WKU News

The Kentucky Museum is thrilled to announce the acquisition of a large collection of works by Charles Howard Forrester (1928–2010), a prolific sculptor who taught at Western Kentucky University for 27 years. The collection of over 100 sculptures and associated materials was donated by his children, Winnie and John Forrester, along with funding to create and install an exhibition of the works in the Museum’s forthcoming Sculpture Gallery.

Charles Forrester was born in New Jersey shortly before the Great Depression, during which his family faced extreme hardship. After his father went to prison for bank fraud and his mother developed schizophrenia, Charles was cared for by his older sister. Having witnessed the early years of World War II as a teenager, Charles enlisted in the Air Force and served until 1949. In 1951, he met and married his future wife, Dorothy Reese, who had just returned from graduate study in Political Science at the University of Zurich and University of London. Dorothy became Charles’s muse and provided the support and encouragement he needed to explore his creativity. They moved to Seattle, and he went back to school and got a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 1960 at the University of Oregon.

Charles began teaching in 1963, first in England and then, in 1965, at Western Kentucky University. He taught at WKU for the next 27 years while maintaining a studio in Southern Kentucky and later in Nashville, TN after his retirement from teaching. He, Dorothy, and their children travelled extensively across Europe and the Americas for sabbaticals and residencies throughout his career.

The Forrester’s lived a bohemian life fueled by creativity and frugality – Forrester built the family’s furniture using plywood and black paint. While raising her children and caring for Charles, Dorothy immersed herself in writing and studying her favorite Greek and Roman classical literature.  The Forrester’s used the money they saved to travel widely with their children in tow.

Studying alongside and under many well-known sculptors of the time, Charles followed a love of curiosity and experimentation. While his large concrete outdoor sculptures are well-known, he created many smaller sculptures cast in bronze or aluminum using the lost wax casting technique, from human figures and portrait busts to sly visual puzzles and riddles. Until his death in 2010, Charles created over 550 sculptures – many of which won awards and were shown in regional and national exhibits.

The Kentucky Museum has acquired nearly one-fifth of Charles Forrester’s works, alongside numerous drawings, blueprints, artist notebooks, classroom slides, and tools from his workshop. Additionally, the Museum has acquired the recently discovered painted textile designs from Charles’s grandfather, Charles W. Forrester (1861-1961), who worked as a rug designer for Bigelow Carpet Co. in England and then Lowell, MA; Greenwich Village; and Philadelphia. These works demonstrate a family history of artistic talent that the Museum is excited to explore further.

Beginning in August, the Forrester Collection will be catalogued and digitized by Graduate Assistant Logan Johnson (Class of 2025, History), working alongside Collections Manager Bryan Morey. Johnson will gain significant experience in condition reporting, object photography, PastPerfect catalog entry, and associating objects with archival records. Also, during the Fall term, construction on the Museum’s new Sculpture Gallery will be underway in preparation for an exhibition on Forrester’s life and works, slated to open in the 2026-27 academic year. These projects are made possible by a gift from Winnie Forrester.

“We are eternally grateful for John and Winnie’s efforts to preserve their father’s legacy, not just in choosing us as a repository for exhibition and study of his works, but also in gifting the financial ability to digitize, preserve, and share the collection with our campus and community,” stated Brent Bjorkman, Kentucky Museum Director. “As we continue to elevate the voices and experiences of Kentuckians, we remain committed to preserving the legacies of artists – especially those like Charles W. Forrester who have inspired so many, both here and abroad. We are excited to share the many things we are learning from his notebooks and drawings, and to help connect his body of work to larger ideas about American life and culture of the mid-20^th century.”