Historic Milwaukee, Inc.
SPONSORED POST: Tonight is the first of HMI’s events, Milwaukee Comprehensive Plan. What is Milwaukee’s Comprehensive Plan? How will Smart Growth change the way American cities are organized? PANELISTS: Robert Greenstreet, PhD, Dean and Professor in UW-Milwaukee’s Department of Architecture Vanessa Koster – Assistant Planning Director, Department of City Development Gregory Patin – Strategic Development Manager for Milwaukee’s Downtown Plan The following sponsored post comes from Historic Milwaukee, Inc. Registration for the event is available on Urban Milwaukee. For more information on advertising with Urban Milwaukee please visit our advertising page. Historic Milwaukee Inc. invites you to join us for A View of Our City in Four Acts: HMI’S 2009 Panel Discussion Series. This series brings together Milwaukee’s most tuned-in and interesting thinkers in an intimate setting. Listen and react to thoughtful discussions on Milwaukee’s built environment as influenced by history, law, design, art and politics. Creative genius behind the project is Attorney Bruce Block, who will be acting as Moderator for each discussion. Visit www.reinhartlaw.com to learn more about Bruce. We are also holding a Cocktail Hour prior to each discussion. Speak one-on-one with the evening’s panelists and fellow attendees interested in our built environment while enjoying cocktails and substantial hors d’ouevres. Reservations for the Cocktail Hour are an additional $20.00 per person and limited to 20 people per evening. We are lining-up a stellar group of speakers. You will not want to miss this. 1. Milwaukee’s Comprehensive Plan, January 29, 2009 2. Public Involvement in the Planning Process, February 26, 2009 3. Joseph Zilber’s Neighborhood Initiative and Chicago’s New Communities Program, March 26, 2009 4. African American Settlement in Milwaukee Thursday, April 23, 2009 Location: Penthouse, 1000 N. Water St. Time: 7:00PM-9:00PM Parking: Attendees may use the public parking lot at 1000 N. Water St. The entrance ramp is located on the East side of the building, on Market Street. Volunteers will be stationed at the building’s street entrance and parking garage entrance to guide guests to the penthouse. Ticket Price:* Members of Historic Milwaukee $15.00 per discussion / $45.00 for series Non-Members $20.00 per discussion / $65.00 for series University and College Students $7.00 per discussion Cocktail Hour: 6:00PM-7:00PM, $20.00 each or $50.00 for series. Reservations limited to 20 people per night I hope you will be able to join us in exploring Milwaukee’s past, present and future. *All Historic Milwaukee 2009 Guide Training Students can attend our Panel Discussions at no charge. To find out more about this in-depth course on Milwaukee’s history and architecture, please visit www.historicmilwaukee.org.
Jan 29th, 2009 by Jeramey Jannene
Trouble in Mind
By Matthew Konkel Are all people the same no matter the color of our skin? Yes, but no, is the conclusion of Alice Childress in Trouble in Mind. The year is 1957 in the backstage area of a Broadway theater. It’s the first rehearsal of a new play and the characters of Trouble in Mind are the actors, director and stage manager of this new show. Two years prior Rosa Parks made her famous refusal to vacate her bus seat to a white person. This is relevant because the characters of Trouble in Mind are comprised of mostly African-Americans and before the play is over a crisis of recalcitrance will rear its head. The first act is comprised of each of the actors and crew arriving one by one for their introduction and familiarization to the play within the play. All the black actors are prepared for their usual stereotypical colored character roles. Wiletta Mayer, our main protagonist, has played numerous characters named after jewels. And she takes time to counsel John Nevins, a young black actor in his first professional production, on the obsequious ways of blacks in the theatre. All the experienced black characters (Wiletta, Millie, and Sheldon) have conformed to their “yes men” roles as black performers because that’s what roles are offered to black performers and the rent needs to be paid. Each one’s temperament is challenged by the events forthcoming. But as the play unfolds, we see it is Wiletta’s character journey that is the spine of the story. All the Repertory actors pull off their roles magnificently. There’s not a weak performance in the bunch. From the quiet Eddie to the loquacious Wiletta, each actor brings physicality, voice, and imagination to their characters. There are so many subtle character nuances that shine like their own stage lights. Stephanie Berry as Wiletta and Lee Ernst as Al Manners are the stand outs. As Sheldon, Ernest Perry Jr. gives an excellent performance. There’s not a moment his broke, submissive actor, is unbelievable, not one ounce of pretense that is noticeable. You will find it hard to breath during his monologue in which he relates being