The Shrinking Local Scene

Lapham’s Quarterly (I highly recommended it), the new edition, has been sitting on my desk for a few weeks now and I’ve yet to get to reading it. The subject is Crimes and Punishments; quite apropos, given the scandalous amount of advantage taken in business lately. It seems criminal, is it? Or is it the natural result from the exploitation of loopholes and a system set up by those who run it so that they and theirs can reap (or rape) the full advantage. Crazy amounts of money. I’m sure they’re thinking that the good ol’ days are over.

But I am thinking that, here in our humble Milwaukee, losses are mounting. Not just the jobs in the labor force or homes foreclosed from untenable loans and deals, but in the loss of yet another independent, smart outlet for creative forces and things that enliven daily living. Paper Boat announced earlier this year that if things didn’t improve financially, they were going to have to close up shop. It was a sad and surprising statement, especially since an imminent closing would have come on the heels of the very successful premier of Faythe Levine’s clever documentary film, Handmade Nation. But things seemed like they were surviving, until now. Over the weekend the email went out that they will have to close, apparently it’s not economically viable to hang in there. So sad, so ironic that after this film, where Milwaukee is a part of this movement, it’s not able to sustain it.

How long has it been? Was it one year ago, two years ago that there was so much going on? I remember driving down Water Street in warm sunshine, passing under the freeway and into the Third Ward and thinking about how lucky we were, as a city, to have so many amazing places; I suppose that is now referred to as “back in the day.” There was Hotcakes, Broad Vocabulary, White Whale Collective, Brooks Barrow Gallery, shows happening at the Hide House (actually, ArtBeat is having an event there on Fri., Apr. 3; see message on MARN list]), Schwarz’s seemed an eternal presence on Downer Avenue, and I know there are others I’ve missed. (o4/03/09: *blush!  Luckystar’s gallery is another unfortunate absence – I knew I made a huge oversight [and there's probably more...])

Like so many other cities, our publications are feeling the pinch – Vital Source is now solely online as Third Coast Digest. Of course, I think the online format is fabulous, but there is still something to be said about printed materials. They have a definite presence, you see them in the newsstand as you’re wandering into Alterra or other favorite businesses, and it brings them back to mind. A new cover is a reminder to pick one up, or check online for new articles. The same with the Shepherd Express, strolling past the newsstands offers a half-second perusal of the stories and headlines, and a mental note to read up soon.

The shame is that these places and things are disappearing not because of a lack of quality, but a lack of money; another dimension to that “root of all evil.” Who knows where it ends or how things ultimately shake out; all I can think is to support the local scene, before there isn’t one left.

~ KM Murrell

Tempus fugit and then some: a recap of recent events

Good intentions don’t amount to much unless they take some tangible form, otherwise they’re doomed to wander the earth as the ghosts of ideas. To that end, this is one big giganto-post, not on a single topic, but a small slew of them. It was a busy weekend, and there’s a lot that has been seen, heard, and said; this is my breathless attempt to get it all down. With plenty of pictures, too.

Thursday, March 26

National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago

I was asked to go along on a field trip for a Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design class (where I also teach), to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Chicago. As you’ll note from my recent post from Mexico City, I’ve been experiencing something of a recurring theme lately in terms of Latin American art. It is a subject that I know little about, but am learning more and more, visual and otherwise.

The museum is small but richly fascinating. The exhibition Mexicanidad traces the history of Mexican art through visual representation and historic events. Another current exhibition, Miradas, is a diverse group of contemporary Latin American art from the collection of the Bank of America. Another gallery is devoted to Muralla sobre lienzo, a mural-in-progress by celebrated artist Hector Duarte.

Works are ripe with color and symbolism, and this description extends not just to pieces in the museum, but to the streets as well. Murals in the area loom large, watching over the neighborhood below. Nearby, an artist extended his work to cover the exterior of his house. Dynamic, dramatic, and impassioned images abound as part of daily living, as well in the art of history.

Click for photos.

State of Art: Open Forum about the Visual Arts in Wisconsin

Haggerty Museum of Art

Zipping back to Milwaukee after being in Chicago for the day, the event of the evening was the State of Art forum at the Haggerty Museum. The best play-by-play review of the evening is by Brian Jacobsen for Third Coast Digest, and there have been a number of posts on the MARN list that take up the issues raised.

One of the recurring themes (besides money and arts funding) was about art education and the lack of a comprehensive art publication in Milwaukee. Mary Louise Schumacher at the Journal Sentinel certainly has her hands full covering this rather unwieldy art scene, and there are a number of blogs, established or with a rising profile, that talk about the arts. The MARN Yahoo group is the most established, and now there is a new MARN endeavor called Art in Milwaukee that seems to be sort of a clearinghouse for visual arts information. Art in the blogosphere finds a home on Schumacher’s Art City, Jonathan West’s Artsy Schmartsy, the ever-delightful CricketToes, and the sporadic stylings of Susceptible to Images.

