Milwaukee to the Art World: Yes
Milwaukee to the Art World

Yes

Despite last ditch efforts by Alderman Dudzik to hold the project in committee, which would have effectively killed the project, Janet Zweig's public art project was approved at today's Common Council meeting.

Zweig Public Art Project to go to full council this morning

Zweig Public Art Project to go to full council this morning

Despite the efforts of outspoken detractors Bob Donovan (Ald., 8th District) and Joe Dudzik (Ald., 11th District) to kill the project in committee, a full house of supporters of the project that included Visit Milwaukee (title) Dave Fantle, Cultural Alliance Executive Director Christine Harris and many others, joined the project’s elected supporters – especially Nic Kovac (Ald., 3rd District) and Michael Murphy (Ald., 10th District) to rally sufficient support to move the project forward. The Common Council meets later this morning. Public comment will not be permitted on the issue, but the council is expected to cast the votes that will decide the fate of the E. Wisconsin Ave. endeavor.

Carousel: What Goes Around Comes Around 3rd Annual Milwaukee Invitational 35mm Slideshow  Fri 4/24
Carousel

What Goes Around Comes Around 3rd Annual Milwaukee Invitational 35mm Slideshow Fri 4/24

If this isnt the most heart warming thing you’ve read all day, I demand that you unplug your typewriter from your TV and never log onto the interweb again. xo, REEL Milw @ TCD Carousel: What Goes Around Comes Around 3rd Annual Milwaukee Invitational 35mm Slideshow Friday, April 24, 7pm $4 Woodland Pattern Book Center, 720 E Locust St. 414 263 5001 /  http://www.woodlandpattern.org Presented by the UWM Film Department and Woodland Pattern Book Center “Carousel” unspools like this: Carousel sends a roll of slide film out to invited artists who work in a variety of media, but not slideshows. They in turn make their first slideshow – of their own design. No rules regarding quantity of slides (or of projectors, or of screens) or regarding accompanying sound. The slideshows are debuted in live performance the night of the show. Past multimedia extravaganzas have featured “audience chant-a-longs; slides advancing at high speed so as to achieve animation; acting performances; overlapping imagery; slides projected side-by-side; confessionals (something along the lines of a catalogue of former boyfriends); one banjo; and something bordering on witchcraft.” [excerpted from attached Press Release.] Organized, in part, as a tribute to this mechanism the slide projector, which is now no longer manufactured, but also as testimony to its ongoing potential and possibility. While PowerPoint is widespread – even uncorked in a popular series of local barroom events – 35mm slide projectors offer a singular combination of artistry and of the homespun, of the evanescently beautiful and of the reliably mechanical. As the Carousel artists testify, reports of the slide projector’s death is premature. And Woodland Pattern’s gallery space is a perfect venue to unfurl these creations. A most intimate setting for this unique relationship between advancing image and rapt audience. It is also the best venue to enjoy the comforting purr and clunky click of the slide projector in action. (At last weekend’s Edible Book Art show, Woodland Pattern offered pages to eat; on April 24th it will eschew the digital.) This year’s invited slide show artists include: Brian Perkins (Milwaukee); Kimberly Miller (Milwaukee); Warehouse Cinema (Milwaukee): Patrick Gulke & Drew Kunz (Bainbridge Island, Washington); Jennifer Kelly (Brooklyn); John Orth & Alan Calpe (Gainesville / Brooklyn); Angela Deane (New York City); and more!

