Fantastic Worlds- Masters of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art August 13th - November 13th, 2011 October 5, 2011

– A new exhibit of science fiction and fantasy art opened Aug. 13 at the Kenosha Public Museum's East Gallery. Fantastic Worlds -- Master of Science Fiction & Fantasy Art , is a unique exhibition featuring the works of more than 25 professional artists, showcasing the quality, diversity, and relevance of fantastic art today. It will be on display through Nov. 13, 2011.
Materials and media range from digital works to fine art paintings in oil, acrylic, and watercolor, to sculptures created with cast bronze, resin, assembled objects, or incredibly lifelike silicone rubber. Two- and three-dimensional projects are represented in the exhibit, but all works all have a science fiction or fantasy theme, or embody a sense of the fantastic.
The group includes multiple-award-winning cover and concept artists Bob Eggleton, Donato Giancola, Don Maitz, John Jude Palencar, Dave Seeley, fantasy author and cover artist Janny Wurtz, illustrator Scott Gustafson, as well as Lake Geneva artist Jeff Easley. Special works on exhibition include Palencar's original cover art for Christopher Paolini's novel "Brisingr," from the best-selling "Eragon" series, and Giancola's original oil paintings of Alan Shepard and the Mercury Messenger, created for the recently released United States Postal Service commemorative stamps.
Artists have explored myths, legends, and things of the fantastic since ancient times. Some believe fantastic art in the Western World got its start during the Middle Ages. In the 1800s, writers and artists alike began looking to the future. Instead of imagining other realms of existence and dreams, they began to speculate what changes might come to our own world with the advancement of industry and science. Speculative Fiction and Science Fiction gave us whole new worlds to explore, and posed the eternal question of "what if...?" Its most creative proponents built the prototype for many of the inventions and advancements that have impacted our lives.

Fantastic art today finds its greatest audience in the entertainment fields, in illustrations for books and publications, concept art and character design for films, television, toys, and games- and in all of the merchandise that spin off from popular franchises. Many of the works are available for purchase; a sales list is available in the gallery or in the museum's gift shop.