But, as Deb Brehmer pointed out in at the forum (Deb also writes on Susceptible, as well as for Milwaukee Magazine), perhaps the most significant aspect of the sadly-missed and long-defunct Art Muscle journal was the depth and scope of criticism, regularity, and its tangible presence. It was a free, jumbo-sized publication that came out every two months with in-depth reviews, articles, excellent photography, and served as a thorough document of who-what-where in the Milwaukee art scene. The quality and tangibility of Art Muscle were important; it was the sort of thing you would toss on your coffee table and come back to over and over, or find under a stack of books for pleasant spontaneous perusing. Being available out in the public on newsstands, free of charge, also made it accessible to people who were not part of the regular “art crowd,” and was a way to enter and become interested in the goings-on of local artists and galleries.

One of the great challenges of the internet is how to recreate that sense of casual availability. The possibilities offered by the variety of media on the web are astounding, as is the speed, but how to recreate that sense of presence? And, how to make it financially viable – an unfortunately perennial question.

So in the aftermath of this forum, there are no easy answers, but at least there are interesting dialogues and thoughts generated that could come to future fruition.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Night Work opening at the Armoury Gallery

Click for photos.

Openings at the Armoury Gallery are always interesting; they tend to have a good mix of people, the gallery itself is a unique space, but more than anything else, gallery proprietors Jessica Steeber and Cassandra Smith consistently put together intriguing shows. This time around, the exhibition is “Night Work,” pieces created by working art instructors. It may be night work, done after the obligations of the day (or so one could imagine), but these pieces are definitely not an afterthoughts or the remnants of creative energy.

Six artists are featured in the show, and it’s impossible to get a really good look at everything during an opening. But, I have to say I’m impressed by Nathaniel Stern and Jessica Meuninch-Ganger, whose multimedia works blend elegant forms of drawing, collage, and art history tradition integrated with digital surprises. It’s a fascinating blend of old and new art technologies.

In the Armoury Gallery, there is an additional room, a small and humble space but becoming one of my favorite gallery spots. Because it’s a closed area and set off from the general hubbub outside, it has an immediate feeling of separation, as though you’ve entered into a place where, even more so than in the main gallery area, anything can happen. This time, the room holds two works by Shana McCaw and Brent Budsberg, both simple but captivating. Unravel links the three-dimensional reality with the two-dimensional possibilities of drawing, and the charming and surreal Draft simply opens up all sorts of imaginative wonderment. Elegant, simple, and inventive.

Art Bar

We finished off our evening at Art Bar. Their current show, One Week Paintings, is a mix of different artists, and I can’t give you much more that that now based on casual, hazy looking. But, I will go back to investigate further. I have to say, though, that I thought the portrait over the cigarette machine was quite good. But by this point, the rest of my party was tired of me yanking out the camera like an obsessed tourist and photographing everything in sight, and after a while, you need to just relax.

So with drinks and pizza we did, but ah, a bonus – that night a fabulous duo of a group was playing. “Steph Taylor and the State of,” one on keyboards, the other on drums, and a guitar comes in somewhere . And vocals, rich powerful sounds from both female musicians. I bought their CD and love it – go see them. Their original music is tightly melodic, and their covers (The Police, Message in a Bottle, Madonna’s Like a Prayer) fall in-between ironic and earnest, and excellent musicianship all around.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

UWM MA/MFA Spring Thesis Exhibition I at Inova/Arts Center Gallery

Click for photos.

Before the snow flew, I had a chance to drop in and see the UWM MA/MFA Spring Thesis Exhibition I at Inova/Arts Center Gallery, and I ‘m glad that I did before it closed on Sunday, March 29.  There was an array of work on view, tending more toward installation and multimedia works. It was like looking at the start of a journey, you can see possibilities and ideas, though there’s a sense of tentative exploration.

To point out one, the installation by Maria Bolivar was exceptional. Bolivar, a native of Venezuela, created a work that deals with leaving her country during the 2002 Venezuelan national strike. It’s a heavy subject, but she doesn’t play it for melodrama or emotional theatrics. Even before entering her darkened gallery, you become aware of the installation, hearing gradually crescendoing noise and shouting crowds. Entering, there are two screens on tall pedestals, but in the back of the room, the source of the noise and a wall with sections cut out so you can see just a sliver of video. But this is a journey, so at the two pedestals, you put on headphones. A brilliant touch, as focus shifts to the narrative of Bolivar, describing in two different was her fleeing Venezuela, and her life in the United States. The images are mundane and ordinary and the sound of her voice is jarringly shadowed by the crowd sounds bleeding in from the other video; it’s never out of mind, either in sound or vision, even when looking and listening elsewhere.

Then, it is time to go behind the separating wall, so what lies behind of all of this. Three walls are taken up with video screens, at times all with the same image, other times the images move across the three like a wave. It’s rhythmic, enveloping, and had the mysterious quality of memory, real and surreal, vivid but dreamlike. The arrangement of the space, the process of moving through the installation, the subtle modulation of sound and control of visuals in creating a multi-layered experience were exceptional.

