The Wisconsin Veterans Museum presents the new art exhibit,
IN MY SPARE MOMENTS: THE ART OF HAROLD F. SCHMITZ
THE TEMPORARY EXHIBIT IS OPEN UNTIL SUMMER 2020
In 1937, Harold F. Schmitz earned a degree in advertising design from the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee. The Hammersmith-Kortmeyer Company hired him for an entry-level position. With the beginning of WWII, Harold was drafted in 1942 and handpicked for the role of map maker with the 955th Topographic Engineer Company.
In My Spare Moments: The Art of Harold F. Schmitz features Harold’s collection of artwork, handwritten letters, and an oral history, that identifies a precise timeline of his military experience and reflects the stages of a multi-year deployment (1942-1945). At first, there is awe and intrigue of the unknown. As time goes by, fascination fades with the routine of work and writing home drops off. Harold’s escape from this monotony is a return to his love of Hollywood magazine illustration styles. Completed during his time in the South Pacific, these featured drawings are the lens through which we view Harold’s spare moments that inspired him to draw.
In My Spare Moments: The Art of Harold F. Schmitz will be open to the public until Summer 2020.
Sponsored by the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Foundation with support for the Foundation by:
Gold Star Sponsor $5,000
Associated Bank
Leathernecks MC-Frontline
Silver Star Sponsor $2,500
Dane Arts
Linda Schmitz Devitt
The Hamilton Roddis Foundation
Bronze Star Sponsors $500
American Family Insurance Military & Veteran Business Resource Group
Edgewood College Military & Veteran Services
Hometown Painting Services, LLC
Gerald Miller
Oregon-Brooklyn Memorial, VFW Post 10272
WAVE-Wisconsin Association of Veteran Employers
For museum hours visit: www.wisvetsmuseum.com/contact/
For media inquiries visit: www.wisvetsmuseum.com/newsroom/
