Armin O. Hansen’s ‘Worlds of Wonder’ at MWA

Drawings, photographs and paintings from the pastare often forgotten, overlooked or damaged before they come to a museum’sattention. But a loan to the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MWA) by Madison’s Helenand William Papador family recovers and relives a Milwaukee holiday tradition after beingrescued from the refuse bin during a remodeling project. These preparatorydrawings, in pristine condition and never before displayed in public, comprise thecurrent MWA exhibition “Worlds of Wonder: Armin O. Hansen’s Festive FloatDesigns.”

Hansen’s small-scale, intricately detailedwatercolor and graphite drawings display the design work used for Milwaukee’sannual Christmas parade sponsored by Schuster’s Department Store (eventuallybought out by Gimbels) during the years 1932-1956. An illustrious cityinstitution then, Schuster’s developed the parade as an advertisement forshoppers to visit its “Santa’s Toyland.” The holiday event, which took place onthe Saturday evening after Thanksgiving, attracted thousands of spectators overthe years to see the parade’s float cars that were designed and constructedaccording to Hansen’s specifications.

The 13 drawings installed in the MWA Focus Galleryrepresent a small sampling from the original loan of 44. This welcoming spaceproves ideal for nostalgic images that require intimate viewing.Chronologically sequenced, the drawings illustrate the actual floats depictedin vintage photographs from the Milwaukee County Historical Societyinterspersed with the illustrations.

These charming pictures offer storybookrecollections from a bygone era, an era more innocent than one featuringinstantaneous downloaded images on iPods and cell phones. Vibrant watercolors,still amazingly translucent, delineate designs filled with elves and othercreatures, landscapes, childlike interiors and holiday kitchens. Santa’s Sleigh (1949),painted in ivory and silver oncocoa-colored illustration board, presents the furry-suited man in a swan-likesleigh on his midnight travels.

Elf Train (1943)illustrates a toy engine and train carloaded with tiny holiday helpers. Classic nursery rhymes and fables imagined onother floats, including The Three Bears,Little Miss Muffet, Alice in Wonderland and Blackbirds Baked in a Pie, recall early20th-century children’s culture before “The Muppets,” “The Simpsons,”“SpongeBob SquarePants” and animatedcharactersfrom video games.

The exhibition also testifies to the significance ofhand-drawn commercial art. Designers applied their technical skills andproduced fine artwork as a prelude to a project before the age ofdigitalization and computer art dominated this process. Often dismissed asunimportant, this creative first step remains integral to every object societytouches. The viewer only wishes that MWA would consider adding another layer tothe exhibit, at least 13 more drawings, to more completely showcase Hansen’stalent and contributions to this holiday tradition. However, “Worlds of Wonder”still presents an enchanting tribute to the ardent ingenuity of all designers, Milwaukee’s past andchildhood holiday memories.

“Worlds of Wonder” continues through Jan. 3, 2010.