~ KM Murrell

MAM After Dark: The Fountain of Youth

MAM After Dark: The Fountain of Youth

Click for more photos

The theme was ostensibly about the fountain of youth, but aside from the spa set-up at the far end of Windover hall, the theme in actuality was more of a party punctuated by art, videos, and plenty of people.

As with most of these events, there were various stations and amusements for the evening. Rishi Tea had a table set up with delicious samples, in the Schroeder Foundation Galleria (the one on the west end), a DIY craft extravaganza was set up, and the centerpiece of the evening was the Lievens exhibition. It was a different experience, seeing the exhibition at night. Even quality of light seemed to have a subtle change in hue, but most of all, the viewing atmosphere was transformed; rather than the hushed formal quietude of the day, there were animated people pointing and discussing the paintings and drawings, a sense of energized engagement with the work and with each other.

However, the real highlight of the evening were the sculptures and installations scattered throughout Calatrava addition, featuring collaborative works by established artists and fledgling art students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (full disclosure: I’m an instructor in art history at MIAD, though none of the works I saw were by my students). Most pieces had a good initial presence, but in a funny way, it’s as though they had to warm up to us, and we to them. Aren’t all parties the same? Cool and a little awkward at first, but by the end you’re fast friends.

Deluge, 2009, by Sonja Thomsen and Julie Wayer, at first look was a little dry, despite being a projection of rivulets and droplets of running water above the hall. The wall text for the work discusses the temporality and affective nature of rain, and the notions of this force of nature in a controlled environment. But what actually evolved with the work was the improvisation of the artist(s?), friends and acquaintances who gradually appeared in a shadowy pantomime behind the projection. I don’t know if this was planned or not, but the random figures in rain, seeming to be suspended in space and larger than life, created a fascinating connection between the art above and the crowd below. On the theme of fountains and youth, maybe this was it.

Another work that needed time and interaction to warm up was Loop by Ray Chi and Jessi Schleis, a circle of flat stones arranged on the floor of Windover Hall. This is a sculpture with an undeniably low profile, something like a child who gets lost in the crowd of adults. Visually, it was like something that wandered in from the garden, the curved, natural stone against the cool, sharp sophistication of the rectangular marble floor slabs. But it was later when it got really interesting. A small chunk had been nudged out of place by an unaware foot, and it’s as though this opened up all sorts of possibilities. Before long, there was a group (artists and students?) seated on it. Now of course this wouldn’t be recommended for all sculptural installations, but in this case, it seemed to make sense. There was something that seemed invitational, art to be participated in.

Another participatory installation was by Mary DiBiasio and Dani Klute. On a square white pillar, they put a stack of small, stiff, translucent papers. On each, one side is printed to read OPPORTUNITY and the other side reads CHALLENGING. I was perplexed; what to make of this? The sign on the side of the pillar said TAKE ONE, so I did. Functional art.

It’s been over a week now, and I’ve decided to leave it on my desk for a year and see what happens. Its appearance is less-than-pristine already, and taking on the sense of a strange talisman. I love the durable weight and gentle rough texture of the paper, translucent but strong. But it’s the words that interest me – or annoy me, depending.

You see, as part of the landscape of my desk, it’s always there, maybe buried or only a corner visible behind my computer screen, but it is always around. Maybe it’s the power of suggestion, or I’m just that susceptible (ha ha), but when the side that reads OPPORTUNITY is facing up, things tend to go smoother in desk-land; emails and decisions and writing flow along. When the CHALLENGING side is up, well, things don’t seem quite as fluid. There’s more time spent staring emptily at screens, lost in cyber-voids. So I haven’t turned it over in a few days, but feel like I should. The CHALLENGING side must be conquered, or at least fashioned into something useful. So this is a new talisman/albatross for the year. I’ll let you know how it goes…

~ KM Murrell

If it ain’t baroque, don’t fix it

Jan Lievens at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Through April 26, 2009

mam.org

March 27, 2009. I cannot take credit for the catchy title of this post. I remember reading it in the office of the late Dr. Barry Wind, an esteemed scholar of Baroque painting at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The current exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, does intend to do some fixing, however, of the reputation of Lievens in the historical scope of Dutch baroque art.

The Baroque (pronounced bah-ROKE) period roughly spans the 17th century, though dates can generally extend from about 1600-1750. If you want to talk about a definitive Baroque style, well…good luck. Summing up Baroque painting is rather like talking about chocolate. In some places, the dominant preference is for the bitter richness of high-percentage cacao but in other locales, the frothy delights of the milky variety are favored. But, they are all chocolate.

Baroque painting is a bit like that. The sense of the age is manifest in many different ways in different countries. The Italians are dominated by the genius of Bernini, the revived classicism of the Carracci, and the badass drama of Caravaggio, Mr. Rebel-on-the-Run. Not only was he notorious, but highly influential. His religious paintings with shadowy backgrounds and frankly unwashed figures mingling in the realm of the divine were revolutionary for artists and patrons alike. Caravaggio often set his figures in murky dark settings, and used brilliant highlights to create powerful visual dramatics and high emotion.

