Exhibitions & Events
Current Exhibition
Jan. 16 – April 26, 2026
Dave Clay’s Industrial Atmospheres
Milwaukee native Dave Clay is an artist, software architect, engineer, and musician. Now hailing from Seattle, he works in a variety of media including digital collage, metal, large-scale interactive sculpture, and painting. Among his diverse body of work, Clay’s industrial landscapes stand out as particularly novel and captivating. Though he works in a high-tech field, he is both drawn to and moved by the most elemental of industrial processes.
Clay’s industrial paintings are at once exquisite, shadowy, and other-worldly. They provide a virtual sensory experience, in which we not only see, but can almost feel the heat and smell the steam and smoke of the mills, foundries, and forge shops he captures. These industrial landscapes and interiors provide an amazing opportunity for the museum and its patrons as a compelling start to our 2026 exhibition season.
As expressed in his words: “My industrial landscape paintings portray altered and atmospheric visions of real steel mills and furnaces. The subjects of these paintings are the strange and beautiful machines at the foundation of our modern society. The paintings evoke the heat of molten metal at the heart of the steel mill, a place alien in complexity yet a fundamentally human construction. I want to give my paintings the weight and physicality of heavy industry while elevating the ethereal quality of these chaotic, living foundries.”
Upcoming Exhibitions
May 7 – August 23, 2026
WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America
Opening Reception: May 7 from 5-8 p.m. with an artist's talk at 6:30 p.m.
Participation in the Blue Star Museums program last summer has prompted us to find new ways to explore veterans’ contributions to American industry through art. We are grateful to showcase Mary Whyte's watercolor series, WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America, a project that ties the art of labor to the impact of veterans' work throughout our country.
Renowned watercolor artist Mary Whyte has captured scenes of working America and honored the nation’s working class throughout her career, and in this remarkable series, she has depicted military veterans of all ages and in all walks of life. For this show, Whyte traveled the country, interviewing each individual featured in this exhibition over the course of seven years. Through her work, we see the individuals who have served our country in the military, in the ways that they continue to serve the country in industry—from agriculture to education to public service. The result is fifty large-scale watercolor portraits of everyday American veterans, including a Missouri dairy farmer, a Rhode Island lobsterman, and a Pennsylvania science teacher. Altogether, WE THE PEOPLE presents a timeless portrait survey of the United States through labor and human achievement.
May 7 – August 23, 2026
Boots and Sand: The Marines of 29 Palms
Photographs by Dennis Darmek
Boots and Sand: The Marines of 29 Palms began serendipitously in 2024. On a family trip to Joshua Tree, the artist Dennis Darmek decided to make an unplanned visit to the Marine Corps Combat Center, 29 Palms, California, resulting in this photo project. His only other visit to 29 Palms was in 1969 when, as an 18-year-old Marine, he received advanced weapons training before shipping out to Vietnam. Darmek says while memories can be suspect after 50 years, it’s impossible to forget the intense desert heat and rugged mountains of the Mojave Desert.
Upcoming Events
March 19, 2026 | 12-1 p.m.
Sketching in the Galleries: Third Floor
Draw inspiration from the artwork around you and create pencil sketches in the galleries. Each month we will focus on a different part of the collection. Art supplies and stools are provided.
April 11, 2026 | 12-4 p.m.
Industrial Atmospheres LEGO Workshop
The Grohmann Museum's annual LEGO building event returns for its 11th year on Saturday, April 11 from 12 - 4 PM. LEGO experts and art educators, John and Sylvia Peine, will lead the workshop in the Museum's first floor galleries. Inspired by the current exhibition, Dave Clay's Industrial Atmospheres, participants will create imaginative LEGO builds that incorporate heavy machinery, factories, and vibrant colors. Completed builds will be placed on display for all to see. All skill levels are welcome and volunteers will be available for guidance.
The workshop is included with admission:
Adults: $5
Students/Seniors: $3
Children under 12: Free
MSOE community: Free
April 17, 2026 | 5-8 p.m.
Spring Gallery Night
Visit the Grohmann Museum and receive free admission during Gallery Night. Our featured show is Dave Clay's Industrial Atmospheres in the first floor galleries. MSOE's Art & Design Club will also unveil their new exhibition, A Garden of Memories: Nostalgia, in the lower level.
April 18, 2026 | 12-6 p.m.
Spring Gallery Day
Visit the Grohmann Museum and receive free admission during Gallery Day.
April 23, 2026 | 12-1 p.m.
