Eliana Wasserman
Jody Clowes: Reflections on 20 years of the James Watrous Gallery in Overture
March 12, 2025
On the opening day of Overture Center on September 19, 2004, the James Watrous Gallery also celebrated its new beginning.
One of six galleries housed in Overture Center, the James Watrous Gallery focuses on solo exhibits by contemporary Wisconsin artists and curated shows that reflect the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters’ interest in drawing connections between art and other disciplines.
The James Watrous Gallery is the second iteration of the Wisconsin Academy’s gallery, with the first operating out of a modest living-room-sized space, the Academy’s Steenbock office building at 1922 University Avenue. The move to Overture’s modern 1,500-square-foot gallery with 130 feet of brightly lit linear wall space has proved to be a welcome home for the gallery over the past two decades.
James Watrous Gallery director and Wisconsin People & Ideas magazine arts editor Jody Clowes shares her reflections on the gallery’s past 20 years.
Artists forward
In the visual art world, there are far more opportunities to show work in group exhibitions, but it can be difficult for artists, especially emerging artists, to add solo shows to their resume. The Watrous Gallery offers an unusual opportunity for artists to submit to a call for art for a solo show.
According to Clowes, “It's hard to find a place where artists can apply to have a solo exhibition, typically a curator will reach out to an artist, not the other way around.”
The Watrous Gallery’s jury is comprised of thoughtful, fair-minded professionals, and being selected is significant to an artist's career. Solo exhibitions are an important step towards being recognized as a professional working artist, one who is taken seriously by curators and critics.
Solo shows are not only valuable for artists seeking to advance their career, but the premise of a solo show is an opportunity for artists to show a range of work, go further in depth on an a topic and potentially show physically larger pieces that might not otherwise have worked in a group show, where typically multiple artists each show only one or two pieces.
Clowes and her colleagues at the gallery are highly experienced in the field and can mentor artists by sharing knowledge and skills. According to Clowes, artists report positive experiences showing work at Watrous Gallery because of the flexibility and support from staff in putting the show together and helping facilitate and run the events.
Overture connection
The Watrous Gallery’s location inside Overture is unique, housed in the same building as five other galleries (Galleries I, II, III, Playhouse and Rotunda) as well as the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), since the gallery is run by the Wisconsin Academy, independent from Overture and MMoCA. The proximity does lead to significant crossovers in foot traffic, and according to Clowes, "there’s nice synergy between all the organizations.”
“Because we are located inside Overture Center, we get a lot of people coming into the gallery who are here for another event, whether it’s for International Festival, a symphony concert or kids programming,” Cowes said. "This location gives us the ability to connect with audience of all ages and interests, engaging with people who otherwise wouldn't have made the visit a part of their normal routine.”
Looking ahead
Reflecting on 20 years, Clowes wants the gallery to continue its positive impact on platforming artists. The gallery is currently booked out for shows until 2028 from their last call for art in 2023, which received 245 applicants. For each call for art over the years, the number of applications has increased significantly, and the growing interest illustrates just how valuable this program is to artists.
Historically, shows have been curated by gallery staff, but last submission period, the gallery opened their juried call for art to include a call for guest curators, a practice still relatively uncommon in the gallery world.
“Each guest curator brings in their own perspectives and experiences which attracts different types of artists to the space,” Clowes said.
The open call for guest curators has been an exciting, positive experience, one that Clowes hopes to see continue in the future.
On view
Be sure to stop in the gallery to see the current exhibition, Wherever Home Is: A group exhibition, guest curated by Amal Azzam and Nayfa Naji of Fanana Banana, on display through Sunday, April 13. Gallery hours are Thursday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. or by appointment. Admission is free.