But this is not about Caravaggio. His painterly stylings made their way north to the Netherlands, and a group of artists known as the Utrecht Caravaggisti took after elements of the aforementioned Italian. The Dutch were exceptionally well-off during this period. They were raking in cash as merchants and traders, comfortable in their exceptional prosperity. Despite the wealth they enjoyed, there was a sense of restraint in their art and outlook – usually (paintings of tavern scenes can present a rather different perspective).

So this is the world in which the young Jan Lievens (1607-1674) entered as an artist. He was, by all accounts, a child prodigy with a paintbrush. Some of his early works are included in this exhibition, and they are some of the most exciting. Old Woman Reading (ca. 1621-1623) is a picture of intellectual intensity. It’s not certain who the sitter may have been; possibly his mother, maybe his grandmother, according to the admirably thorough scholarly catalog, and his Allegory of the Five Senses (ca. 1622) is a definite highlight.

Paintings by Jan Lievens

Top: Old Woman Reading, ca. 1621-23

Bottom: Allegory of the Five Senses, ca. 1622

The Allegory is a compressed composition of five men with an overtly buxom woman, and is a scene of visual indulgence. Accessories nestled in the complex array of arms, hands, bodies and fabric include a wine goblet, a pipe, a lute, and an overall jovial atmosphere. These accoutrements and the apparently complicit female companion represent the pleasures of the senses, the variety that smell, touch, taste, hearing, and seeing in the physical world has to offer. It’s an unapologetic celebration of all that is tangible – the physicality and sensuality of human existence. But, this is also reading it on a philosophical and intellectual level, in concert with similar scenes by other artists. Let us not forget that Lievens, born in 1607, has painted this picture as a teenager, perhaps catapulting himself as an artist into the sophisticated senses associated with worldly experiences. The painting is vivacious, bright, and an energetic display of fresh, raw talent and an unquenched zeal.

The central focus of the exhibition is taken up with Lievens peripatetic lifestyle, changing cities, changing countries, in efforts to further his career with more elite patrons. As an underlying theme, the person of Rembrandt van Rijn looms large. Rembrandt, of “The Night Watch” fame, was Lievens’s contemporary and the two certainly knew each other in their early years, competed for commissions, and were even written about together by patrons such as Constantijn Huygens. Art historically, works by Lievens have been ascribed to Rembrandt, a situation that current research is attempting to clear up.

This exhibition has an overarching sense of confidence, not only in the scholarship and revised theories of Lievens and his life, but in the very creation of his work. Lievens knew early on that he was a good painter, and showed it. His literary and Biblical scenes show a sense of monumentality in figures, but also a freedom and sense of spiritedness that is not quite as apparent in many of his portraits. His portraits are confident in their execution, and he represents his subjects in a manner befitting their station and demeanor; they’re serious, dignified, and just shy of imposing, even when the portrait is merely a costumed fantasy, such as the luminous Man in Oriental Costume (“Sultan Soliman”). Clothing and jewels and clothing are richly textured and luxurious, though still in keeping with the predominant sense of decorum. It’s fine to be rich and fancy, just don’t get too crazy (unless you’re the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens painting Marie de’Medici; if that’s the case, have at it – bring on the extravaganza of opulence…).

Jan Lievens, Man in Oriental Costume (“Sultan Soliman”), ca. 1629-1631.

In Lievens’s later works, there seem to be more painterly flourishes in the vibrancy of his brushwork. But still, a sense of deeply rooted confidence, as though Lievens could pick up tricks from anyone – Gerrit van Honthorst, Rembrandt, Anthony van Dyke – and deploy them from his artistic arsenal at will. He’s not adventurous in his subjects or execution, but handles things with a skillful assuredness. His self-portrait from the 1650s seems to speak of this. His half-length figure, every bit the gentleman in billowy exquisite gold satin, drapes his dematerialized body over a chair. Elegantly gaunt, he seems almost ethereal. It’s really a rather strange painting, the elongated distortions of his figure and proportions, and the sense of self-confidence presented to us in the light of the darkening skies in the distance.

Lievens died an impoverished man in 1674. Not only was his money gone, but time took his reputation as well. The paintings and story of Rembrandt came to epitomize Dutch art in the 17th century, eclipsing many others in the popular mind. This exhibition is a confident reassessment for this self-assured painter.

Jan Lievens, Self-Portrait, early 1650s

Reviewed by KM Murrell.

Art in the Urban Environment – Mexico City

Mexico City. We’ve been a few days now in Mexico City, travelling hither and yon but always circling back to our hotel on the Rio Amazones, a short side street ironically named for a really long river. We’re just off the Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, a vibrant thoroughfare whose design takes after the broad boulevards of nineteenth-century Paris. It’s a major street with speedy traffic, bubbly green VW Beetles transformed into taxis, a multitude of busses and cars. But the wide sidewalks are rather like a long pedestrian park with tall, graceful trees. At this time in March, the billowy Jacaranda trees have sprouted rich purple flowers, and they’re just beginning to float to the ground. A blossom in its descent landed on my head – a delightful surprise.