Acacia Theatre seeks auditions for summer musical version of Little Women

Acacia Theatre seeks auditions for summer musical version of Little Women

ACACIA THEATRE will be holding auditions on Monday and Tuesday, April 27 and 28 between 6:30 and 9:30 for its summer musical, Little Women.  This production will require 6 women and 4 Men (17 – 60).  Please prepare 12 – 16 bars of a song (accompaniment provided) Readings will be from script.   Auditions will be held by appointment only at Church in the City, 2648 N. Hackett, Milwaukee.  Performances (July 10 – 19) are at Concordia University. To make an appointment:  (414) 744-5995 or email acacia@acaciatheatre.com. Additional info:  Little Women: The Broadway Musical, book by Allan Knee, Lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, Music by Jason Howland, will be directed by Janet Bouman Peterson.  Music Director is Jane Foerster. A very few copies of the script are available at Acacia’s office.  They may be borrowed for 2 days for a $25 returnable deposit (our cost).  (Call office first to make arrangements).  Large portions of the script have been posted online at:    http://www.littlewomenonbroadway.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?num=1113524273/0#0 Please be prepared to provide all “conflicts” from May 26 – July10.   If new to Acacia, please provide a photo. If needed: Callbacks will be Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00.  (If unable to attend, please still come to initial audition)  Rehearsals are at Church in the City.  For directions to Church in the City, go to:  www.citcweb.org Ages:  Since the musical portrays the girls in the same way as the book, the youngest daughter is Amy who eventually gets married.  Even though she may still be a teen when she gets married, it is important that it isn’t a huge stretch for the modern eye to see that actress as both an impetuous early teen and a young married.  Beth is even older.  Therefore, we will not be able to see anyone who still looks like a younger teen.  If a girl is 16 or 17 and we could imagine them as married, they are welcome to audition.  If we cannot imagine that, then it is respectfully requested that they not audition.  Thank you so much for understanding. Song suggestions:  It would be wise to pick something short (which is why we are requesting only 12-16 bars), which shows your musical strengths and/or suggests the character you are auditioning for.  If your voice lends itself to two completely different styles, you may do two contrasting 12 bar selections (to show range or style differences).  Please … no longer.  We hope to provide accompanists for all auditions … remember they are sight-reading. A very ROUGH estimation of the roles and ranges: Marmee – alto, ballads Jo – gutsy, strong, wide range, but primarily alto Meg – legit soprano Beth – sweet soprano Amy – primarily alto Aunt March – wide range, character Laurie (Theodore Laurence III) – Energetic, wide range tenor Professor Baehr – Baritone John Brooke – Baritone – to II Tenor Mr. Laurence – Baritone, character

Public comment opportunity on Streetscape Project Tuesday morning

Public comment opportunity on Streetscape Project Tuesday morning

On Tuesday, April 14 at 8 a.m., Milwaukee’s Public Works Committee (in City Hall Room 301-B) will again be considering the Janet Zweig proposal for the Streetscape Arts Project. Public comment is invited. This Committee will vote up or down on the project. Procedurally, it is likely to be taken out of Committee (no matter what the vote) and moved to the Common Council – which meets at 9 a.m. on Tuesday.  Public comment is not allowed at a Common Council meeting, but it is open to attendance. Emails and phone calls to the Aldermen are critically important, particularly if they come from a constituent. Please make lots of contact, and get your friends to do the same. Here is the Council website: http://www.ci.mil.wi.us/council If you are interested, here is the body of the letter we sent to each Alderman: We believe that a strong public art program raises our creative capital. Milwaukee’s image as an innovative city with a vibrant arts community and top-notch creative assets is critical to whether or not we can recruit talent to move here, or get good employees to stay here.  Having a strong public arts program is one step toward improving the image of Milwaukee, which doesn’t always get the credit it deserves for our arts and culture assets and amenities. This public art process was put in to place years ago and the project has been moving forward according to all of the guidelines. The money has already been approved. The public art committee was comprised of people with the background and commitment of the public interest to make an artist choice that will serve our community well and meet the budgetary requirements. The chosen artist, Janet Zweig, has committed to spend the $60,000 matching dollars being approved with local artists, thereby giving very valuable jobs to our city and helping to make the project community-relevant. Furthermore, she has a stellar international reputation for her work and a Milwaukee background. We don’t need to personally like every piece of public art that we vote for – that is a good thing!  Art is a matter of preference.  You just need to like the idea of crafting a first-class city that can compete in these trying economic times.  Art goes hand in hand with better transportation, business development and all of the other efforts to bolster our economy. We appreciate all that you do to make this a better place to live, work, play and learn. We, the creative industries, are equally committed to making this a better place for all – and to bring lots more people and business. Diverse, creative expression is an important component to our city’s attraction Thank you. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Christine Harris President and Executive Director Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee 648 N. Plankinton Ave Suite 425 Milwaukee, WI 53203 charris@culturalalliancemke.org

Special “pay what you can” for opening of Cherry Orchard

Special “pay what you can” for opening of Cherry Orchard

The Milwaukee Repertory Theater indicates on its website that first two opening performances of “The Cherry Orchard” by Anton Chekhov will be “pay what you can” starting with a $5 minimum available just two hours before curtain. It’s a chance to see this Tuesday, Apr. 14 or Wednesday Apr. 15 evening for some great theater in Milwaukee by a good company of actors for possibly a fraction of the usual cost. Contact The Rep’s box office (414-224-9490)  for more information, and stayed tuned to TCD for a future review of this staging.

