John & Geraldine Lilley Museum of Art
Reno, Nevada
The Lilley Museum of Art is located on the main campus of the University of Nevada, Reno.
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Artist: William Weege (1935-2020)
Born in 1935 in Wisconsin, Weege studied printmaking, collage and sculpture at the University of Wisconsin. In the late 60's his posters hit the streets of San Francisco and soon covered the walls of every young hipster's pad. His career pinnacled in 1970-71 when he represented the United States at the 1970 Venice Biennale, exhibited at the 1971 World's Fair in Japan, and was exhibited at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) in 1970, and at the Whitney Museum in 1971.
Weege taught art at the University of Wisconsin.
William Weege worked predominantly with silkscreen because of its immediacy and directness. He created the "print production" area in response to emerging photo-based technologies for printmakers. He was particularly interested in adapting graphic arts techniques for fine arts applications. He was a leader in the development of digital printmaking.
Best known for his large abstract handmade paper projects, Weege most often produced work for corporate commissions, as well as for embassies around the world. His art can be seen at the Prudential Building in Minneapolis, the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Honda Headquarters in Tennessee, and in embassies in Finland, Germany, and Chile.
Weege’s work is in many museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, New York, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania, the Detroit Museum of Art, and the San Francisco Museum of Art, California. In 1991 and 1992 he participated in a collaborative project, the Arts America Project Grant, exhibited in Finland and Korea. Weege collaborated for over 50 years with the American abstract painter Gillliam, as well as working with painter Alan Shields. William Weege was founder and artistic director of Tandem Press. The Tandem Press grew from Weege's love of artistic collaboration.
An early practitioner of the 1960s handmade paper revival, Weege was highly regarded for his broad understanding of all aspects of printmaking. Weege constantly developed new techniques. His enthusiasm and exuberance were infectious and when asked to describe his philosophy for art, he said, "Do it."
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