This avenue has undergone a revitalization in recent years, and this area and many surrounding neighborhoods are amply decorated with monuments and sculptures. Just ahead a short way is the famous Angel de Independencia, the symbol of the city. There are plenty of other official monuments to leaders and heroes, dignified and decidedly neoclassical in flavor, interspersed with monumental bronze urns positioned out to face the rushing traffic along La Reforma.

But along the broad sidewalks, stroll in and out of the shade of the palms and other tropical trees, your path is dotted with an extraordinary display of public art – sculptures that masquerade as park benches, or is it the other way around? The historical sculptures are appropriately formal and staid, but in these other areas, in the pedestrian-oriented corners of the city, art is as much a part of the urban setting as the ubiquitous shops, restaurants, and street stalls.

Public sculptures cover the gamut of abstract and figurative, some humorous and others romantic, some on pedestals, some meant to be sat upon. Their beauty is unassuming, inherently graceful, and these works don’t call attention to themselves as art to be admired in silent, formal reverie, but they’re a part of the urban life as much as walking, talking, eating and drinking.

They make me think more of the way art is in the home, like a constant and present form of nourishment. You may not spend time every single day staring at favorite pieces, but they’re always there, enriching in small moments like a constant drip of aesthetic refreshment. The art of the home is turned inside out, visual treasures are placed in the real living quarters of the outdoors, and the city is a gracious host, sharing with resident and visitor.

~KM Murrell

March 13, 2009

El Angel de Independencia

Jacaranda tree in bloom

Love and Money

Another tumultuous relationship: Venus, Goddess of Love, and Mars, God of War

Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577-1640), Mars Disarmed by Venus, ca. 1610-1612

Say you’re in a relationship, it’s lovely, passionate, spicy…really, Valentine’s was only two weeks ago, surely memories last longer than chocolates?

Everything is wonderful, until the bottom drops out, something happens, and for the sake of an example, we’ll say it’s money. Financial problems erupt, it’s bad. What is the net effect on said relationship? Does the “kicking to the curb” ensue immediately? Do you lose all that you had because of these external storms? Or do you tough it out, and even find strength in lovely passionate spiciness?

What if that metaphor was about the Arts? Arts with a capital A – art, music, dance, literature and poetry, the fruits of creative souls produced by professionals whose mission in life is to make things that make you, dear reader/viewer, experience something out-of-the-ordinary. In that light, it makes us rather lucky, that these individuals largely sacrifice so much (job security, earning potential, health insurance) because they’re driven by a force to create things and ideas, and expose this labor for the public’s enjoyment, or for the public’s derision. That’s also gutsy.

But this relationship with the Arts, if we love it so much, and get so much from it, why is our emotional barometer so linked to money? The market drops, economy crashes, jobs are lost. Why are we not seeking solace and refuge in these places of art, performance, music and theatre? Granted, tickets can be terribly expensive for the best performance seats, but there are ways of getting discounts, through special deals or subscriptions (also read: commitment). Art museums and galleries offer us plenty for free, just plan your trip accordingly, and make the most of your time. Relax, absorb, think, unwind. It can be even better than a spa.

Maybe I’m far too idealistic about this, but the arts and humanities can be likened to a Greek chorus in our own unending drama; sometimes they take the center stage, sometimes they offer whispered asides, or give sharp perspective as tragedy or comedy unfolds. As long as we pay attention, and in the full spirit of a fruitful relationship, are engaged. Like love, there’s plenty of pleasure to be had, in the traces of the deftly-handled paintbrush that creates a face to last hundreds of years, and the singular fragile moment of music sustained in the air, the result of years of practice and refinement. There is solace and there is meaning.

Love and money are strange bedfellows, and always have been. Art is the unruly progeny of this union, and we need all three. They say don’t go to bed angry, and don’t kick love out of bed when money has issues.

~ KM Murrell

Ready, Set, Go Go Go

So very many things to do, prepare to be completely exhausted by Sunday brunch.

Thursday, February 5

The Milwaukee Art Museum opens Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt’s Shadow. (Jan: pronounced YAHN). I confess to being deliciously excited about this exhibition, nurturing as I do a drooling, eye-rolling affection for Dutch baroque painting. Gorgeous shimmering dark color, subtle dramas between flesh, fabric, texture and tension…ah, the exquisite beauty and wonder of paint on canvas – whew! (Not wearing my heart on my sleeve, am I?) Debra Brehmer favors us with a few sneak-peek pictures, see above.

Thursday evening’s festivities include a lecture at 6:15 by eminent art historian Arthur K. Wheelock, Jr. Check the Milwaukee Art Museum website: www.mam.org for details.

