Rafael Francisco Salas’ artwork to be showcased in Trout Museum of Art in Appleton with opening reception Jan. 24

(Photo: Salas’ oil painting, “Praise Song.”)

Ripon College’s Professor of Art Rafael Francisco Salas has contributed artwork to an upcoming exhibition, “A Creative Place: Art from Northeastern Wisconsin 1940 to Present,” at the Trout Museum of Art in downtown Appleton, Wisconsin from Jan. 24 to May 18.

An opening night reception will be held on Jan. 24 from 5-8 p.m. It is free and open to the public. Guests are invited to come dressed in their most “artful” attire – whether it’s vintage fashion, avant-garde pieces or outfits inspired by the movements and eras featured in the exhibition.

The artwork Salas contributed to the exhibition is titled “Praise Song,” an oil painting from 2024 that depicts a musician performing in a space echoing a sideshow in a county fair or carnival.

“Art is one of the greatest ways to express ourselves to ourselves,” Salas said. “The reason we elevate works of art, whether they be visual art, theatre, literature or music, is that these forms describe our ideas, values and fears in ways that data, science and facts simply cannot do. Art is mysterious and eternal, and when it succeeds, it remains with us. It can circumvent time.”

The exhibition is guest curated by Annemarie Sawkins, an independent curator, art historian and author born in Durham, England. She co-wrote the book “A Creative Place: The History of Wisconsin Art,” which the exhibition echoes the title and theme of.

“‘A Creative Place: Art from Northeastern Wisconsin 1940 to Present’ celebrates over 85 years of regional artistic history,” Sawkins said. “With a range of mediums, styles and themes, this exhibition explores how local artists have responded to distinct cultural and environmental influences.”

The exhibition features more than 130 works from 1940 to the present, offering a look at the area’s artistic evolution. Salas encourages all to visit.

For more information on the exhibition, visit the Trout Museum Website.