in creating the world of railroad imagery we love so much, and the company’s original art is a big part of that legacy.”
Catch The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery before it closes on Aug. 19!
Next up at the Grohmann Museum is The Legend Lives On – 50 Years Later, an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Included in this show are original paintings of the boat under construction and of the completed Edmund Fitzgerald. Models, photographs, and other Fitzgerald ephemera will also be on view for this special display linked to what was the largest ship to travel the Great Lakes at the time of her launch in 1958. This exhibition runs Oct. 1-Dec. 1, 2025. Learn more at grohmannmuseum.org.