Bruce W. Pepich

Bruce W. Pepich (b. 1952, Elmhurst, Illinois) is an expert in American and international craft, and executive director and curator of collections at the Racine Art Museum (RAM) and Charles A. Wustum Museum of Fine Arts (Wustum) in Racine, Wisconsin. In Pepich's time at RAM, the contemporary craft collection has increased in size from 253 pieces to almost 10,000 pieces in 2018, one of the largest collections in the United States. Pepich is an Honorary Fellow of the American Craft Council (ACC), in recognition of his contributions to the field of contemporary American crafts.[1]

Biography

Pepich was raised in the western Chicago suburbs. He was introduced to the Art Institute of Chicago as a pre-teen and visited frequently. Pepich received a BA in Art History with a concentration in contemporary art, from Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, in 1974.

Pepich joined RAM as a project director after graduation and was appointed director in 1980.[2] During his tenure, he has built RAM into a major museum focusing on contemporary crafts and fulfilling his, "longstanding ambition to direct the most important craft museum in the Midwest."[3] The museum's most significant donor and promoter, Karen Johnson Boyd, played a significant role, working with Pepich in gaining national recognition for its collection[4] and raising more than ten million dollars for the new building in downtown Racine, creating two campuses for art and education.[5] The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) also supports Pepich in his philosophy that "serving the community is good for us as an institution."[6]

Pepich has participated on over 135 jury panels for regional, national, and international competitive art exhibitions and fellowship programs. These include the Cotsen Prize for Japanese Bamboo Basketry, the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Artists’ Grants, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show, described as being "juried by the most distinguished experts in the various fields of craft art".[7][8][9]

Recognition
  • 2012, Honorary Fellow in the American Craft Council’s College of Fellows[10][11]
  • 2011, Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Award-Museum of Wisconsin Art[12]
  • 2010, Ann Koski Professional Excellence Award-Wisconsin Federation of Museums
  • 2010, State of Wisconsin Governor’s Award in the Arts from the Wisconsin Foundation for the Arts and Governor Jim Doyle of the State of Wisconsin

Board appointments
  • 2013 – Present Board of Trustees, American Craft Council
  • 2007 - 2010 Board of Directors, Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • 1994 - 1996 Board of Trustees, Creative Glass Center of America, Millville, New Jersey
  • 1993 - 1996 Professional Advisory Committee, Friends of Fiber International
  • 1992 - 1996 Fine Arts Advisory Committee, Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin
  • 1992 National Endowment for the Arts, Advancement Program Overview Panel
  • 1991 - 1997 Board of Directors, Taylor Children's Home, Racine, Wisconsin

Personal life

Pepich lives with his wife, Lisa Englander, an artist and curator, in Racine, Wisconsin

Publications
  • Pepich, Bruce W.; Vigna, Lena (2017). Collection Focus: Renie Breskin Adams at RAM. Racine Art Museum. ISBN 978-0983183754.
  • Hicks, Bob; Fogarty, Lori; Pepich, Bruce W. (2011). Beth Van Hoesen: Catalogue Raisonné of Limited-Edition Prints, Books, and Portfolios. Hudson Hills Press. ISBN 978-1555953447.
  • Pepich, Bruce W. "Collecting collectors/constructing a collection: RAM at five years". issuu.com. SOFA Chicago 2008 Catalog. pp. 38–43.
  • Preface to Hutter, Sidney (2004). Spectral Reflections. Chicago: Marx Saunders Gallery, Ltd.
  • Ries, Christopher; Pepich, Bruce (2004). Glass and Light: Christopher Ries, Marx Saunders Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, May 22 – June 25,2004. Chicago: Marx-Saunders Gallery.
  • Pepich, Bruce W. (2003). Introducing RAM : the building and collections. Racine Art Museum. ISBN 978-0972832601.
  • Essay in The Jewelry of Robert Ebendorf, a Retrospective of Forty Years. Raleigh, North Carolina: Gallery of Art and Design, North Carolina State University. 2003.
  • Essay in Takaezu, Toshiko (2000). Toshiko Takaezu: An Essential Balance. Chicago: Perimeter Gallery.
  • Pepich, Bruce W. (2000). Mara Superior: A Retrospective. Connecticut: New Britain Museum of American Art.
gollark: You are to make a minoteaur replicator by the way.
gollark: I see.
gollark: At what?
gollark: Thus, replicate?!
gollark: So quine + fairly trivial glue code → replicator.

References
  1. "Masters: Bruce Pepich, Honorary Fellow". American Craft Magazine. October/November: 63–64. 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  2. "Bruce W. Pepich". American Craft Council. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  3. Adamson, Glenn (2003). "Racine Art Museum: A Corner Chapel for the Crafts". American Craft Magazine (October/November): 48–52.
  4. Berger, Philip (April 20, 2003). "Racine Art Museum Aims High". the Chicago Tribune (Tronc Inc).
  5. Paul, Donna (2003). "A Museum Comes of Age". Interior Design (August): 137–40.
  6. Sutton, Rebecca (2017). "Building a Sense of Community". National Endowment for the Arts. NEA Arts Magazine (2).
  7. "Breaking Boundaries: 20th Annual Craft Forms Exhibit, Show Preview". American Art Collector. 110: 178–181. December 2014.
  8. Wein, Jennifer. "National Academy of Design News". ARTFORUM. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  9. "Philadelphia Art Museum Craft Show, Press Release". Philadelphia Art Museum. Philadelphia Art Museum. May 20, 1997.
  10. "Bruce Pepich". American Craft Council. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  11. Wishau, Brenda (September 21, 2012). "Pepich receives prestigious American Craft Council Award". Journal Times. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  12. "Bruce W. Pepich". wvaaa.com. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
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