Aug. 21, 2025

Contact Sherri Lisota at 608-796-3753 or sjlisota@viterbo.edu

BENEATH THE FIELDS ART EXHIBIT BY LOIS PETERSON TO OPEN IN THE VITERBO UNIVERSITY GALLERY SEPT. 3

LA CROSSE, Wis. – Beneath the Fields, an exhibit of large-scale pencil drawings by artist Lois Peterson, will open Wednesday, Sept. 3 in the Viterbo University Gallery.

Peterson lives along the banks of the Mississippi River in Dakota, Minn., where she works in her studio surrounded by the natural beauty of the river and the land. Dormant prairie plants and segments of fallen trees are frequently the subject of her work.

“Through the act of drawing, I search to understand my place and identity as a rural artist, a person with an agricultural history, and a person aware of an ecosystem in need of help,” Peterson said.

With art exhibited nationally and regionally, Peterson has been honored with numerous grants to support her work, including the Blandin Foundation, Gustavus Adolphus College, and the Minnesota State Arts Board. She has served as an invited guest artist in South Africa, taught tile making in Italy, and has served on numerous artist panels and serves as an invited juror for a wide range of exhibitions and grant reviews.

Peterson earned a bachelor’s degree in art education from the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse and a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics with minors in drawing, art history, and museum studies from Texas Tech University. She served as a professor of art/art history at Gustavus Adolphus College from 1989 until she retired in 2016. She also founded the college’s arts administration program.

A reception with Peterson will be held Saturday, Oct. 11 from 4–5:30 p.m. during Viterbo Days Alumni Weekend. The exhibit will be on display until Wednesday, Nov 5.

There is no admission fee to the gallery, which is located on the third floor of the Viterbo Fine Arts Center. The gallery is open from 9 a.m.–4 p.m. when school is in session. For the full schedule of Viterbo University gallery exhibits, visit www.viterbo.edu/gallery.

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Image: Listening to the Prairie #1 by Lois Peterson.