The Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, Wisconsin, opened a retrospective exhibition and named a lecture hall in honor of Li Hu, the late UW-Oshkosh emeritus art professor. The event, titled "A Tribute to Li Hu: Celebrating a Visionary Legacy," included a ribbon cutting for the Li Hu Lecture Hall, a panel discussion featuring former students and colleagues, and an exhibition of Hu's sculptural and painted works spanning his career. Hu, who died in 2016, was born in Shanghai, survived the Cultural Revolution, earned a degree from Shanghai University Fine Arts College, and moved to the U.S. in the early 1990s before teaching at UW-Oshkosh for nearly two decades. The exhibition is on view through January 4, 2026.
This tribute matters because it underscores the lasting influence of a dedicated art educator on his students and the regional art community. The naming of the lecture hall, made possible by former student and donor Holly Kowalski, and the retrospective highlight how Hu's mentorship continues to inspire new generations of artists and teachers. The event also reinforces the Trout Museum's role as a hub for local art history and education, while connecting to broader university outreach through UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Manohar Singh's tour.