the witness of a lynching when his character is just nine years old. The tightest screw of tension in act one comes when Al Manners, the white director who’s prone to unorthodox methods, asks Wiletta to pick up a crumbled piece of paper he’s thrown to the floor. All the characters are stone-faced and silent, and the pressure is palpable for a full sixty seconds. It’s a testament to the actors. Not many companies have such highly developed acting skills that they can make such a long silence work on stage. The crisis of the story comes as a monologue in act two when Wiletta, playing Ruby (another jewel named character) can no longer contain her passivity about the play and her role in it. Her desire to be a respected actress clashes with what Al refers to as “character parts.” […]
Jan 28th, 2009 by Vital Archives
Theatre Gigante releases new dates for production of The Beggar’s Opera
Theatre Gigante (formerly Milwaukee Dance Theatre) will present a production of The Beggar’s Opera March 12-14 at the Off-Broadway Theater, 342 N. Water Street. The Beggar’s Opera is written by Theatre Gigante’s artistic directors Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson and is based on the classic social satire originally written by John Gay in 1728. Please note the following performance dates and times: Thursday, March 12 at 8 PM (also the opening night reception) Friday, March 13 at 8 PM Saturday, March 14 at 8 PM Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 seniors and $10 students with ID. For tickets, please call the Off-Broadway Theater Box Office (414) 278-0765.
Jan 28th, 2009 by Vital Archives
Worlds Beyond
Fare thee well, friend of those seeking something worth reading. Word came today that you departed earth on January 27. Perhaps the essence of you is speeding toward Mars, of which you wrote so eloquently in the December 2008 issue of National Geographic. In describing the various science fiction writers who wondered about Mars, your unfailing humor remained intact, as if you were far below on earth, wryly observing middle class moirés. “Following Burroughs, pulp science fiction, brushing aside possible anatomical differences, frequently mated Earthlings and Martians, the Martian usually the maiden in the match, and the male a virile Aryan aggressor from our own tough planet.” The only thing missing is a round of golf, followed by a dry martini and perhaps a fling or two. In Due Considerations (Essays and Criticism), you wrote in a section titled “This I Believe” that “Cosmically, I seem to be of two minds,” i.e. the scientific, and the religious side of our collective selves, the latter manifested in art and altruism, idealism, and joie de vivre. You wrote this at age 73, three years ago. On my bedside stand is a copy of Due Considerations. When the heaviness of time presses in on me, I read from it before drifting off. Your words comfort. I haven’t yet picked up your final novel, The Widows of Eastwick, but be assured I will. Have a safe trip Mr.Updike.
Jan 28th, 2009 by Stella Cretek
Green Initiatives Stalled by City Committee
In the name of cost savings two green efforts were stalled during today’s meeting of the Public Works Committee. The first item to run into issues with the committee was the Central Library’s resolution that would of allowed them to apply for a $250,000 Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Stormwater Best Management Practices Partnership grant. This grant was to be used in conjunction with $950,000 of city funds in the construction of a green roof on the Central Library. The existing roof is in disrepair and will be in need of replacement in the near future. Although it was presented that this green roof could potentially double the lifetime of the roof, concerns were raised over the cost of construction. Additionally it was estimated that the green roof was would save $3,500 in energy costs per year. Lost on the conversation regarding the increased cost was that this grant has an education component that goes above and beyond the building of a new roof. Alderman Bob Donovan expressed his thoughts on the costs when he said “everybody likes green, well we’ve gotta have the green money”. This file was held at the call of the chair which opens up the possibility that the City of Milwaukee could miss the deadline to request the grant. The second resolution of importance that was held up proposed having the State of Wisconsin paint bike lanes on to West Forest Home Avenue between South 68th Street and South 45th Street after completing a road construction project. In reference to problems experienced with recently painted lane markings Alderman Robert Bauman complained that “what we’re painting doesn’t last even in months”. Alderman Joe Dudzik argued that if the City of Milwaukee can’t keep the roads painted properly for drivers, then the City of Milwaukee can’t add the additional burden of new markings to maintain. This file was also held to the call of the chair.
