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.
Painting on view at Serb Hall on Inauguration Night as part of display of Barack Obama -themed art.
(If you know who the artist is, please let us know via the comment function at the end of this article. Thanks!)
The glow isn’t fading, but we’re settling into a sort of warmth, getting used to the idea of yes, we can chart a new course for our future, that all is not lost, and there is plenty of destiny left to be shaped.
On the Inauguration Day post, I left off with mention of an art display at Serb Hall for their evening party. I headed over there Tuesday night to see the scene, and check out what local artists were producing during these historic days.
The overall art display was rather small, with several two-dimensional works and a selection of handmade mosaic jewelry by Leann Wooten of Brokenartworks. To see Wooten’s Obama pieces, check out her slideshow images on iReport.
I spoke for a while with artist Stella DeVenuta, who is currently showing at Urban Gallery (157 Broadway) in Milwaukee. This night, she was taking orders for prints of a work she made in a burst of inspiration on Election Night. It comprises thirteen layers of imagery, superimposed over each other, and captures moments of our present and past. In the upper left corner, a newspaper headline shouts out the landing of a man on the moon, which Stella says was the most significant event she thought she would ever see in her lifetime. It was the fruition of ambition then, just as recent events are the realization of a dream now.
Artist Stella DeVenuta with “Yes We Can”
And, in case you missed the addition to the Inauguration post, be sure to check out Mary Louise Schumacher’s Art City blog (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) for her fabulous slide show of the works on view at Manifest Hope in Washington D.C.
The Band Plays On… Air and Simple Gifts by Aaron Copeland (Arranged by John Williams)
OKAY (whew)! That rounds up the commentary on the ceremonies of the week.
Now onto grittier things…
This post is titled “The Art of Politics”, and it also has to do with the possibilities or pitfalls of integrating art with authority. There is talk of instilling a “Culture Czar” in the upper echelon of government (the “czar” description is so grossly overused that it’s lost all cache; how about our own Culture Vulture? Creative Maven?) to work with individuals and organizations…or something along those lines…
Well, that’s where my description peters out, because it seems rather amorphous, albeit intriguing if handled right. For two opposing views on this possibility, check out the following (highly recommended) art blogs:
Not all about the strange bedfellows of politics and art sleeps in far-off Washington D.C. There is an ordinance on the table here in Milwaukee on Feb. 3 about potential restrictions and fees for the painting of murals in outdoor spaces. This could severely curtail the production of public art, and potentially chuck wall painting into the same category as vandalism. This, I think, is painting with far too wide of a brush! For more on this one, see:
Also, coming up are a couple of meetings (thanks to Rex Winsome for the reminder on this one), regarding the role of the Cultural Alliance and other big-name organizations and their relationship with Milwaukee’s art community at large, the numerous individuals and organizations that don’t operate on huge budgets and large-scale productions.
Representatives from the Milwaukee Cultural Alliance, the Greater Milwaukee Committee, and the UWM Center for Urban Initiatives and Research will be part of this discussion:
Monday, Jan. 26, 2009
Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago Street, in the Third Ward.
7:45-11:45 AM
To register, email
dlubotsky@culturalalliancemke.org
(Attendance is apparently limited to 120 people).
An evening session will be held with the Cultural Alliance, MARN, and WPCA
Tuesday, Jan. 27
Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, 911 W. National Ave.
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