Art behind the scenes, and a jamboree

This weekend’s art events will take you everywhere from the basement of a historic mansion to an art rummage sale, a sprawling jamboree, and a number of exhibition openings featuring live music.

Pabst Mansion Grand Tour
2000 W. Wisconsin Avenue
1-4 p.m. (last entry at 3:15)
Tickets $12 adults, $8 children 12 and under

The doors are wide open at the Pabst Mansion, and this means all of them. Visitors are invited to take self-guided tours from the basement to the attic of the historic home of Captain Frederick Pabst. It’s not every day that this much access is granted, so if you’ve ever been curious about spaces that are usually off-limits to the public, this is the chance to satisfy your unabashed curiosity.

Elias Vallejo: The airbrush and the portrait opens Friday at Portrait Society Gallery.

FRIDAY, MAY 17

Elias Vallejo: The airbrush and the portrait
Portrait Society
207 E. Buffalo Street, 5th Floor
Opening reception 6-9 p.m.
Exhibition continues through May 26.

To speak of airbrushing something often implies a veneer of perfection and idealization. For Elias Vallejo, the airbrush is a tool wielded with precision to achieve extraordinary accuracy and detail. This exhibition presents a range of his works, from pop-flavored portraits to works of photo-like fidelity.

Spring Art Opening
The Waxwing
4415 N. Oakland Avenue
6-9 p.m.

The new spring exhibition at Waxwing presents work by Mallory Colby, Dan Duffy, Jessica Z Schafer, and Amy Swoboda. The evening’s reception will also feature live music, including a performance by Jordin Baas.

Smoky Places
Dominion Gallery
804 E. Wright Street
Opening reception 7-10 p.m.

Works by Michael DiMilo, Carol Rode-Curley, and Rae Williams DiMilo are on view with a mysterious air. Prints and drawings, plus objects of fetish and desire are part of the exhibition. The opening will premier an animated music video for the new single by the Tritonics, “Smoky Places.” An after-party with a live performance by the Tritonics at The Uptowner (1032 E. Center Street) follows the art opening.

Robert Meincke, Revolution, is on view at the Ploch Art Gallery in the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts.

2012 Emerging Artist People’s Choice Winners
Ploch Art Gallery
Sharon Lynn Wilson Center for the Arts
19805 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield
Reception 6-7:30 p.m.
Exhibition continues through June 1.

The people have spoken, and chose Robert Meincke and Makeal Flammini as artists to be featured in this exhibition. Both artists invest a narrative undercurrent in their work; Meincke’s pieces layer current events within images of social and political reference points, while Flammini’s drawings are intimate and reflective, influenced by her recent experience of living in Ireland for nine months.

SATURDAY, MAY 18 

Art Jamboree
ART Milwaukee
Grand Avenue Mall, Plankinton Building
161 W. Wisconsin Avenue
2 p.m.-10 p.m. Free admission.

The Plankinton Building is a big space and this Saturday it will be completely taken over by more than 100 visual and performing artists, plus 50 vendors. A Buy Local Bazaar will be held on the second floor, and the day will include performances by Danceworks, Skylight Music Theater, Florentine Opera, plus many more as live events take place throughout the building.

TCD will be part of the festivities as our office is transformed into a gallery space and lounge, featuring work by our resident photographers. Stop in and say hello!

The Art*Bar Great Rummage Sale 
Art*Bar
722 E. Burleigh Street
Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

It’s time for spring cleaning…or maybe accumulating. Either way, Art Bar’s rummage sale offers a chance to sell your stuff or buy from other people. Goods will be marked down to half-price on Sunday.

International Museum Day 
Museum of Wisconsin Art
205 Veterans Avenue, West Bend
10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Established in 1977, International Museum Day highlights the importance of museums in their communities. MOWA is marking the day with activities geared toward families, both inside and outside of the museum. The outdoor events include plein air painting demonstrations, and while inside, visitors can take part in a tour of the collection featuring poetry, and see a performance by Ballet Folklorico.

SUNDAY, MAY 19 

As seen in Color Rush: Edward Steichen, Bouquet of Flowers, January 8, 1940. Collection of George Eastman House (Bequest of Edward Steichen by Direction of Joanna T. Steichen). Permission of the Estate of Edward Steichen, Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film.

This is the last day to see these exhibitions:

Color Rush: 75 Years of Color Photography in America
Milwaukee Art Museum
See the TCD review. 

Dark Blue: The Water as Protagonist
Haggerty Museum of Art

Images of the Virgin Mary
Haggerty Museum of Art
See the TCD review. 

Perimeter: Photographs by Kevin J. Miyazaki
Haggerty Museum of Art
See the TCD review.

Read Between the Lines: Enrique Chagoya’s Codex Prints
Haggerty Museum of Art