Jan 28th, 2009 by Dave Reid
Milwauke Art Museum announces new Chief Curator and Director of Exhibitions
Milwaukee, WI, January 26, 2009 — The Milwaukee Art Museum has appointed Brady Roberts as Chief Curator, announced Museum Director Daniel Keegan today. Roberts will assume his position on March 2, 2009. Roberts, who succeeds Joseph Ketner, most recently was the curator of a contemporary art space in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that represents artists from around the world. From 2001 to 2006, he served as curator of modern and contemporary art at the Phoenix Museum of Art. Before moving west, Roberts was the executive director of the Dubuque Museum of Art from 1997 to 1999, and the curator of collections and exhibitions of the Davenport Museum of Art (now the Figge Art Museum) from 1989 to 1997. “Brady Roberts is a widely respected curator who is known for his scholarly record and for the ambitious nature of the projects he initiates,” said Keegan. “He is committed to framing important art-historical questions with topical relevance, developing a strong interpretive point of view, and fostering new discoveries for new audiences and visitors.” As Chief Curator, Roberts will oversee the Museum’s collections and exhibitions — including the research, cataloguing, care, display and interpretation of the artworks, as well as the acquisition of significant new works — while leading the curatorial staff of 25 departmental professionals. In 1989 Roberts earned his Master of Arts in art history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and completed his thesis, titled Willem de Kooning’s Existential Aesthetics. He received his Bachelor of Arts in art history from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He has curated a number of touring exhibitions with major scholarly catalogues, including Constructing New Berlin in 2006 and Grant Wood: An American Master Revealed in 1996. Laurie Winters, curator of earlier European art and coordinating curator of the upcoming exhibition Jan Lievens, has been promoted to Director of Exhibitions, a new position at the Museum effective March 2. Winters, who specializes in earlier French and Central European painting, joined the Museum in 1997. In 2007, Winters was one of ten U.S. curators selected to participate in the inaugural year of the Center for Curatorial Leadership, a program at the Columbia Business School in New York that prepares top curators for positions in museum leadership. Winters has organized—often with international colleagues—a number of exhibitions that have ranked among the best-attended shows in the Museum’s history. In 2000-2001, in conjunction with the opening of the Museum’s new addition, she was responsible for the expansion and renovation of the European galleries. In 2002, Leonardo da Vinci and the Splendor of Poland was named one of the top five exhibitions of the year by Apollo magazine, and earned Winters Poland’s Cavalier’s Cross of the Order of Merit. Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity, which concluded its international tour to the Albertina in Vienna, the Deutsches Historisches Museum-Berlin, and the Musée du Louvre in Paris in January of 2008, has been recognized as a model of international collaboration. Additionally, the Biedermeier catalogue was named Book of the Year (2007) at the […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Vital Archives
Thanks to our Fearless Leaders
Not much time to write at the moment, but I wanted to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who attended our Fearless Leaders Awards last Thursday evening. There was so much warmth in the room, and our leaders told some incredible personal stories that brought laughter, tears and smiles to the faces of all within earshot. It wouldn’t have been possible without our sponsors and network of support, so thanks to all of you as well from the bottom of our hearts. Soon we’ll be putting up a photo album from the evening and we are looking at some video footage we’d like to edit together. Stay tuned for information on the 2010 awards. That starts in the fall and promises to be bigger and better every year going forward. Peace, Jon Anne
Jan 26th, 2009 by Jon Anne Willow
The Bad & The Beautiful
The orangey-pinkish jpeg in my prior posting, was sent to me by Jimmy Von Milwaukee. That’s him standing in the background looking guilty. Perhaps. The piñata in the foreground is his take on performance artist Pegi Taylor. The two have been firing rubber bullets at each other recently. Some of them have bounced around on Mary Louise Schumacher’s Art City blog, but frankly, little harm has ensued except to artist Bob Watt who got dragged into the flak and took a few unfair hits. Yes, it’s true that a strange odor sometimes wafts from his totemic sculptures of Native Americans, but if they’re displayed outside in alleys (say, in JVM’s River Rat summertime soirees), you’d hardly notice the musty odor. You can read quite a sweet tribute to Watt if you go to Julie Lindemann and John Shimon’s website. One of their portfolios features their 2002 photo (Bob Watt with Telephone) of Milwaukee’s icon, a guy with an interesting past, a guy who once ran for Mayor of Milwaukee. Poet, painter, man-about-town, believe it or not Ripley, Watt graduated with a degree in Economics! Bob Watt with Telephone, photo by J. Shimon and J. Lindemann
Jan 26th, 2009 by Stella Cretek
Roll out the derby!
