Artist Wis Guthrie, Waukesha WI retired long-time chairman, Carroll University Art Department, started at Carroll in 1946, and turned 91 in February '09. A student of Grant Wood, Wis has an eye and talent for art that has had him making creations from found objects, such as our 'bird on a column' piece that has erectly stood here at SRN headquarters for many years. Pictured at left.Typical of his combinations, this piece is comprised of seeming miscellany. From the bottom up, there is a column that was an architectural feature in a house; the 'nest' is an old wind-up piano stool seat; the bird's legs are claw and ball chair legs; the wings outspread are the arms from the same chair; the head is a shoe tree part and the tail is a wooden salad fork. We have collected over time some other Guthrie pieces, and they are priceless treasures all. This item stands next to our SRN printing press and sewing machine.
Wis's components always go together so well, combined by a genius who has collected his 'ingredients' from junk yards, rummage sales, anywhere he is welcome (sometimes not), and he was spotted recently by Mrs. SRN diving in a dumpster within a block's radius of the Avalon where he also frequents the farmer's market along the Fox River.
Wis has nicely-spun anecdotes galore, including his once winning an early prize (which he didn't accept) in an art show with a badly-faded non-descript road sign that he hung upside down. He has framed tree bark with random patterns eaten by insects. He once had his art class at Carroll take a bundle of rags he got from Good-Will and assigned his students to each pick a rag from the top of the bale and nail the rags one-by-one, side-by-side, top-to-bottom on a barn until the side of the barn was covered with random fabrics. His lesson was that the design disclosed by the pure randomness was more interesting than anything the students might have planned.
Today we took Waukesha historian John Schoenknecht to the Avalon Square where Wis and his wife reside, so John could view some CD-recorded art animations done by Wis and Ina's son, Gerry. Gerry is a professor of art at the University of Illinois. The computer-savvy Wis runs an excellent and proud - though he would not say that -picture show amidst a small representation of his varied & multitudinous artwork, for now placed judiciously, sparingly, about the apartment.
Schoenknecht and I spend a quickly-gone hour, conversing enthusiastically about various Waukesha history known to Wis, who used to live in 'Maniac Manor' when he and Ina first came to Carroll (College) in '46. The former asylum for mentally-unbalanced patients has a long history. The manor is at the SE corner of Hartwell and College Ave, part of St. Mary's property, and was once a convent. Wis and Ina ran it in their time as a Carroll dorm for returning WW II veterans attending the college.
We also talked about an underground beer-brewing site under downtown Main Street near the old Metropolitan Dime Store during prohibition days. At one time Wis thought it would make an excellent Rathskellar but the idea was unworkable then. Most of Wis's ideas have born fruit as just this one illustration herewith portrays. His creative pathway is paved with beauty.
Pictured below at his computer, with one of son-Gerry's animations showing on the monitor, Wis again today demonstrated his great teaching talent, holding his visitors of today spellbound.
Just knowing about Wis and his whereabouts is kind of a thrilling piece of Waukesha knowledge in itself.
Another SRN posting regarding Wis follows:
