A new exhibit at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian celebrating the career of the late Truman Lowe was recently featured on Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Wisconsin Today” program.
“Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe” brings together nearly 50 sculptures, drawings and paintings spanning Lowe’s decades-long career. According to the exhibit website, the works “evoke the rivers, streams and waterfalls of the Wisconsin woodlands” where Lowe grew up near Black River Falls, Wisconsin.
Lowe earned his Master of Fine Arts from UW–Madison in 1973 and was a longtime faculty member in the Art Department. In 2000, he moved to Washington, D.C., to become the first curator of contemporary Native art at the National Museum of the American Indian — which is now honoring his work.
The Wisconsin Today article underscores that while Lowe’s reputation extends nationally, his legacy in Wisconsin is especially profound. A building at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, his alma mater, bears his name, and his artwork appears in museums and outdoor installations across the state. On the UW–Madison campus, visitors can view his sculpture “Effigy: Bird Form” near Indigenous mound sites.
“During his lifetime, he was very active in raising awareness of Native arts of the Upper Midwest,” said Jo Ortel, professor emerita at Beloit College and author a 2004 book about Lowe. “So it’s really nice that it’s now coming back to him, and he’s gaining recognition from the nation.”
“Water’s Edge: The Art of Truman Lowe” is on view through Jan. 1, 2027, at the National Museum of the American Indian.
Read or listen to the full Wisconsin Today feature.