Noted: The University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Idea: The Wisconsin Regional Art Program hired painter John Steuart Curry in 1936 as the first artist-in-residence at a U.S. university. Curry, and later Aaron Bohrod, worked with groups around the state to encourage to encourage small-town and rural artists. The program valued art created not only by professors and artists, but also by regular people, Sawkins said.