A red sports car drives up to the curb of a house in the historic district of La Crosse, and a woman hops out and takes a photo of a home, writes down some notes, and drives away.  No, you have not encountered a burglary suspect; you just got a glimpse of Joan Rausch, art historian, AKA art sleuth.  Joan has diligently uncovered the history of many buildings in our community from commercial buildings to ordinary houses to the Cass Street Castles. 

Joan was born in Calmar, Iowa but grew up in a rural farming community near Ossian, Iowa.   She left for college at 17, and later graduated from the College of St. Teresa with a bachelor of science in nursing. She arrived in La Crosse in 1965, and worked as a nurse for 15 years before she decided to step outside the traditional boundaries of women’s careers and become an art historian and historic preservation consultant.

The opportunity to change careers came in 1979, when Joan was presented with the opportunity to attend graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  She readily jumped at this chance to pursue her passion for art and architecture that had slowly been cultivating as she took coursework at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. 

Being an art historian takes a special type of person.  To be successful, you must be talented in a variety of detective skills including interviewer, researcher, traveler, critical thinker, writer, and more.  It takes patience and perseverance to put together the clues that no one has linked before you. It is this quest for knowledge that ignited Joan’s intellectual love for her second career.

Joan is a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Preservation Alliance of La Crosse, the Pump House, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and the Smithsonian Institute.  She has been involved in the National Organization for Women, and the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation Task Force.  She was part of the Intensive Historical Architectural survey of La Crosse which included the Cass-Kind Streets Historic District and the 10th and Cass Street Historic District.  She received the Historic Preservation Award in 1989, the Scholarship for Victorian Summer School in London, England in 1981, a Graduate Assistantship in 1979, 1981, and 1982, in addition to the Who’s Who in American Woman and Who’s Who in America.

Although she is retired, for the most part, she is still open to picking up a new historic puzzle or two but mostly enjoys traveling to encounter additional historic sites attending workshops and seminars about preservation, and reading about art as evidenced by her incredible personal library. 

Joan encourages all children today to step outside the mold, be who you want to be, and pursue the career of your choice from day one.  This perseverance to seek the job you are passionate about will bring joy for the rest of your life.  She knows, because she has done it.