WAUKESHA – Former students of Ron Penkoff, art professor at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha from 1967 to 1987, have organized an exhibit of his and their work as a tribute to their mentor. The commemorative show, titled “Now and the Remembrance of Things Past,” will be mounted in the UW-Waukesha library from August 20 through December 17. There will be an artists’ reception in the library at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 17. Both the show and reception are open to the public at no charge. The title of the exhibit is taken from a book by French novelist Marcel Proust and aptly describes the intentions of its curators. Current Wisconsin artists Fran Cheney, Wendy Lee Cooper, Daniel Rondeau, Ami Rupnow, and Curt Schroeder as well as Andrea Rich, who now lives and works in California, have assembled this show to demonstrate their appreciation for the influence Penkoff provided. A year after he completed a sabbatical experience at a Paris artist’s atalier, Penkoff accepted a position teaching at UW-Waukesha. The campus had just opened while he was in France, where he had been on leave from teaching at Ball State University, Indiana. As the “massier,” he had managed Stanley Williams Hayter’s French studio of 30 international artists. Previously Penkoff had taught at State University College, New York, and at Ohio State University. During the summer of 1966, he taught at Bath Academy of Art, Corsham, England. Holding a BFA (1954) from Bowling Green State University, Ohio, and a master’s degree (1955) from Ohio State University, Penkoff developed an interest in Oriental art and in architecture, which is reflected in his work. He taught art history as well as studio art, including design, drawing, and printmaking. Penkoff was commissioned to create the Zen-inspired banners that were installed in 1990 in lobby of the UW-Waukesha Fine Arts Center. In 1987 Penkoff transferred to the UW Colleges campus in Richland Center from which he retired in 1998 after more than 40 years of teaching. However, he has not retired from art. His work is represented in both public and private collections. He has exhibited in numerous regional, national, and international juried shows as well as other competitive exhibitions, including Nouvelles Realties in Paris.Yet Penkoff recalls his greatest enjoyment, “Teaching people to see, to develop an awareness of the world. That stays with them and makes life more interesting for them.”
Several of his students who have followed him into the world of art want to prove how heartily they agree by opening up their portfolios to encourage future students to see life in a deeper way.
