Holiday exhibit presents creches, Renaissance masterworks

Carthage's H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art celebrates the holidays with a free exhibit combining High Renaissance art with the visionary art of handmade crèches.

At a Glance

WHAT: International Nativity Creche Exhibition

WHEN: Dec. 1-18, Jan. 5-23

WHERE: H.F. Johnson Gallery of Art, 2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha

CONTACT: Diane Levesque at (262) 551-5853, or dlevesque@carthage.edu.

The Musser, Fiene, and Krinker nativity crèche collections collectively represent places as diverse as Russia, Africa, Japan, Mexico, Germany, and numerous other locations. Every crèche was handmade with materials that were often unique to the area in which it was created and include traditional materials such as wood, silver, and clay. Artisans would use simple materials at hand and through devoted inspiration and highly focused imagination create what some would call works of art.

For this year, the Johnson Gallery is also pleased to include a splendid selection of original woodcuts, engravings and etchings from the 1500s and 1600s, including works by Rembrandt and Durer on loan from the collection of Emile Mathis of the Mathis Gallery & Conservation Shop of Racine, Wis.

The works will be presented Dec. 1-18 and Jan. 5-23. Gallery hours are Tuesday–Friday 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; Thursday evenings 6-8 p.m.; and Saturdays 1-4 p.m. There was an opening reception from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m., Friday, Dec. 4, in conjunction with Carthage's annual Christmas Festival.