MAM opens Kohl’s Art Education centers

The original space, which currently houses the 2012 Scholastic Award-winning artists.

The small corridor that previously housed the Milwaukee Art Museum’s youth education center is currently showcasing the 2012 Scholastic Art Award winners, featuring 325 art works created by local students in grades 7-12.  So what becomes of the interactive displays that once graced the main entrance of the gallery?

Enter the Kohl’s Art Generation venture, which replaces three individual galleries with bright exhibits on movie animation and art history, a behind-the-scenes lab, and a Sunday-only studio for themed art projects. In addition, the MAM continues its Saturday programs of story time and sketching within the galleries.

5th graders from Bethune Academy examine the Lab center exhibits.

The expanded program marks the fourth year of the venture aimed at providing moments “for creative expression at a time when visual and performing art resources at schools are stretched,” citing the fact that 85 MPS elementary and K-8 schools have no art education programs whatsoever.

On hand the day of our look inside were 5th graders from the Bethune Academy, while several other school groups roamed the museum and sat down for sketching sessions near the giant glass sculpture Isola di San Giacomo in Palude Chandelier II, 2000 by Dale Chihuly.

The main hub for these expanded spaces is the Education Center on the first floor. But the second floor space, centered around the fundamentals of art through video displays, that stands out. The first exhibit, “Animation: Art Goes to the Movies,” reflects on how cartoon films draw from famous art pieces (like the movie “Tangled” in the painting The Swing by Jean-Honoré Fragonard) or designs inspired from fashion and furniture (like the interior home of the Incredibles from mid-century modernism in the 1960s).

We took in the sneak preview day of the spaces this past week—you can see the results in our slideshow below or view whole photos in our flickr set.

The Kohl’s Art Generation lab, gallery and studio opens today from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., with the gallery and studio then open during regular museum hours. For more information, visit the Milwaukee Art Museum website.