MEDIA ALERT: NEW EXHIBIT–”IN MY SPARE MOMENTS: THE ART OF HAROLD F. SCHMITZ”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 11, 2019

 

NEW EXHIBIT: IN MY SPARE MOMENTS: THE ART OF HAROLD F. SCHMITZ

FEATURES MILWAUKEE NATIVE’S DRAWINGS COMPLETED WHILE SERVING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC DURING WORLD WAR II.

What: The Wisconsin Veterans Museum new art exhibit, In My Spare Moments: The Art of Harold F. Schmitz, opens to the public on March 15, 2019.

  • Interviews available with representatives from the Wisconsin Veterans Museum and Linda Devitt, Harold F. Schmitz’s daughter.

When: March 14, 2019 – Media Day

Time: 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Where: Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 West Mifflin St., Madison, on Capital Square

At 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 14, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum will host media day for the new art exhibit, In My Spare Moments: The Art of Harold F. Schmitz.

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 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. 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.

For more on the Museum’s main gallery exhibits, collections and events, visit on to www.WisVetsMuseum.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT: Karen Burch | WVM Senior Marketing Specialist |608-264-6086 | Karen.Burch@dva.wisconsin.gov

Wisconsin Veterans Museum · 30 West Mifflin Street, Madison, WI 53703