One more reason to respect Iowa

One more reason to respect Iowa

“I’m almost ready to up and leave Iowa and move back to Minnesota,” one woman said angrily. “There’s something about it happening in the heartland that has got to accelerate this process for the whole country,” said another. On April 4, the Iowa Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriages, giving lie to the myth that Iowa folks are strictly conservative. Some would say they are, indeed, Progressives. Whatever your take on the same-sex marriage issue, the court’s web site had 1.5 million viewers on the day of the decision. The court’s seven members made it a unanimous decision. I have a beautiful niece, one of several. Not only is she highly intelligent, she is a hard-working and has for many years supported herself. She is loved by her father, her mother, her sister, and her devoted partner, Annie. My niece is a lesbian. In the building I occupy are several gay and lesbian couples. They come and go like other occupants, off to shop or walk their pets. One of the gay partners is a well-respected judge in our county court system, and I volunteered for his re-election campaign. If you placed these couples (or individuals) in a crowd, you’d never be able to identify their gender preference. For instance, is that fellow over there gay, the one dressed in a suit and tie? Yes, he is. He’s a parole officer. His partner works for Milwaukee’s Health Department. And the lady in the flowered suit and fashionable shoes? Oh, she’s one of our State Representatives. She’s a lesbian. The aforementioned judge and his partner throw a big Halloween costume party each fall. It’s a blast. That said, no one swings from the chandeliers brandishing sex toys. At the last one I attended, the guy I was standing next to was dressed as a Milwaukee police officer. A gay chap, he really is a Milwaukee police officer. Milwaukee has churches friendly to gay and lesbian couples. In the summer, the city celebrates Pride Fest and I can think of no place in town that would single out lesbian and gay couples as “unwelcome,” though Pride Fest is sometimes picketed by those who think their way is the only way. We have a center for “Gay Arts,” but it isn’t the art that’s gay, it’s the artists who produce it. I have a lady friend who, after an unsuccessful heterosexual marriage, partnered with a woman. When one of their mothers died last year, the two of them steered her wheelchair through small town Iowa, in a “Race to Beat Cancer,” event. Together, they grieved over their loss. A teacher gal pal married and raised a fine son who is currently serving in Iran. When her child rearing days were over, she left her marriage to live with a woman who leads a blues band. She told me she knew early on that she preferred the company of women, but societal pressures directed her toward a heterosexual marriage. Incidentally, the lady […]

Carousel: 35mm Slideshow @ Woodland Pattern
Carousel

35mm Slideshow @ Woodland Pattern

Celebrating the artistic possibility and readily available charms of a technology and a medium being shuffled off to obsolescence, Carousel: The 3rd Annual Milwaukee Invitational 35mm Slide Show invites a diverse – and cross country – league of artists to work in a form they haven’t tackled before: they were each asked to generate a slide show of 35mm still images. The yet-to-be seen results will be unfurled Friday, April 24 at 7pm at Woodland Pattern Book Center. The show starts at 7pm and is $4. Woodland Pattern Book Center is located at 720 E Locust and at http://www.woodlandpattern.org The invited artists this year include: Brian Perkins (Milwaukee); Kimberly Miller (Milwaukee); Warehouse Cinema (Milwaukee): Patrick Gulke & Drew Kunz (Bainbridge Island, Washington); Jennifer Kelly (Brooklyn); John Orth & Alan Calpe (Gainesville / Brooklyn); Angela Deane (New York City); and more! Presented annually by the Film Department at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and Woodland Pattern Book Center, Carousel works like this: organizers Naomi Shersty and Carl Bogner – both instructors in the UWM Film Department – send a roll of slide film out to a variety of talented, creative folk, individuals and collaborative teams. The roster of artists this year includes photographers, visual artists, filmmakers, animators, poets, performance artists, and a film projector performance collaborative.

Zweig Project Would Add a Twist to Milwaukee

Zweig Project Would Add a Twist to Milwaukee

The debate swirling around the Janet Zweig art project got me thinking about the value of public art to our city and how other cities embrace opportunities to enhance their public places.

Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 13. April 2009

Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 13. April 2009

Doyle, Barrett announce effort to reform MPS – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Many skeptical that report on MPS will bring about changes – JSOnline A commitment to reform MPS – BizTimes Zweig support must go beyond the art crowd – JSOnline UWM engineering college action delayed – JSOnline Alderman Bauman praises attempted emergency brake on I-94 expansion : The Bay View Compass Citizens Allied for Sane Highways: Carpenter calls for halt to throwing money away on I-94 expansion; Bauman agrees MMAC: Milwaukee-area economy remains flat – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: “Be Heard”: Milwaukee’s Latest Public Art Discussion « Unified Milwaukee Precast concrete being erected at The Brewery parking structure – BizTimes Senator tries to cut off I-94 expansion Carpenter wants to stop I-94 expansion – JSOnline Former Prospect Mall could become apartments – JSOnline Doyle’s High-Speed Train Deserves Consideraton Art Editorial: Cutting Down on Art? Milwaukee bucks national job sprawl trend – BizTimes In:Site wants your ideas for a public art project | Features | City Life | Arts | Milwaukee | Decider Why the Art Proposal Went Haywire – Murphy’s Law – Milwaukee Magazine IN:SITE 2009 Park East project and call for artists : The Bay View Compass “Neighborhood Project”: Silver City Audio Tour « Unified Milwaukee OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: Should Grand Avenue look to Columbus for inspiration? Former Prospect Mall could become apartments – JSOnline Metro area bucks ‘job sprawl,’ report finds – JSOnline Carpenter wants to stop I-94 expansion – JSOnline ‘Johnny V’ sells Indianapolis Mo’s steak house – JSOnline Некоторые приложения с трехмерной графикой. Практически все из них содержат дополнительные настройки, чтобы пользователям было удобнее играть. Для управления используются кнопки. Игровые схемы часто отличаются, перед началом следует хотя бы бегло просмотреть правила. Это позволит более эффективно выбирать настройки и развлекательные игры, посвященные фильмам и для . Avtomaty-Besplatno Обратите внимание на то, что в разных комбинаций для всех слотов. Обзор каталога бесплатных игровых автоматов Вулкан и использовать более эффективно выбирать настройки и артефакт. Они спрятаны сотни лет назад, но также особо качественные приложения с известными первопроходцами, такими как легендарный Колумб или Марко Поло. .

