Mitchell Street Becoming Art Hub

Milwaukee’s historic and colorful Mitchell Street, with its rich diversity and preserved architecture, has proven to be a haven for local artists, with galleries like Real Tinsel. On June 14, Jeff Redmon and his wife, Dana, opened the new Scout Gallery at 1104. W. Mitchell St. Besides the gallery, the 5,800-square-foot building also contains 20 art studios and a retail space.

Redmon is no stranger to the Milwaukee arts community. An artist who holds a B.F.A. from UW-Milwaukee, Redmon has curated exhibitions and shown his work at many locations around the city, as well as creating and organizing events such as Bay View Gallery Night.

While working as the former director of nonprofit arts organization RedLine Milwaukee (which sadly closed its doors at the end of June), and coordinator of the organization’s Artist-in-Residence Program, Redmon, and Dana, who worked as RedLine’s former events and building manager, gained valuable experience that would serve them well as gallery owners. While working for RedLine, the couple “realized that we complimented each other well, and began to understand how we would run our own business together,” said Redmon.

Scout represents more than a half dozen local artists, including former RedLine artists Dara Larson, Kari Garon and Marc Tasman. Redmon said the gallery highlights contemporary art, and his taste “leans more toward modern abstract art.” However, Redmon maintains that the gallery is “not restricted by genre or media; it is more about talent, style and personality.”

All artwork displayed at Scout is for sale, and prices range from under $100 to upwards of $10,000. The gallery also offers Scout merchandise, upcycled clothing and even furniture. “When people think about buying art or decorating space, we want them to immediately think of Scout Gallery,” Redmon said. “No one should ever feel intimidated to discuss or buy art.”

The Scout owner added that he and Dana couldn’t be happier with the gallery’s location and support they have received from the community.

“Attendance has been great, and we have continued a nice pace of art sales. People are constantly asking us how we like Mitchell Street, and I always blurt out, ‘We love it,’” Redmon said. “It’s a bustling, vibrant, and accessible neighborhood. I mean, we are right next to Lopez Bakery, which rocks! We eat there every Sunday morning, and pretty much every other chance we get.”

Art News

Last week, Near West Side Partners, Inc. revealed the lineup for its annual Crafting Art on the Near West Side, an event to highlight local artists. This year’s featured artists include Dasha Kelly, Fred Kaems, Amy O’Neill, Julia Taylor and Maria Knier. Now celebrating its second year, the exhibition will take place 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. September 6 at Central Standard Distillery, 2330 W. Clybourn Street. Tickets are $10, and proceeds will go towards supporting the Near West Side Arts Initiative, an organization focused on arts programming on Milwaukee’s Near West Side.

Art Events and Gallery Openings

-Monday 6- 8 p.m.: The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, 273 E. Erie St., hosts a new exhibition with an opening reception tonight. The biannual Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Exhibit will feature work by local artists who are recipients of the Mary L. Nohl Suitcase Travel Award. The award offers support for travel expenses for artists who wish to exhibit their works internationally.

-Tuesday at 1:30 p.m.: In conjunction with the Nares: Moves exhibit, the Milwaukee Art Museum will host a gallery talk by MAM director/exhibit curator Marcelle Polednik at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Baker/Rowland Gallery. Free with museum admission and for MAM members.

-Tuesday and Wednesday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days, the Lynden Sculpture Garden “is seeking volunteers to help with sweet clover and Queen Anne’s Lace Removal at Lynden’s newly-inaugurated labyrinth,” according to www.lyndensculpturegarden.org. Beverages will be provided. Volunteers receive free admission to the Sculpture Garden, plus a guest pass for future Lynden visits.

-Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.: The Sculpture MKE Trolley Tour, a seated tour of the outdoor sculptures along Wisconsin Avenue, will take place. Visit mam.org/sculptureMKE for tickets.

-Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.: St. Kate Arts Hotel and Sculpture Milwaukee will present “Alive and Strong,” a talk with visionary sculptor Beverly Pepper, who is credited as the first sculptor to use Cor-Ten steel in her work. At 96, Pepper, who now lives in Italy, is still creating intriguing metal sculptures. Free event will include a drink and pizza.

-Thursday: From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Lynden Sculpture Garden will hold “Harry and Peg Bradley’s Backyard Barbecue,” an annual fundraiser in whose proceeds go towards supporting education programs at Lynden. The event will feature catering by local farm-to-table restaurant Braise and live music by SistaStrings, a magic show by Matthew Teague and a performance by the Nathan Hale High School Orchestra.

-Saturday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.: Lynden Sculpture Garden hosts “Open Kitchen: Shapes of Arrival-Common Scents: Edible Installation and Conversation,” an installation by Open Kitchen residents Patricia Nguyen, John Lee, and Hai Minh Tai Nguyen. Residents will focus on “a Milwaukee-Vietnam index of aromas, flavors and textures in the context of their ideas and beliefs of a diasporic experience.”

–Saturday 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: “A Magical Day with Sculpture Milwaukee,” featuring a tour of the Wisconsin Avenue sculptures with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Sculpture Milwaukee Director of Exhibitions and Programs Marilu Knode, will start out at E. Wisconsin Ave. At the end of the tour, guests can enjoy Magical Thinking by art group Actual Size Artworks at Pfister Pocket Park, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. To register for “A Magical Day,” a free event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-magical-day-with-sculpture-milwaukee-tickets-68868514581.

–Saturday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.: textile artist Rosemary Ollison will display her repurposed clothing and accessories in “Beyond Fashion,” a fashion show in conjunction with her current Lynden Sculpture Garden exhibit, “Prosperity in a Million Scraps.”

–Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m.:The Milwaukee Art Museum will host the Nares: Moves film series, a collection of artist Jamie Nares’ ten short films, in the Lubar Auditorium. The series is free with museum admission.

–Saturday-Sunday: Fourth annual MKE Fringe Festival, featuring local, regional and nationally-known performers, theater groups, artists and artisans, will be held at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts’ Vogel Hall, Todd Wehr Theater and the Peck Pavilion. Performers and visual artists include The Ox, BeingNau Art, Tum Tree Studios, Tamarind Tribal Belly Dancers and the Catey Ott Dance Collective. www.mkefringe.com

Last Chance: Exhibition Closing

Charles Radtke: Contained, featuring the work of renowned furniture maker Charles Radtke, will close Sunday at the Milwaukee Art Museum.