The Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee has opened a new exhibition pairing two shows by contemporary American artists focusing on military service. Ohio-born Mary Whyte's "We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America" features 50 large-scale watercolor portraits of veterans from various wars and backgrounds. Milwaukee photographer Dennis Darmek's "Boots and Sand: The Marines of 29 Palms" presents two dozen color photographs taken at the Marine Corps base in California's Mojave Desert, where Darmek himself trained in 1969. The photos capture both posed and candid moments, highlighting diversity within the modern Marine Corps, including women in combat roles.
This exhibition matters because it brings contemporary art into dialogue with themes of military service, memory, and social change. Darmek's work, in particular, documents the evolution of the Marine Corps from a nearly all-white institution during World War II to a more diverse force, reflecting broader shifts in American society. By pairing a nationally recognized watercolorist with a local photographer, the Grohmann Museum also underscores the importance of regional art institutions in presenting work that connects personal history with national narratives.