Posted 7:05 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022
UWL to dedicate arts building to Truman Lowe Oct. 3
A Ho-Chunk artist who got his start at UW-La Crosse will be remembered for generations to come.
On Oct. 3 at 1 p.m., UWL will dedicate its Center for the Arts to the late Truman Lowe, who drew international acclaim during his five-decade career and inspired thousands of aspiring artists as a professor at UW-Madison.
The public ceremony will include comments from Lowe’s friends and family, a traditional Ho-Chunk blessing, and an unveiling of the new signage.
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Chancellor Joe Gow, who proposed the dedication last September, says there are many things to celebrate about Lowe’s life and career — particularly the way he advanced Native American culture through his art.
“During his life, Truman Lowe fully embodied the UWL spirit — striving for excellence, honoring his culture and heritage, and leaving the world a better place than he found it,” Gow says. “I’m proud to call Truman Lowe an alumnus of our university. I hope seeing his name on the Center for the Arts will inspire future generations to learn about his legacy and work to create their own.”
Lowe, who was born in Black River Falls, will be the first person of color with a UWL building named in their honor — a distinction Gow called long overdue.
Lowe’s family members say they’re grateful the man they knew is being celebrated for his outstanding career and transformative impact on so many people.
“On a personal level, he was an incredibly empathetic person and always knew what to say to support someone at a pivotal moment in their life,” says Tonia Lowe, Truman’s daughter. “Professionally, he was part of a second wave of Native artists that really helped change people’s perceptions of what Native art could be. This feels like recognition for all the work he did to open people’s minds and pave the way for the next generation.”
“He really loved La Crosse — he loved the campus, the city and the beauty of the location. It was really where he discovered art as a career,” adds Nancy Lowe, Truman’s wife. “Seeing his name on a building would make him very, very happy and be incredibly meaningful to him. That’s what makes it so exciting for us.”
After earning his bachelor’s degree in art education in 1969, Lowe had a short stint as an art teacher at Valders High School, about 45 miles north of Milwaukee.
He left to attend UW-Madison, where he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1973 and accepted a faculty position in 1975. He spent 30 years in the university’s Art Department, serving as chair from 1992 to 1995.
Through the years, Lowe remained deeply dedicated to his craft.
He was celebrated for his sculpture and large art installations, which were often constructed from natural materials and explored Ho-Chunk culture and history through a contemporary lens.
His art was exhibited worldwide, including in Europe, Africa, South America and major galleries across the United States. In 1998, one of his sculptures, “Bird Effigy,” was selected for a yearlong exhibit at the White House.
Lowe was admired not just for his creations, but also for his keen artistic eye and knowledge of the history of art.
In 2000, those qualifications helped him become the curator of contemporary art for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian — a position he held until 2008.
As his success grew, Lowe maintained close ties to UWL.
At the peak of his career, Lowe was twice selected as a UWL distinguished alumnus, receiving the Graff Distinguished Alumni Award in 1992 and the Parker Distinguished Multicultural Alumni Award in 1999.
In 1991, Lowe displayed his art at the UWL Art Gallery, selling prints to support the Mary H. Hebberd Endowment Fund.
Lowe also served on the UWL Foundation Board of Directors.
Jo Ortel, a professor at Beloit University, met Lowe in the late 1990s, when she invited him to speak to an art history class she was teaching at UW-Madison.
The pair developed a friendship, and over the years, Ortel became an expert on Lowe’s life and career.
To her, the quality of Lowe’s artwork is matched only by the impact he made on thousands of students and art enthusiasts — not just as an artist, but also as an educator and curator.
“Truman's legacy lives on in the thousands of students from all different backgrounds whom he taught,” Ortel says, noting that Lowe was always mindful of significant milestones for Native America. “Surely, UWL’s decision to name its Center for the Arts in honor of a Wisconsin Ho-Chunk artist is right up there. He’s wearing a big smile somewhere.”
About the building
The Truman T. Lowe Center for the Arts, as it will soon be called, opened as the Fine Arts Building in the fall of 1974.
The building housed the university art gallery, theatre and recital hall, and hosted music, art, theatre and speech communications courses.
During the 20th anniversary celebration in 1994, the building was rededicated as the Center for the Arts.
It currently houses the School of Visual & Performing Arts, which includes the Art, Theatre and Music departments.