A trail well-traveled

A Survey: Drawings & Paintings by John Wickenberg March 19 – May 18 Charles Allis Art Museum 1801 N. Prospect Avenue John Wickenberg studied under the guidance of another John (Wisconsin’s own John Wilde); the ghost of his late teacher, who died in 2006, lingers in A Survey: Drawings & Paintings by John Wickenberg (now – May 18 at the Charles Allis Art Museum). Laurel Turner, the curator of exhibitions and collections at both the Charles Allis and Villa Terrace, surely had her hands full dealing with the proliferation of various art mediums in the show: watercolor/gouache, watercolor/pencil, silverpoint/acrylic, silverpoint/oil. In preparing for this review, I visited the Print, Drawing, and Photography Study Center at the Milwaukee Art Museum, and was told by a helpful staffer that the Center had none of Wisconsin-based Wickenberg’s works. For his part, John Wilde has been variously defined as a magic realist, a surrealistic and a fantasy painter, but Wickenberg doesn’t exactly fit into these niches. It’s doubtful that he’d appreciate being pigeon-holed. “The basis of my technique is a strong commitment to the craft of drawing,” he says. Period. Wickenberg (who earned his Bachelor’s and Master of Fine Arts degree from UW-Madison, and later taught at UW-Whitewater) depicts everyday objects, so I was pleased to locate a mixed-media Joseph Cornell box (“Celestial Navigations by Birds, 1958”) in MAM’s Gallery 18, and upstairs, Georgia O’Keeffe’s 1936 “Mule Skull with Turkey Feather.” Her pretty paintings bore me in the way that Milton Avery’s work bores me, but at least her skull and feather painting is a still-life statement about life and death, and it thrust me forward to further explore. In the Education Gallery on the main level, I paused to see what they had to offer, and it turned out to be what I was seeking: a nice selection of graphite drawings with watercolor by Wisconsin-based artist Joanna Poehlmann. Her beautifully drawn “Nest Egg VI” (2006) echoes both Wickenberg and Wilde, who accomplish the extraordinary via the ordinary. I don’t stand around at exhibitions counting pieces of art, but my pre-show Charles Allis list indicated some 52 by Wickenberg from various years, in various sizes, variously titled “Avalanche,” “Frisbee and Other Obsessions” and “Horn of Plenty” (Homage to 20th Century Art), which I recall from a 2001 exhibition at the Rahr-West in Manitowoc. To clear my head, I had to remind myself that all art starts with a blank and goes (successfully or unsuccessfully) from there. Prior “understanding” of particular works tends to muddy the field, which ideally should be level and clear of pre-conceived notions, so I leave it to art historians to trace the art of the still-life back to the efforts of Renaissance masters. “All art,” John Wilde wrote, “comes from sex and the awareness of death.” On floor two of the Allis, in the main gallery space, are seven watercolor and gouache paintings depicting nests: empty nests, nests with feathers, nests with eggs (albeit “abandoned”). Despite the richness of detail, […]

MKE’s Alterra boasts 2nd and 3rd at Barista Competition!

After months of preparation Justin Teisl and Scott Lucey, baristas at Alterra Coffee, won second and third places, respectively, at the 2008 Great Lakes Regional Barista Competition (GLRBC), held in Milwaukee’s Third Ward, March 14th-16th. The GLRBC is one of ten annual regional barista competitions held nationwide and is designed to encourage and recognize professional achievement in the art of espresso beverage preparation and service. Baristas representing over 15 coffee companies from Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, and Minnesota prepared and served espresso-based drinks to a panel of six judges. Each participant was evaluated according to the taste and quality of the beverages, technical skill, presentation, and the ability to prepare three rounds of espressos, cappuccinos, and signature drinks in 15 minutes or less. Teisl and Lucey, experienced baristas as well as trainers for Alterra employees and wholesale accounts, made it to the final round of competition after beating out over 30 other participants. Both had a final score of 599.5, with Teisl gaining second place by scoring more top marks overall. Justin Teisl has been with Alterra since 2001 and works at the company’s Riverwest café on Humboldt Boulevard. He is a recent graduate of UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of Fine Arts and was the artist responsible for creating the trophies presented to the GLRBC’s top 3 finalists. Scott Lucey has worked at Alterra’s Prospect Avenue café since 2002, and began training other employees in 2005.