Sketching in the Galleries: Special Exhibition
Draw inspiration from the artwork around you and create pencil sketches in the galleries. Each month we will focus on a different part of the collection. Art supplies and stools are provided.
May 7, 2026 | 5-8 p.m.
Grand Opening of WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America
Join us for the opening of WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America in the first floor galleries. An artist talk from Mary Whyte will take place at 6:30 p.m.
May 8, 2026 | 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Watercolor Workshop for Veterans
Local veterans are invited to join artist Mary Whyte for a free watercolor workshop at the Grohmann Museum. All skill levels are welcome, especially beginners! Mary will be demonstrating the fundamentals of watercolor, with veterans working from a selection of imagery. If preferred, veterans can bring their own photo to work from. All painting supplies are donated by the Patriot Art Foundation. Registration is required, attendees may register online or call the Grohmann Museum at 414-277-2300.
Stay tuned for more upcoming events by joining our mailing list and following us on social media.
Past Exhibitions
2025
- The Legend Lives On—50 Years Later
- The Kalmbach Art Collection: Pairing Words and Imagery
- Going to Work for the Community: A Visual History of the Beckum-Stapleton Little League
- On the Edge: The Labor and Environment of Dimensional Stone Quarries
2024
- Gil Reid and Friends: Working on the Railroad
- Crossing the DMZ: A Contemporary Look at Working Women
- Patterns of Meaning: The Art of Industry by Cory Bonnet
- H.D. Tylle at Seventy: American Worklife
2023
- Mining Gems: Stories from the Collection
- Excavations: Paintings and Drawings by Michael Newhall
- David Plowden: The Architecture of Agriculture
2022
- A Time of Toil & Triumph: Selections from the Shogren-Meyer Collection of American Art
- Familias Unidas: Tribute to the Migrant Farm Worker Labor Movement in Wisconsin, 1960s-70s
- Robert O. Lahmann: Working in Wisconsin
2021
- The Railroad and the Art of Place: Photographs by David Kahler
- artWORK by the League of Milwaukee Artists
- Electric Steel: Recent Photographs by Michael Schultz
2020
- TWO EDMUNDS: Fitzgerald and Lewandowski—Their Mark on Milwaukee
- IRONBOAT: New Photography by Christopher Winters
2019
- The Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee
- Roll Up Your Sleeves
- Growing Place: A Visual Study of Urban Farming
2018
- David Plowden's Portraits of Work
- Wallace W. Abbey: A Life in Railroad Photography
- The Art and Mechanics of Animation
2017
- Masterworks from the Grohmann Museum - Celebrating 10 Years
- Artists at Work: The Cedarburg Artists Guild
- STEEL: The Cycle of Industry by David Plowden
2016
- On the Job: Photography by Jim Seder
- Milwaukee's Industrial Landscapes: Paintings by Michael Newhall
- Art of the North Shore Line
2015
- Forge Work: New Photography by Michael Schultz
- Metal for Mettle: Historic Commemorative Medals Honoring Labor and Achievement
- H.D. Tylle: Studies
- Carl Spitzweg in Milwaukee
- The Art of the Milwaukee Road
2014
- Erich Mercker: Painter of Industry
- Art Shay: Working
- Trains that Passed in the Night: Railroad Photographs of O Winston Link
2013
- A Working Ranch by Jim Brozek
- Born of Fire: Scenes of Industry from the Westmoreland Museum of American Art
- Bridges: The Spans of North America - Photographs by David Plowden
2012
- MSOE at Work: Selections from the Campus Archives
- Carl Spitzweg: The Poor Poet and Other Characters
- Great Lakers: Selections from the Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library
- H. D. Tylle: Touring Germany and Working in Wisconsin
2011
- Requiem for Steam: The Railroad Photographs of David Plowden
- Milwaukee Mills: A Visual History
- Lake Boats: The Photography of Jim Brozek and Christopher Winters
- Wonders of Work and Labor: The Steidle Collection of American Industrial Art, Penn State University
2010
- Working Wisconsin: Selections from the Museum of Wisconsin Art
- Foundry Work: A View of the Industry, The Photographs of Michael Schultz
2009
- Midwest Murals: Joe Jones and J.B. Turnbull from the Haggerty Museum of Art, Marquette University
- The Bookworm by Carl Spitzweg (1808-1885)
- Wisconsin at Work: Thorsten Lindberg Paintings and Drawings from the MCHS Collection
- Cradle of Industry: Works from the Rhineland Industrial Museum
- American Steel: Works from the Collection of Tom and Lorie Annarella
2008
- A Focus on Figures
- Stone
2007
- Physicians, Quacks, and Alchemists