But…oh drat! The same evening at 7pm is the screening of Handmade Nation at the Oriental Theater. Director and co-owner of Paper Boat Boutique (and recent Nohl Fellowship recipient) Faythe Levine interviewed over 80 individuals involved with the DIY / craft movement, and chronicles their endeavors in this eagerly awaited film. For info, see the Handmade Nation blog (scroll down for screening info on the right): http://indiecraftdocumentary.blogspot.com/

Things work out more smoothly the rest of the weekend, as cloning oneself will not be required to attend the following:

Friday, February 6

William Weege (Professor Emeritus, UW-Madison)

“Every Way You Look At It You Lose”

Gallery Talk

3:30 pm, Art History Gallery, Mitchell Hall 154

3203 North Downer Avenue

(1960s period attire encouraged)

This gallery talk is presented in conjunction with the art exhibition

SINCE 1968: Selections from the UW-Whitewater Crossman Gallery and

UWM Art Collection, January 29-February 12, 2009

Dennis Balk: Early Work 1890-2090

Artist reception: February 6, 6-9 pm

Inova/Kenilworth

2155 North Prospect Avenue

http://arts.uwm.edu/inova

Saturday, February 7

Brook Slane: Let’s Go Home

Janica Yoder: Flower Portraits

Reception, 2-4 pm

Tory Folliard Gallery

233 N. Milwaukee Street

http://toryfolliardgallery.com/

The Nut Factory Open House

The 5th annual, studios open for open house, 7PM

3720 N. Fratney Street

And if all this isn’t enough…

Catch up on recent openings:

The Annual Outsider Art Exhibition

Dean Jensen Gallery

759 N. Water Street

http://deanjensengallery.com/

(414) 278-7100

David Robbins, Lift: Part 2

The Green Gallery East

1500 N. Farwell Ave.

www.thegreengallery.biz

(414) 226-1978.

~ KM Murrell

No More Sipping and Seeing?

By Debra Brehmer

Director, Portrait Society Gallery

Did anyone notice the lack of free wine on the last gallery night (January 16)? As a gallery owner, I was told by fellow gallerists as well as the Historic Third Ward Association that it is now verboten to serve wine to our visitors. What apparently happened is that more and more retail stores began hosting “drink and shop” nights. Someone in Waukesha complained to authorities that a store there was violating legal code in providing alcoholic beverages to shoppers. The state stepped in and asserted that an existing statute prohibits this and anyone who violates it will be fined and publicly flogged.

Yes, it’s high time someone cracked down on the wine-sipping that goes on at art galleries. This social atrocity has been going on for a few hundred years so thank God that the good state of Wisconsin had the clear vision (finally) to mop up this morally corruptive practice. We’ve all seen the art lovers stumbling around the Third Ward after they’ve fed at the bountiful trough of free wine, looking all disheveled from their night of raucous visual art encounters; an ugly sight indeed.

To clarify the matter, what follows is some of the information surrounding this long-awaited civic improvement:

Dear Gallery Night Participant:

We have been advised by Georgeann King, Special Agent for the Wisconsin Department of Revenue that it is unlawful to give away or sell alcoholic beverages in your place of business unless you have a valid license. Her letter follows below, along with an article that was printed in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel regarding the same.

Since Gallery Night and Day is this Friday and Saturday, we wanted to make you are aware that this law is now being enforced.  The Historic Third Ward and East Town associations encourage your business to abide by the law.

Sincerely,

Gallery Night and Day Staff

**************************************************************************************************************

Good afternoon Nancy, this is a follow up to our phone call this morning regarding the Gallery Night/Day event that is being held on Friday January 16 and Saturday January 17, 2009. There has been ample media attention regarding events such as this, as well as individual businesses providing free alcohol to their customers on a regular basis or during a special event. I would like to clarify some important laws regarding this issue.

*Boutiques, art galleries, hair salons, bookstores and the like (this list is not all inclusive) are not allowed to give away or sell alcohol beverages to customers. Under definition, these businesses are considered “public places” (please see 125.09(1)). In addition to that, 125.67 states that a business can not give away alcohol beverages to evade the law. During the special event, an option for a business could be that they would provide a “coupon” (or something similar) to customers, allowing them to have a “free” drink at one of the local, licensed establishments.

Of course, any of the licensed businesses involved in the Gallery Night/Day event are allowed to sell and serve alcohol beverages accordingly. My goal is to clarify the laws surrounding these events to ensure consistent and fair enforcement of the Wisconsin alcohol beverage laws. It would be greatly appreciated if you would disseminate this information to your members involved in this event.

If you, or any of your members have questions or need further assistance, please contact me. In addition to that, if there are any other associations that I need to contact regarding similar events, please let me know.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Georgeann King, Special Agent
WI-Department of Revenue
Criminal Investigation Section
Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement
819 N. 6th Street, Room 408
Milwaukee WI 53203
(414) 227-4260
georgeann.king@revenue.wi.gov

Bubbly may get boot as shops face penalties for serving alcohol

By Kathy Flanigan of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Dec. 1, 2008

Enid Garcia looked in the mirror as she tried on a belted plaid jacket at Fred, a boutique on N. Water St. Everything in the store was 40% off, and Garcia’s morning plan included shopping, then sipping.

“I’m going to get the deals first, then relax,” Garcia said. Her sentence was interrupted by the sound of a cork popping from a bottle of champagne – part of Fred’s free Black Friday brunch of mini-muffins, doughnut holes and mimosas.

