ARTS for ALL Wisconsin, a Madison-based non-profit providing programs in the arts to children and adults with disabilities, is displaying the life’s work of 90-year-old Bob Hanneman, a resident at SSM Health St. Mary’s Care Center, who has been creating with pen and felt-tipped marker for more than 70 years. His artwork has been published in national magazines and collected by institutions as well as private buyers.
Dozens of Hanneman’s complex pieces are being shown in A Season of Art: Celebrating the Works of Bob Hanneman. His distinctive style almost always includes repeating columns of tiny flowers, flowerpots, goldfish, or seeds to form fascinating patterns. Much of his art prominently features gardens, holiday scenes as well as numerous depictions of Jesus with a smile on his face.
“Bob Hannemann has been at ARTS for ALL for so many years. We have worked with him as an artist and we have represented him in exhibitions and in sales events around the state for decades. We have more than 900 pieces of his work,” smiled Christina Martin-Wright, ARTS for ALL Wisconsin executive director. “Bob is a fascinating artist. There is so much distinction in his work. Once you learn about Bob Hanneman, you can immediately recognize it. The common denominator in his work is repetition of very small objects.”
Hanneman, who has a cognitive disability, suffered seizures as a child. He was institutionalized in his youth and well into his adult years. He later worked at Felly’s Greenhouse where he is said to have loved working with flowers.
Though he is no longer able to draw, Hanneman was excited to attend opening night of the exhibit. Anyone can view the collection at ARTS for ALL, free of charge through December 16.
