By Kathie Wagner
VSA Wisconsin

VSA Wisconsin’s traveling exhibition will be on view at the Porter Butts Gallery in the UW Memorial Union Dec. 8‒Feb. 2. The exhibition features 30 award-winning works of art by children and adults with disabilities from Wisconsin. The show is comprised of work in a variety of media, including paintings, drawings, prints and mixed media. The artists hail from cities and towns throughout Wisconsin.

Seven artists from the Madison area are represented in the exhibition. Among them is David Black, whose “Aphrodite-2” relief sculpture in white marble is set against a textured background. The sculpture depicts Aphrodite kneeling, her back to the viewer, gathering her long waves of hair on either side of her head.

Starkly different is an untitled abstract painting by Nolan Council. His work is comprised of thick strokes of blue and yellow paint layered with strokes of pastel pink and purple. Using the same color scheme, Nolan added the element of finger painting to the right side of the canvas, which adds different texture and balance to the piece.

Malcolm Wright’s self-titled portrait is a softly rendered pencil drawing on paper. It is a sensitive, creative exploration of his inner world together with his outer physical image. He reveals an honest observation of his inner self in each corner of the paper. These written reflections surround his face, which looks directly at the viewer with a penetrating but serene stare.

The Porter Butts Gallery is located on the second floor of the UW Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St. Gallery hours are 10 am‒8 pm.