But the party could be coming to an end.  Two weeks ago, after a citizen complaint about a Wauwatosa shop offering free cocktails, the state Department of Revenue put an end to booze at all boutiques in the Tosa Village – and, possibly, other similar shops in the state.

In the last few years, boutiques from Brookfield to the Third Ward have been offering free cocktails and hors d’oeuvres to get customers in the door. In tough economic times, every little incentive helps. However, recent crackdowns may force boutique owners to forgo the adult beverages or face fines of up to $10,000.

Regular Thursday evening happy hours, as well as complimentary Black Friday Bloody Marys and mimosas, have been a tradition at Jilly & George, a boutique at 7605 Harwood Ave., Wauwatosa. Not any more. “It’s illegal, if you’re not a licensed premise, to serve alcohol,” said Jessica Iverson, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Revenue, which monitors for proper licenses and permits.

“A proprietor may hold a private party (invited guests, specific date/time, after business hours) at a business and serve alcohol; once business is conducted, the party is no longer private in nature, and the business is functioning as a public place,” Iverson wrote in an e-mail, citing a state statute.

That statute is difficult to enforce, and many boutique owners said they weren’t aware of it. While an agent visited most of the boutiques in the Tosa Village, owners in other parts of town weren’t contacted. Other boutique owners have interpreted the statute their own way, some based on the advice of attorneys or other professionals.

Ronn Krinn, who owns Fred, 524 N. Water St., used to offer wine in the store. “It was part of our concept that we started from the beginning,” he said. He put a stop to that after a discussion with his attorney.

Fun, but no business

Even in compliance, the statute can seem ambiguous. Krinn said he locked the doors during private parties as required, but was ordered by the fire marshal to keep them unlocked while customers were inside.

Fred continues to have shopping parties once a month and invitation-only events that include martinis or wine, sometimes served by a licensed bartender. But, in the statute’s strictest terms, private parties would be considered illegal if business is being transacted, Iverson said.

The state agent who stopped at the Wauwatosa shops advised owners of the statute and offered options that included private parties in which drink coupons are offered for licensed premises, or parties in which the doors are locked and the guest list is by invitation-only. “Again, they should not be conducting business,” Iverson said.

Shopping as a party

For now, Department of Revenue agents are educating shopkeepers, although they haven’t made their way to every part of town. In the Historic Third Ward, home to several boutiques and the popular Gallery Night, shopping and sipping is the norm.

At Lela, a boutique at 321 N. Broadway, “We never hesitate to pop open a bottle of wine or champagne any time a customer has had a rough day or needs a boost or has a reason to celebrate,” employee Tracey Golden wrote in an e-mail.

Gallery Night has had a long history in which galleries offer wine in their stores during quarterly events.  “We had a discussion about alcohol with relation to Gallery Night with police,” said Ruth Lawson, spokeswoman for the Historic Third Ward Association. “They said, ‘We know what’s going on, and we’re going to “overlook it until there’s a problem.’  The City of Milwaukee has its own criteria for what galleries and other non-hospitality businesses can and can’t do when it comes to serving alcohol.

“Giving it away is the same as selling it. That’s a proposition of law that’s pretty clear,” assistant city attorney Bruce Schrimpf said. “If you are a bona fide art gallery, you can obtain a Class B or Class C wine license, and we cover that by saying we’ll view that as a form of recreational premises. If you are a bona fide party, it’s my understanding that the Milwaukee Police Department has a list of criteria for determining what is a private party.”

‘They make it fun’

Over on Brady St., they aren’t taking chances. Detour, 1300 E. Brady St., planned to host a live music event for customers once a month with DJs and refreshments including wine. Manager Jason Meyer said attorneys advised making the event invitation-only. Now he’s considering a switch from wine to non-alcoholic drinks.

Other shopkeepers say they could live without the drinks.  Next Door, 18915 W. Capitol Drive in Brookfield, hosts Thursday happy hour with champagne and chocolate, but Renotta Thompson, who owns the store with her daughter, thinks camaraderie and sales, not alcohol, bring in customers.

Customers say they would miss perks such as free cocktails.  “I like that it’s a boutique, and I love how they have the girls’ night,” said Fred shopper Garcia. “They (Fred) make it fun.”  Tammie Figlinski, 35, of Milwaukee passed up the mimosas at Fred’s – “with one drink I’m too tipsy to shop” – but likes the parties because they encourage time with her girlfriends.

Girlfriend-bonding events – girls’ night out, birthday celebrations, bachelorette parties with appetizers and adult refreshments – help customers find the off-Brady St. boutique Vieux et Nouveau, 1688 N. Franklin Place, said owner Heidi Calaway. The parties also ease some of the impact the economy is having on her business.  “In October, I had shopping parties – that helps tremendously,” Calaway said.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/35350294.html

Of Poetry and Power

By Judith Harway

(Judith Harway is a professor of writing at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and a poet).