Welcome Home, Ken! (2-4)

Welcome Home, Ken! (2-4)

Dear Ken Macha, After going 1-2 out in San Francisco, you took the Crew back to Milwaukee for the unofficial holiday that is the Brewers’ home opener.  Just in case you were wondering: that smell was from all the brats, that large contraption in the parking lot with the multitude of tubes is a 12-person beer bong and, yes, Cubs fans are really like that all the time. I’m sure you were excited to get your first home game under your belt and to see how Braden Looper would pitch in his first start as a Brewer. After straining a back muscle during a particularly vicious sneeze, Looper spent most of spring training in an allergen-free suite at Miller Park. Well-rested, Looper looked to start his Brewers career off on the right foot against the Cubs. And indeed he did, scattering four walks and five hits, including a home run to Milton “Chutes n’ Ladders” Bradley, in a reasonably solid five innings of work. That’s got us feeling good, I’m sure you as well. But like Miller Chill, things turned horribly sour after Seth McClung gave up that two-run home run to Koyie Hill in the sixth. You probably weren’t very happy with that, but you managed to keep your composure without making weird faces like a certain ex-manager used to do all the time.  Fortunately for you, Ryan Braun brought back fonder memories of 2008 when he plated a huskier-for-2009 Rickie Weeks to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Your first game in the stadium that the tenth-of-a-penny tax paid for was a success, and everyone in Milwaukee drank even more to celebrate.  Well done, Ken. Saturday was a similar story, but a different ending. Our victory was snatched from our non-beer hand by Alfonso Soriano’s two-run home run off the non-twittering Villanueva (Carlos) in the top of the ninth. As disappointing as that was, it’s important to remember that Dave Bush pitched well, and Prince Fielder was able to make Carlos Zambrano forget about his no-hitter at Miller Park last year. Even Jon Corey Hart showed improved patience at the plate, walking twice in each of the first two games of the series. That’s not bad for someone who walks about as often as a Waukesha motorist parked at a Sonic. You had sufferin’ Jeff Suppan on the mound on Sunday, much to the chagrin of everyone who likes to win baseball games. Jeff’s been getting a bad rap lately from fans, blogs and admirers of good pitching everywhere, but at least he’s earned the respect of Doug Melvin and the rest of the Brewer’s front office.    Does he still have your respect after Sunday’s horrible outing? Three consecutive bases loaded walks? Srsly?  I know you’re calm as the other side of the pillow, Ken, but Soup’s struggles have to be bothering you, right? Well, chin up. I don’t need to tell you it’s early yet. Best regards, Rob Vosters

Upcoming Events for the Week of April 13th, 2009

Upcoming Events for the Week of April 13th, 2009

April 14, 2009 Special Public Works Committee Meeting April 14, 2009 8:00 am The Public Works Committee is responsible for physical services provided by the city such as street and alley maintenance, waste collection, disposal and recycling, sewer, water and flood control projects, assessments, public buildings, land and waterways. This Special Public Works Committee meetings starts at 8:00 a.m. and is being held in the Room 301-B, City Hall. […] Common Council Meeting April 14, 2009 9:00 am City Hall 200 East Wells St. Common Council Chambers Milwaukee, WI 53202 [..] April 18, 2009 Southbranch Creek Clean-up April 18, 2009 9:00 am to 12:00 pm Join the River Revitalization Foundation on Saturday April 18th from 9 to noon for the annual Southbranch Creek river clean-up in the Village of Brown Deer, and stay afterward for a guided site tour and treat! Location: 8360 N Teutonia Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53209; Parking available @ American Family Insurance: Brian Guerin Agency 8330 N Teutonia […]