A Not Exactly Straight Picture of Emma Lake

Date1973

Maker William T. Wiley American, 1937 - 2021

Label TextWilliam T. Wiley offered his eccentric brand of wisdom—or “Wiz-dumb,” as he called it—in works that are dense with written and visual puns and doubletalk. In this major painting, the artist offers a nonfunctional map of Emma Lake Artists’ Workshops (affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan), where he taught in the summer that it was painted. The work is a window into an insider’s art world locale that in fact offers no insider information.

Object number2006.131

Photo CreditPhoto: Scott Leen

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Poke in the Eye: Art of the West Coast Counterculture, June 21 - September 2, 2024.

Credit LineGift of Byron R. Meyer, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum

Dimensions60 x 120 in. (152.4 x 304.8cm)

MediumOil and graphite on canvas