Michael Gross
Wisconsin Table
Wisconsin Table blends traditional dairy state imagery with artist Michael Gross’ impressions of Wisconsin. In this piece, Gross showcases familiar icons while also telling his own unique, personal story. Several vignettes in Wisconsin Table were inspired by pictures in books about Wisconsin that Gross discovered while researching the project. However, the farm scene depicted was inspired by Gross’ then studio on the Rainbow Farm in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin.
Wisconsin Table offers something for everyone with its lighthearted, relatable imagery. Gross hopes Baird Center visitors will be entertained by his work and keep finding new and different things within the work to stimulate their thoughts and feelings.
Wisconsin Table is part of the original art from the Burke Collection donated to the Midwest Express Center in 1998.
About Michael Gross
The ceramic sculptures of Wisconsin artist Michael Gross are personal narratives that reveal an unusual mix of earthly magic and primal vitality. The artist works in a variety of forms, including figurines, large vessels and furniture. With over a dozen museum exhibitions under his belt, the artist is a regular exhibitor at SOFA in New York and has received a Wisconsin Arts Board fellowship.
Gross was born in Evanston, Illinois and received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UW-Whitewater. He went on to earn an MFA from Ohio State University.