Update on Pabst Farms

Pabst Farm Sunset Originally uploaded by obrazu Loyal readers, I apologize on not keeping you up-to-date with the latest in white flight trends… that being the development of Pabst Farms. The last time I reported on Pabst Farms, they (Pabst Farms Development Inc) were announcing that a new developer, Developers Diversified Realty, to create the sprawl mall. Developers Diversified Realty announced their plans almost two months ago (yes, I’m playing catch up). What did it include? Nothing special. Everything is focused around the interstate. They’re touting an “attractive entrance” as a giant sign that reads “Pabst Farms Oconomowoc” when you get off the interstate, and some landscaped, unnatural grass. It’s really a shame that the use of the Pabst name here will taint the image of the real development happening at the old Pabst brewery on the edge of urban Milwaukee.

Senator Dick Durbin Standing Up For Quality

Milwaukee Intermodal Station Originally uploaded by compujeramey It’s good to see Senator Dick Durbin demanding better service from Union Pacific on the Amtrak route that runs from St. Louis to Chicago. What does this have to do with urban Milwaukee? The expansion and improvement of Amtrak (greater frequency of runs, faster service, ultimately lower prices) is good for Milwaukee’s most urban neighborhoods. The downtown location of the Milwaukee Intermodal Station is great for nearby land values and for access by the greatest number of riders. Easy for us that live here to get out, and for travelers from other cities to get in. The money spent to redevelop the station was worth every penny. So the station is great, but where can we as Milwaukeeans travel to easily through that station? Currently Minneapolis and Chicago are the only easy destinations (and the few small city stops along the way). Transferring to other lines in Chicago is plausible, but service delays and the frequency of runs make it somewhat difficult. If Senator Durbin and the people of Illinois get their way, Union Pacific will improve the conditions on the rail line and Amtrak service will improve. This will increase the ease at which Milwaukeeans can get to St. Louis. More efficient connections to big cities will only drive more people to Milwaukee’s inner-core of great neighborhoods. Better service is both great for business and great for urban residents. Long-term hopefully this will lead to the development of a high-speed rail corridor that includes Milwaukee. The Chicago-St. Louis route provides a great opportunity to test and implement technologies because of the lack of freight travel and the relatively flat terrain. High-gas prices, long security check times at airports, and increasingly more extreme weather conditions will lead more and more people to Amtrak and innovators like Megabus. What can be done to create a better, more efficient service? Improving the Chicago-St. Louis line is a good first step towards building a super-efficient rail network in the fresh coast.

Reel Milwaukee

This blog is coming soon.

It’s 2AM and I’m drunk and finished

My words aren’t as good as his

Pink Martini brings elegance and mystery to the Pabst Theater

Sometimes you need a little reminder that you are living in a city capable of sophistication and intrigue. Inside the intimate yet lavishly gilded atmosphere of the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, right down the street from bawdy St. Patrick’s Day revelers on Water Street and Bruce Springsteen rocking the Bradley Center, an elegant woman in a black designer dress saunters on stage. Her necklace and earrings twinkle in the spotlight while her lowered face reveals dark eyeshadow with sparkles mixed in. Her face rises and dark red lips part. The 11-piece band crescendos and pauses. Out of singer China Forbes comes fluent musical Portuguese. In another number it is Spanish. Then English. Then French. Later Italian appears and even Arabic for a little Egyptian number that translates to “Tomorrow and the Day After.” It’s clear within the first five numbers (in two hours this “little orchestra” will perform 22 songs with no intermission) that Pink Martini falls within the depth-defying genre known as ‘world lounge’ music. What began as a four-piece performing at political events, founded by artistic director and pianist Thomas Lauderdale, was later expanded with fellow Harvard alum Forbes into a jazz orchestra. Pink Martini recalls the golden age of cabaret showstoppers in samba, salsa, cha-cha and any other number of arrangements influenced by outposts of sound from around the world. The crowd at the venerable music hall is decidedly older for the most part, but the enthusiasm of the crowd – frequently so loud that they interrupt Lauderdale and Forbes’ witty banter – pleasantly startle the band. After ten years recording albums and performing around the world, the pack of mostly under-40 musicians onstage still seemed flummoxed by their avid fans. Some songs illicit cheers at the first notes when they are recognized as revered classics, once sung by the likes of Henri Salvador and Eartha Kitt. Other compositions of original nature such as Pink Martini’s current hit “Hey Eugene” – a song Forbes wrote almost action-for-action about a one-night encounter with an enthusiastic guy who never called her back – garner even more praise from the audience. While the cheers and frequent standing ovations are justly deserved this evening, it sometimes feels like the crowd is so hungry for culture and music not heard outside the realm of occasional NPR programs that they threaten to consume the orchestra whole. When Forbes cryptically dedicates final number “Brazil” to a couple that seems to follow the band on tour dates, it’s obvious that the older-but-energetic woman who runs down the aisle and starts a conga line is the one described by the singer. It’s an odd sensation, watching older people jump out of their seats and start dancing with abandon – but that’s just the power of Pink Martini’s living music, and it must be seen, heard and felt to understand. VS

