Organized by the University of North Texas College of Visual Arts and Design, Denton
March 21 – September 26, 2020
Words and Pictures features paintings, sculptures and installations from 1980-2019 by the nationally accomplished Texas artist Vernon Fisher. Fisher came of age in the twentieth century, characterized by cultural and theological scholars as the bloodiest and most brutal century in history. Like many artists of his era, including poets and writers who inspire him, Fisher explores what it means to be lost and searching in the face of indifference. His art is a personal expression of what life feels like. His paintings, typified by compositions of floating imagery and overlaid texts, present an unresolved narrative, intended to leave viewers with an overarching sense of emotion. Embracing postmodern humor, irreverence, and anti-closure, Vernon Fisher creates images of hopeful uncertainty.
Vernon Fisher, whose art has been exhibited nationwide, is recipient of three Individual Artist’s Fellowships from the National Endowment on the Arts; a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant; a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship; and numerous other honors and awards.
Bring the Museum into your home! We’ll be making our exhibitions and educational programs available online in the coming weeks. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and share your art experiences at #wfmaartstories.
Director’s Exhibition Tour
Vernon Fisher, 14 Words, 1991; Cast Hydrostone, steel, and enamel on aluminum
Join the WFMA’s director online to explore the artworks in Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher.
Director’s Exhibition Tour
Vernon Fisher, “S-s-swimers,” 2005, Acrylic on canvas, enamel on cast polyurethane
Join the WFMA’s director online to explore the artworks in Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher.
Director’s Exhibition Tour
Installation view, “Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher,” Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU Texas; “The Map,” 2016-2019, vinyl lettering on the wall, 12 x 16 feet.
Join the WFMA’s director online to explore the artworks in Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher.
Director’s Exhibition Tour
“Chicken Joke,” 2000, acrylic on canvas; Courtesy the artist.
Join the WFMA’s director online to explore the artworks in Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher.
Director’s Exhibition Tour
“What a Cat Sees,” 1985 Nickel plated steel, metal primer and epoxy; Courtesy the artist.
Join the WFMA’s director online to explore the artworks in Words and Pictures: Vernon Fisher.
Your Words and Pictures
Share with us how life feels and we will shape your words and ideas into a community expression.