Haggerty Museum of Art Presents On the Fence: Keith Haring's Mural for the Haggerty, 1983 Released: Jan. 20, 2005 The Haggerty Museum of Art at Marquette University will present On the Fence: Keith Haring's Mural for the Haggerty, 1983.  From Jan. 27- March 27, 2005, the exhibition will consist of major portions of the 100-foot by 8-foot fence that surrounded the Haggerty Museum of Art during its construction in 1984, as well as photographs of the fence construction, a drawing and a book by the artist. The exhibition opens Jan. 27 with “Perspectives on Keith Haring,” a lecture by Elisabeth Sussman, curator at the Whitney Museum of Art, New York at 6 p.m. with a reception to follow at 7 p.m. This exhibition is open to the public, and is sponsored by the Mary Martha Doerr Endowment Fund and the Wisconsin Arts Board. About the Exhibit In April 1983, Keith Haring's ascent to prominence in the international arts community was just beginning.  The week he arrived in Milwaukee he was featured in Newsweek and a number of other national and international publications. Haring spent five days working on the wall, drawing all of the outlines of the figures and painting a great majority of them.  The Students for the Fine Arts Club at Marquette helped paint some of the figures that Haring outlined in his signature style. As soon as he began painting, Haring started to attract a crowd.  Several hundred visitors a day gathered to watch the artist at work.  Students from Marquette and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, artists and community visitors curious about the project created a continuous stream of onlookers at the site.  Television, radio and newspaper reporters came to report on the event, and Haring responded by painting a TV monitor with angel wings into the mural as a local TV cameraman shot the scene. The piece remained out of doors at its initial site as part of the museum construction fence for about three months.  To protect it from potential vandalism, the piece was lit and its location made part of campus security rounds during the night.  Apart from a tiny mark and exposure to weather, the piece remained in its pristine state until it was dismantled and placed in the museum's collection.  While a small piece of the fence is permanently on display just inside the Haggerty, this is the first time that a significant portion of the fence will be on display since it was taken down in 1984. About the Artist Keith Haring was born in 1958 in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. He began to hone his craft in Pittsburgh, and in 1978 moved to New York City on a scholarship to the School of Visual Arts. Before he was accepted into the New York art galleries, Haring became famous for his drawings in subway stations and throughout clubs and city streets.  His quick sketches in the subways were chalk drawings made on the black paper that covered expired advertising.  These illegal drawings in the subway led to numerous arrests, sometimes by admiring New York police officers who on occasion sought his autograph. After mounting exhibitions in non-gallery spaces, Haring landed his first major New York gallery exhibition in 1982.   The next several years brought him world-wide recognition. His exhibitions were held in Rotterdam, Tokyo, Naples, Antwerp, London, Cologne, Milan, Basel, Munich, Bordeaux, Amsterdam and Paris, as well as numerous shows in New York and around the world.  Despite his life-long frustration over neglect by the main American museums, Haring's successes would guarantee him a significant place among late twentieth-century artists in the international art world.  Today there is scarcely a major museum or private collection of contemporary art that does not include works by Haring. Haring was diagnosed with AIDS in 1988. Before his death in 1990, he established the Keith Haring Foundation to continue his charitable support of children's and AIDS-related organizations. About the Haggerty The Haggerty Museum provides a variety of educational services, including docent tours for all ages, teachers' packets and workshops, exhibition related lectures and forums.  Gallery guides are available for most exhibitions and catalogues are published for major exhibitions. Museum hours are Monday-Wednesday and Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is free. Free parking is available in the Mary B. Finnigan Parking Lot (enter on 11 th St. south of Wisconsin Ave. through Marquette Lot J). Interested media should contact Jennifer Schwarz in the office of Public Affairs at Marquette University. Office of Public Affairs Contacts Anne Broeker Senior Media Relations Specialist Phone: (414) 288-0286 Send e-mail