Greed and the Wisconsin Supreme Court

If you’ve been in front of a television recently, you’ve probably seen those ads trying to influence the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Incumbent Louis Butler is being challenged by Butler County Circuit Judge Mike Gableman. Gableman is the bobblehead who allegedly bought his seat on the bench and Butler is the alleged criminal coddler. For years and years candidates for state Supreme Court conducted low-key campaigns awash in decorum and highfalutin legal principles. But that was then and this is now. Over the last two contests, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group has decided to spend an inordinately large amount of money to elect candidates to the state Supreme Court who are friendlier to business interests. Last year, the group spent big bucks to elect Annette Ziegler to the court, despite the ethical lapses that led to her being sanctioned for failing to disclose her ties to a bank that was involved in a case before her. Now it is throwing its girth into a campaign to unseat a respected incumbent on the court by attempting to portray Louis Butler as soft on crime. The business leaders who have signed off on this transparent effort to make the court more pliant to the state’s wealthy corporate interests should be ashamed. This isn’t about crime, this is about greed. Newsweek did a fairly comprehensive analysis of this race and cited “uncanny parallels” between the election in Wisconsin and the plot of John Grisham’s novel, “The Appeal,” where business interests fund attacks on an African-American member of the state Supreme Court in Mississippi. In both cases, the business groups falsely accuse the sitting justice of acting to release a convicted sexual predator. The Greater Wisconsin Committee, a liberal advocacy group, has responded to these horrid attacks with ads questioning the challenger’s record on crime. To his credit, Butler has called on all third party groups on both sides to “stand down” and allow the candidates to make their own cases. Unfortunately, challenger Gableman has engaged in his own outrageous attack campaign which is drawing fire from the state’s good government groups, including the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign , Wisconsin Judicial Integrity Campaign Committee, Common Cause and Citizen Action, for false statements and misrepresenting Butler’s record. But those fine, upstanding folks at the WMC definitely deserve a dubious achievement award for acting so selfishly and egregiously on behalf of the state’s wealthiest interests. Former Madison mayor and liberal blogger Paul Soglin is engaged in a personal campaign to call the members of the WMC to account for this greedy behavior. The members of the WMC board are ultimately responsible for this reprehensible slander of Justice Butler. These business executives probably support token good causes and are undoubtedly regarded as respected pillars in their communities. But they shouldn’t be able to hide behind the relative anonymity of the front group they control. How can we expect citizens to have faith in our government when the groups with the deepest pockets […]

