April 17, 2009

GALLERY NIGHT GUIDE 2009

Spring Gallery Night is here, and it’s as packed as ever. But with so much to do and see, the quarterly art-a-thon can get overwhelming. So for you undecided art lovers, we present a comprehensive Gallery Night guide to help you navigate the night. Enjoy!

THIRD WARD/ WALKER’S POINT

Hot*Pop
213 N. Broadway

dwella vs. Ella – A pretty good art show
After years of hearing countless parents react to his art by saying, “My kid could do that,” Milwaukee-based artist dwellephant decided to take an “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach and turn his latest exhibition into a full-on collaboration. With a kid. Aspiring artist (and current six-year-old) Ella joins dwellephant in presenting a number of collaborative pieces, as well as a series of paintings where they reinterpret one another’s already existing works. No pretentiousness. No limitations. Just two artists painting for the pure fun of it. Dwellephant will also be signing copies of his newly released children’s book Missing the Boat. Sponsored by: hot*pop and 91.7 FM WMSE.

MIAD
273 E. Erie

2009 Senior Thesis Exhibition
From Hmong folktales reinterpreted to an ergonomic sailing seat for the disabled and an interactive piano installation that integrates visual and auditory art forms, the state’s largest and most eagerly awaited annual show celebrates the innovative works of 135 artists and designers representing the college’s 11 Bachelor of Fine Arts majors. It continues through May 9 at MIAD’s Third Ward Campus, 273 E. Erie Street. Milwaukee’s best-attended rite of spring presents the seniors’ extensive senior thesis projects in Communication Design (web and graphic), Drawing, Illustration, Industrial Design, Integrated Studio Arts, Interior Architecture + Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Time-Based Media (animation and video). miad.edu

The Portrait Society
The Marshall Building
207 E. Buffalo, Suite 526

Tender is the Line
Tender is the Line is a small group exhibition about drawing. Seven artists explore variations of the sketched portrait: Paul Caster, Sally Duback, Jean Roberts Guequierre, Steve Ohlrich, Steve Lubahn, Claire Stigliani and Dawn Turner. From the highly refined portraiture of classically trained Steve Ohlrich to the small, fragile Bruegel-inspired sketches of children by Jean Roberts to the contemporary fashion models of Claire Stigliani, the exhibition covers a range of drawn identities.

Tory Folliard Gallery
233 N. Milwaukee Street

Alex Chaney: The Lost Child Paintings
Inspired by children’s drawings and Aztec art and culture, Chaney’s figurative paintings on paper and canvas combine strong graphic imagery with beautiful, atmospheric backgrounds. Flat stylized figures, misshapen and awry, mingle in ways sometimes conveying harmony, other times conflict. Light washes of ink, splattered and speckled, give the work a persevering, urban feel. toryfolliard.com

Gallery 218
The Marshall Building
207 E. Buffalo, Suite 218

Spring Showcase
In 2009, the Gallery 218 Artist Cooperative celebrates its 19th year of promoting contemporary fine arts in Milwaukee. Exhibiting artists include founding artist and director Judith Hooks (painting), Joey Korom (painting), Thomas Kovacich (painting, sculpture, printmaking), Bernie Newman (photography), and others. The duo “Nineteen Thirteen,” consisting of cellist Janet Schiff and percussionist Brian Kreuziger (tabla), will also perform . gallery218.com

Katie Gingrass Gallery
241 N. Broadway

Colors of Nature
Welcome spring with the Katie Gingrass Gallery! Local and national artists working in a variety of media celebrate the beauty of nature and bring the outdoors in. Featuring new work by Scott Hefti (pastel) , Bob Fojut (oil painting), Colette Smith (pastel/watercolor), Michael McKee (pastel), Jeff Condon (pastel), Alberta Marana (pastel), Marla Baggetta (pastel), Laura Foster Nicholson (fiber), Martha Fieber (fiber) and Emily Wilson (wood/metal sculpture). gingrassgallery.com

Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
911 W. National Ave

The Artists of Pilsen
The work of two artists featured in the rear “project room,” René Hugo Arceo & Gabriel Villa, as well as the works in the main gallery space by Montserrat Alsina, Mario Castillo (Columbia College’s professor), Miguel Cortez (of alternative space “polvo”), Hector Duarte (established muralist), Roberto Ferreyra, Ricardo Santos Hernández, Diana Solis and Robert Valadez range from prints and paintings to video and installation, reflecting diverse art practices of the Pilsen artists. Those works are created at a fascinating intersection of traditional and contemporary culture, Mexican heritage of the artists and American, urban environment they live in. The resulting work is reflective of this unique blend of influences.  wpca-milwaukee.org

Paper Boat Boutique
2375 S. Howell Ave

Bullies: New Work by Micaela O’Herlihy

Join your pals at Paper Boat for their last Gallery Night show ever, featuring work by Wisconsin artist Micaela O’Herlihy.While you’re there, be sure to take a gander around the shop and stock up on tons of wonderful art and crafts. It will be a great time to pick up those items you’ve always been meaning to get. Also, don’t forget to spend your gift certificates if you have been holding onto one! Show your love! paperboatboutique.com

The Wherehouse
818 S. Water Street
Present Music Gallery Night After Party
PRESENT MUSIC will perform a late night concert at the Wherehouse on Friday, April 17, 2009, immediately following Gallery Night. The event, which is outside of PM’s subscription series, is a move that mirrors audience development efforts in big cities like New York and San Francisco, where arts groups are expanding beyond the concert hall to reach new audiences.

By linking to the crowd that gathers in the Third Ward for the popular Gallery Night crawl, Present Music is playing to the rhythms of an audience that might not attend a traditional concert at 8pm, but would gladly take part in an interesting experience later in the evening.

Doors open at 9pm with live visuals by Beeple (Mike Winkelmann of DoneBestDone). The main show is Present Music and the Minneapolis-based band NOBOT in alternating sets, and WMSE’s BTS.WRKNG (John Gelzer) will spin dance music from 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.

The event, which is supported in part by a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, is $10, significantly below a subscription series concert. presentmusic.org

DOWNTOWN

Haggerty Museum
Marquette University Campus

Current Tendencies: Ten Artists from Wisconsin
Current Tendencies will present works in diverse mediums by emerging, mid-career and established Wisconsin artists. The featured artists include; Jennifer Angus, Peter Bardy, Anne Kingsbury, Colin Matthes, Shana McCaw, Brent Budsberg, T. L. Solien, Sonja Thomsen, George Williams Jr., and Xiaohong Zhang. For this exhibition, the lower level of the Haggerty Museum will be divided into 10 separate galleries, giving each artist (or pair of artists in the case of McCaw and Budsberg) his/her own space. Site-specific installations will be created for Current Tendencies by McCaw and Budsberg, Matthes and Angus. Never- before-seen large-scale stainless steel sculpture by self-taught artist Peter Bardy will also be featured. In addition, the exhibition will showcase photography by Thomsen; paper-cuttings by Zhang; fibre/bead work by Kingsbury; and paintings by Solien and Williams. marquette.edu/haggerty

David Barnett Gallery
1024 E. State Street

Wisconsin Artists Showcase
The David Barnett Gallery is featuring a recently acquired rare and important John Steuart Curry, oil on canvas titled “Sketching Wisconsin.” This painting signed and dated 1946 is of great art historical significance. It depicts the artist in his overalls standing next to his wife who is seated at an easel recreating the painting. This compositional element of a painting within a painting has been used for centuries by artists such as Degas, Manet and Chagall. The Wisconsin farmscape is the same farm depicted in a major John Steuart Curry from the 1930’s now in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The gallery is proud to introduce two Wisconsin artists making their debuts: Alayna Rose and Robert Richter. Rose’s brilliantly colorful abstract oils and Richter’s playful primitive figurative oils are unique additions to Wisconsin’s best. davidbarnettgallery.com

InterContinental Milwaukee Art Gallery
139 E. Kilbourn Ave.