DERBY VODCAST: VOLUME 2! You know it’s a derby match in Wisconsin when the stands are filled with fans despite the frigid temperatures – and when the half time show features the Beerleaders dancing a polka with audience members to the oom pah pah-powered sounds of “Roll out the Barrel.” Polka hits were provided by the tuba and accordions of The Squeezettes. The Vital Source crew – from the comfort of the Bruisers’ new PRESS BOX – shot track footage and interviews for the vodcast (above! just hit play! -ed.) and sent live updates to Vital Source’s Twitter feed (keep up: twitter.com/VitalSourceMag). We were joined by the talented Geoffrey Saucer of the Derby News Network (derbynewsnetwork.com) who writes recaps on the Bruisers and Madison’s Mad Rollin Dolls. MAIDENS MONKEY WRENCH THE NINJAS! Maiden Milwaukee, 99 wins over Crazy 8’s, 60 It was a great night for the Maidens who won big over the Crazy 8’s in an upset victory. This was the first loss this season for the 8’s who were last season’s championship winners. The Maidens showed a lot of energy and remarkable team work. Jammers Rejected Seoul (with 36 points), Romaniac (38 points), and Super Hera (25 points) tore up the track with incredible performances, zig zagging through the pack. Rejected Seoul and Super Hera both got alone time on the track early on in the game because the 8’s jammers had fouled out. This allowed the Maidens to quickly rack up the points, and just 5 jams into the game they had built a 38-6 lead. Super Hera commented on her team’s success. “Saturday demonstrated the momentum of the Maidens when we work together. We won because we remembered the fundamentals and played as a team. The Maiden blockers really stepped up their game, paralyzing the 8’s defense and making it easy for the jammers to rack up the points. If we continue playing at this level, there is no doubt that you’ll see the Maidens in the championship,” Hera said. The 8’s are still down to twelve players this season due to injury and other factors, and it looks like it might be beginning to wear them down. Blockers and pivots Servin Justice, Termiskater, Kat Scratch Fever, and Little Miss Tuffhit were all out on the track for 60-70% of the game. If you compare that to the other teams, only a couple of skaters were on the track past the 50% mark. Jammers Abba Zabba (15 points), Pabsty Cline (6 points), and team Captain Cookie Ciano (39 points, making her the highest scoring jammer for every bout this season), along with the rest of the short staffed team, couldn’t close the gap. 8’s blocker Andicent Proposal spoke about her team. “The Maidens are an incredible team this season. They have a lot, and I mean A LOT of fierce ladies skating with them. We had an uphill battle during this bout with a number of our players out due to injuries. I think that we […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Tea Krulos
The Bra Project
Over 500 bras complement the weekend production of Danceworks Performance Company’s The Bra Project, which incorporates an A to Z litany of names for the feature of the female anatomy that fills this garment, including the word “Carambas.” As an important but politically and sexually charged garment, the bra provides one clear definition of femininity. From the time a small girl searches her mother’s dresser drawers, to the teenage impatience for “developing,” to the possibility a doctor will deliver a diagnosis of breast cancer, the bra expresses womanhood¾ whether underwire, padded, strapless, longline, nursing, sports, wonder, smooth, lacy, décolleté, uplifting, or corseted. That said, The Bra Project traverses this precarious fashion and emotional history with grace, humor and sensitivity through a combination of movement, music, and poetry. Artistic Director Dani Kuepper, who recently returned, along with the DPC Choreographer Kelly Anderson have produced an evening dressed in ample lingerie accompanied by provocative ideas for contemplation while enjoying the enchanting performances of the dancers. Guest choreographer Elizabeth Johnson adds a flourish with a special number that sardonically suggests she’s “a carpenter’s delight, straight as a board and easy to nail.” This leads to the DPC wistfully cavorting in “Bee Sting and Mosquito Bites,” where each performer tries to stuff their bra with balloons, Kleenex and even socks to enhance their budding endowment. Speaking to a darker sexual side, Christal Wagner dances in lovely black underwear through “A Black Lace Bra Kind of Woman.”For a flirtatious peek from the male point of view, six company members of both genders pick apples from a tree constructed of bras in “Apples: Orgins of a Striptease,” which seductively concerns those tempting “ripe apples.” Two exceptionally poignant numbers use both humor and truth. “Jugs” presents a trio of mothers dancing to Love Potion Number Nine, a symbolic juxtaposition of breasts, defined maternally and sexually, and still controversial in 2009. While Victoria’s Secret may flaunt sheer underwear in their public windows, natural infant feeding repulses others. For the finale, “The Pink Piece” tackles the issue of breast cancer, statistically a terrifying threat to women of any age. Everyone probably recalls a woman, including someone dear, struck with this disease, perhaps even lost prematurely. Danceworks’ new project related more than mere art for the women in the audience. As a member of this sex, the concepts behind the dance transcended the evening completely, combining the two purposes seamlessly. A man may have viewed this production, just as they do Victoria Secret catalogues, through entirely different eyes. Seeing it similarly would be an exceptional feat. Unless a man has ever breastfed a baby, tried to find proper underwear to fit a dress, suffered with a broken underwire or strap, been exposed to a mammogram, or snapped on this clothing almost everyday since becoming a teen how could this performance possibly call to mind the same visions? Yet from either a man’s or woman’s perspective, showing too little or too much, wearing a 32 A or a 38 C– Carambas! […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Peggy Sue Dunigan