The Night is a Child

“How can you forget what you don’t understand?” asks Harriet Easton, a middle-aged mother from Boston struggling through endless, sleepless nights. Her insomnia follows the suicide of her son Michael after the tragic event at a city nursery school where he killed his ex-wife and seven other victims. These oppressive night shadows haunt Harriet in the Milwaukee Repertory’s world-premiere presentation of The Night is a Child. African-American playwright Charles Randolph-Wright attempts to understand the aftermath of Harriet’s personal tragedy as a connection to similar horrific events. He composes a drama that moves with underlying rhythms of music into themes concerning guilt, grief, religion and violence. In sheer desperation, Harriet Easton travels to her romanticized Rio when she realizes her incapacity to live with these demons any longer. Brazil helps her escape the anniversary of the tragedy and the influence her overbearing two children. In Rio, leaving Boston behind, Harriet discovers beautiful beaches, potent drinks and the Brazilian Samba as her mysterious friend Bia escorts Harriet through her nightmares to find dreams of peace. Still home in Boston, her two children – Jane, the successful type-A lawyer, and Brian, Michael’s alcoholic twin – suffer their own sleepless nights worrying about their mother’s whereabouts and pondering unanswered questions about the death of the brother they loved, the constant media coverage of the tragedy and the infamous notoriety that brings. As they seek to rescue Harriet, Jane and Brian save not only their mother but also themselves. As Bia tells them, “Sometimes what we find inside ourselves is more dangerous than outside.” Randolph-Wright asks the audience to see the samba as a metaphor for “letting go” of these unanswerable questions in life. But this metaphorical tension builds slowly as the action shifts between Boston and Brazil in the first act. Humorous notes in the script soften the disturbing subjects as the second act takes us further into these dilemmas. Yet there might be might be too many chords to hear as Randolph-Wright tries to synthesize popular music together with the drama of Harriet’s self-healing. Still, the excellent acting of Elizabeth Norment as Harriet and Lanise Antione Shelley as Bia creates an atmosphere on stage allowing all these themes to harmonize and their tenuous relationship to transcend two disparate cultures. Monette Magrath’s Jane and Tyler Pierce’s Brian capture sibling rivalry adequately. But these characters stand on a visually blank stage, minimal in design, with the richness of the Brazilian culture missing. Even the clothing Harriet wears never changes as she transforms her sleepless nights into rational survival. Throughout this bare two hours, there is more character and emotion, even through the customs of Brazil, to be explored. Charles Randolph-Wright creates an evening that asks many questions with few answers. Along with Harriet, the audience would like to believe fleeing to Brazil and embracing a fresh cultural context might offer permanent relief from life’s tragedies. But as she learns to Samba, to dance on the edge of Boston’s Charles River, that question remains. How does […]

Milwaukee.Gov E-Notification – City Cleanup

I’m happy to see the city planning to take action before this becomes an issue that drags on.  Please read the message below to learn of Milwaukee’s cleanup plan as we enter the spring season, and learn how you can be a good citizen by keeping Milwaukee clean. The 2007-08 Winter has not had periodic melts which would normally allow residents to clean their yards throughout the winter.  Litter and pet wastes have accumulated and been covered by snow.  The upcoming thaw will reveal these items. Besides being unsightly, adverse health conditions can occur if litter and pet wastes are not removed.  Beginning on Monday, March 17th, the City of Milwaukee will engage in an aggressive campaign to inspect and clean properties. The City cannot do this alone.  All City residents are asked to clean their yards and remove litter and pet waste.  Bag the litter and debris and place it in the garbage cart. If the amount of items does not fit in the collection cart, please take them to the self-help stations located at either 6660 N. Industrial Rd. or 3811 W. Lincoln Ave.  Current hours of operation are Monday-Saturday 7:00am-3:00pm.  Spring and summer hours will begin April 6th: Monday-Saturday 7:00am-6:00pm and Sunday 9:00am-3:00pm. Inspectors from the Department of Neighborhood Services will be out in neighborhoods soon and will issue orders for garbage nuisances.   Please be part of the solution to this year’s litter issue:  clean up your yard.   Property owners are ultimately responsible for the yards of the properties they own.  Please save yourself the expense of requiring the City to have your yard cleaned. If it is in your yard, it is your responsibility no matter who left it there. Consider organizing a neighborhood or block clean-up.  Contact Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful at 272-5462 for more information,  supplies and reward cards.  This would be a great opportunity to assist elderly or infirm neighbors who have difficulty cleaning their own yards. Thank you for helping clean up Milwaukee. Enjoy Spring!

Weekly Milwaukee Development Bookmarks

Articles from the past week covering development in Milwaukee. Milwaukee only ray of data light — chicagotribune.com OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: Local agent says Milwaukee housing market looks good JS Online: Developers finding lenders pickier JS Online: Riverwalk plan on hold JS Online: Water taxis to ply river downtown JS Online: Office allocation deleted from Park East hotel plan Bowling Congress offered more than $8M in incentives – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: JS Online: Greendale gets the hook JS Online: Time for balanced transit Zilber to buy property from Milwaukee County for Pabst brewery project – Small Business Times Wangard plans downtown office building – Small Business Times City to purchase land for Terry Porter’s Bronzeville development – Small Business Times Bowling Congress decides to move to Texas – Small Business Times Milwaukee will be pilot site for SBA inner city business program – Small Business Times Wangard to build new downtown office tower – Small Business Times OnMilwaukee.com Milwaukee Buzz: New UWM dorm offers rooms with a RiverView Bowling Congress decides to move to Texas – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: JS Online: Park East tower work tied to condo sales JS Online: City, tower close to settling JS Online: Green energy summit planned JS Online: Local architects win national award