A Toast for the Arts to benefit the United Performing Arts Fund

On display will be “Stalking Michael Stipe: Another Prop to Occupy My Time,” in which photographer Jon Horvath follows a spontaneous, unpremeditated path that takes him to an unknown destination. Horvath lets his intuition guide him, as if he were a plastic bag in the wind. The poject followed a course from Athens to Savannah, Georgia, over a 36-hour period of time.

Enjoy $5 champagne flutes, with $1 per glass donated to UPAF. The Terry Smirl Trio performs 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Turner Hall Ballroom
1032 N. 4th Street

Fashion Show
Live Music from Milwaukee’s Best: Codebreaker, The Etiquette, Perfect Little Monster (album release), Kid Millions, King Hell Bastard Dj sets by: Chalice in the Palace, No Requests, The Glamour. Featuring local designers/boutiques: Detour, Majolie, Yellow Jacket, Hot Pop, Ericka Fox, Hex Designs, Madam Chino. Doors open at 8:00 PM -this is an all-ages show! 

EAST/ RIVERWEST

The Armoury Gallery
The Fortress Building
1718 N. 1st Street 3N3

Night Work: through May 2nd
The Armoury Gallery is pleased to present its 8th exhibition: Night Work. Focusing specifically on professional artists working as art professors and instructors in Milwaukee, Night Work is an exciting cross-section of some of Milwaukee’s most talented and recognized artists. Night Work also features three collaborative teams- Nathaniel Stern & Jessica Mueninck-Ganger, Shana McCaw & Brent Budsberg as well as new 2D work by Nicolas Lampert and photographs by Sonja Thomsen. thearmourygallery.com
INOVA/Kenilworth
2155 N. Prospect Ave.

There There
There There, a group exhibition featuring the work of sculptors Sarah Braman, Nancy Ford and Eunice Kim and painters Joe Bradley, Steven Burnham and Scott Reeder opens on Friday, April 17, 2009 in the East Gallery at Inova/Kenilworth and remains on view through June 14, 2009.There There brings together six artists — Joe Bradley (New York), Sarah Braman (New York), Steven Burnham (Milwaukee), Nancy Ford (Chicago), Eunice Kim (San Francisco) and Scott Reeder (Milwaukee) — whose work appears simple, castoff, or even dumb, while remaining replete with all the qualities of a good joke: charm, wit and elusive truth. Gertrude Stein commented on her native city of Oakland that “when you get there, there isn’t any there there.” The exhibition’s title phrase is also a common expression of sympathy. Together, the work in There There suggests that sometimes, only one “there” is all that’s needed. arts.uwm.edu/inova.

The Green Gallery- EAST
1500 N. Farwell

Michell Grabner: Silverpoint Drawings with Guest Mobile
The Green Gallery East is pleased to present new silverpoint drawings by Michelle Grabner with a mobile by Brad Killam. Michelle Grabner’s paintings and silverpoints index the essentialism of time. Created with lines, marks, ticks, points, and dots, Grabner’s compositions are simply organized, accumulated, and sequenced, thus leaving virtually no space for the imagination or invention. There is nothing signified or expressed – nothing to be interpreted – only a methodical indication or trace of time’s passage. thegreengallery.biz

The Green Gallery WEST
631 E. Center Street, 3rd Floor

Frankie Martin : Life or Death?
In her upcoming show at Green Gallery West, Life or Death? Frankie Martin will be showing new video work as well as some paintings and video stills. Who Died? is a five part, non-linear narrative video that reinterprets popular representations of death and the transcendence of the human body. Some light paintings will accompany this piece. Frankie will also present part of her series Left Behind which features paintings and mobiles based on the idea of what normally gets discarded. In Frankie’s words “the idea is that these things become non-things, then become re-contextualized as things again.”  thegreengallery.tk