Witness
Small town Vermont in the 1920s conjures images of a simple, idealistic way of life. America had won the Great War and patriotism was at a high. However, First Stage Children’s Theater’s production of Witness, by John Urquhart, adapted from the book by Karen Hesse, showcases a different side of America during the first quarter of the twentieth century. The play begins with Sara Chickering, an unmarried woman, welcoming Ira Hirsch and his daughter Esther to town. Ira plans to open a shoe store, however, several residents do not welcome Ira and Esther simply because they are Jewish. Several important townspeople, including the general store owner and the church pastor decide to join the Klu Klux Klan and carry out the Klan’s priorities within their town. This also includes harassing an African American girl, Leonora. While the town’s children taunt Leonora and Esther, the adults step it up by sending threatening letters, attempting to poison a well and even shooting a gun through the keyhole of Sara’s house, where Ira and Esther live. All this violence brings out the worst in some people, but also brings out the good in others. The title of the play is in fact the message of the play. The events that happen cannot be attributed to individuals of even a small group of people, as Sara Chickering points out. The town itself can be considered a living organism that must take responsibility for its actions as a whole. Every citizen is a witness and has the ability to step forward and offer testimony. Even though this thought is spoken aloud it is also visually explained by the set and the decision to keep several characters on stage ‘witnessing’ events. Designed by Nathan Stuber, the set is simple, offering a full view of the town including the general store, Sara’s kitchen and the church. Seeing these cornerstones of small town life reinforces the idea that all are interconnected. While focusing on several acts of hate and violence, there are some light moments in the play. Jacque Troy offers several buoyant bits as Viola Pettibone, the wife of a Klan enthusiast. Troy is strong but with a sense of humor in her dislike for the Klan. There are also several sweet moments between Olivia Hammernik, playing Leonora, and Robert Spencer, playing Mr. Field. As Leonora helps out around the old man’s home, he tells her stories about serving in the Civil War and why he felt fighting against slavery was important. Spencer is quietly inspirational in his portrayal. The young characters in Witness are made up of two separate casts that alternate performances. The Hope Cast includes Hammernik who is believable as Leonora and Alex Salter who is endearing as Esther. Even though the heyday of the Klan is long past, the idea of hate without basis is still an important lesson to explore because it still happens today. Witness is a profound experience for children as well as adults. Witness runs through February 22nd. First […]
Jan 26th, 2009 by Russ Bickerstaff
Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 26. January 2009
OnMilwaukee.com Milwaukee Buzz: Milwaukee Talks: Bradley Center CEO Steve Costello Dermond buys site for project – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Developer lowers offer for county land Local retailers will get preference at The Brewery – BizTimes Zilber to favor local retailers for The Brewery – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: The Brewery is ready to be Downtowns next great neighborhood Jazz in the Park fans have a whine and cheese party – JSOnline Stimulus package funds could speed I-94 work, governor says – JSOnline Developer wanted $18 million in city aid to help finance Palomar project – JSOnline Gatehouse sought extra $18 million – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Gatehouse wanted $18 million in TIF for Palomar project – BizTimes Milwaukee Streets: Valley of the Condos OnMilwaukee.com Marketplace: Top Milwaukee executives expect Obamas stimulus plan to work Gorman to acquire two more buildings at The Brewery – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Judge pulls out of sick-leave lawsuit Milwaukee County issues RFP for Park East property – BizTimes First Place on the River re-named The Point on the River – BizTimes RedPrairie drops plans to move HQ to Delafield – BizTimes Potawatomi closing Wild Earth on Jan. 31 – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: RedPrairie drops Delafield project, staying in Waukesha – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: Hospital work cutback leads to 160 layoffs – The Business Journal of Milwaukee: RedPrairie plans to stay at current location (WTN News)
Jan 26th, 2009 by Dave Reid