Near the end of an exhilarating inauguration day, I found myself reading Elizabeth Alexander’s “Praise Song for the Day” with one of my classes at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. After listening, the students peppered me with questions: Is Elizabeth Alexander America’s poet laureate? What is a poet laureate anyway? Why does the United States have a poet laureate, and not an artist or composer or choreographer laureate? Why does a presidential inauguration need a poem?

And, perhaps most intriguingly, How can anyone expect to write a great poem on demand?

Although I can’t address every star in this constellation of questions, my curiosity was definitely piqued. The long and lofty tradition of commissioning works of art or pieces of music for public occasions thrives into the present day, but somehow the relationship between poetry and power has dwindled since the days when every king maintained a versificator Regis in his retinue. Yes, the United States names a poet laureate, as do forty individual states and a surprising number of cities (Milwaukee’s current poet laureate, Susan Firer, whose work is intimately braided into the human and physical landscapes of the city, is a great example of how such a role can continue to have relevance); nevertheless, ours is an era and a culture in which it’s far more common to find individuals who say they write poems (a statement generally qualified by the phrase to express my feelings) than to find serious readers of contemporary poetry. Just ask my students.

The term “poet laureate” hearkens back to the ancient Greeks, who believed that Apollo reserved his laurel crowns for poets and heroes. The association of poets and heroes may seem quaint nowadays, but at the inauguration of this country’s first African-American president (not a poet, but he’s undeniably a terrific writer) it’s tempting to get swept away with effusive notions like Robert Frost composed for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, hailing A golden age of poetry and power / Of which this noonday’s the beginning hour.

Curiously, Frost is the only poet laureate in American history to address the nation as a new president was sworn in (two year’s after Frost’s tenure in the post had ended, but who’s counting). And, to my ear, the poem he composed for Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural is a real clunker. It begins:

Summoning artists to participate

In the august occasions of the state

Seems something artists ought to celebrate.

Differing accounts of the day suggest variously that the sun and wind made it difficult for Frost to read his own words (he was 87 at the time, after all), or that Kennedy had requested a different poem in the first place. At any rate, what he recited for the inauguration was The Gift Outright, an earlier and far better work. In the years since, poetry has been invited to the table only three more times on inauguration day, each time to welcome an incoming Democratic president – Frost read for Kennedy; Maya Angelou for Bill Clinton’s first term (her inaugural poem, published as a chapbook, sold an unprecedented million copies) and Miller Williams for his second; and now Elizabeth Alexander ushers Obama into office. Call it party profiling, but this is little surprise to me as a reader or a voter.

Just to set the record straight for my students, Elizabeth Alexander is not the current poet laureate of the United States. Kay Ryan is. Ryan’s work is a poetry of ideas, at once elegant and open to nimble rhythmic play. While I am an appreciative reader, I also see the wisdom of Obama’s choice of Alexander as the voice of this momentous inauguration (We now have a president who reads!! And thinks!! How cool is that?). Alexander ’s work is at once accessible and complex, steeped in American history and in the lived particulars of human life. When I hear these lines from her inaugural poem –

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.

Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,

who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce, built

brick by brick the glittering edifices

they would then keep clean and work inside of

– I am rooted in the knowledge that the Capitol building rising behind President Obama as he recited the oath of office was built by slaves; the White House in which President Obama will dwell and conduct the country’s business was built by slaves. This is the dimension that a great poem can add to a great inaugural address.

Of course poetry, like Obama himself, can ‘t change the fact that these are scary and uncertain times. One hired pen proclaiming the potential of a new administration is not mightier than the hired guns doing much of the dirty work in this country’s privatized wars. As Americans, however, our inheritance includes not only the beautiful, mongrel English language, but also a beautiful and ever richer stew of cultures that add to it by the day. This is very worthy of celebration, in poetry and in the ordinary gestures of our daily lives, as we stand, in Elizabeth Alexander’s words, on the brink, on the brim, on the cusp….

P.S. Just for the record, I still can’t quite explain how anyone manages to compose a great poem on demand, but apparently it can be done.

Art of Politics, a happy update

I’m copying this message that was posted on the MARN list – voices have been heard!!

FROM THE MARN YAHOO GROUP:

Thu Jan 22, 2009 7:29 pm (PST)

Sura Faraj asked me to forward this email to MARN.
Pegi Taylor

From: “Sura Faraj / SuraForChange.com” <sura@suraforchange.com>
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:53:31 -0600

You all rock.

Thanks for your calls and letters. They worked.

I spoke to Alder Tony Zielinski this a.m. and he has taken the mural
ordinance off the table, at least for now.

According to him, it will not be part of the CPC meeting on Monday nor the
next ZND meeting.

He said he supports the arts. He will take out the fees and the 200 ft.
area. If that’s not enough, he wants to talk to and work *with* artists and
organizers to come up with something that’s beneficial to all of us. If we
can’t find something mutually satisfying, it sounds like he would let it go.

Please email him a big thank you at tzieli@milwaukee.gov

Pasted from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MilwaukeeArtistResourceNetwork/message/12978