Party on the pavement

I must say that spring edition of Gallery Night is my favorite of them all. Not only does it mark the unofficial beginning of a new season, bringing us ever-closer to summer bliss, but Spring Gallery Night offers thesis shows (when art students either bring their A-game or go nuts trying and either outcome makes for an interesting experience), galleries tend to play fast and loose with thematic exhibits and activist art really starts hitting the pavement.

Below are a few handpicked offerings for this go-round. I’ll see you out on the town.

Artist in Residence: Katie Musolff
The Pfister Hotel
424 E. Wisconsin Ave.
5-9 p.m.

Join the Pfister Hotel in welcoming its 2010 artist-in-residence, painter Katie Musolff. Musolff, a Milwaukee native and MIAD graduate, creates large-scale portraits and still lifes, drawing inspiration from nature and her emotional connection to her subjects. She was selected as the Pfister’s second artist-in-residence earlier this year, replacing Reginald Baylor. On Gallery Night, Musolff will exhibit recent work and conduct tours of her studio.

Motionary Comics
Moct
240 E. Pittsburgh
5 p.m. – Midnight

Described as “visually structured improvisation — jazz for the eyes,” Motionary Comics comprises a group of people creating life-sized comics in real time throughout the night. One choreographer, six paintable people, three painters, six illustrators, three videographers, one still photographer and five producers.

The Parachute Project presents Sweeping the Pool of Light
The Pabst Factory
10th & Highland
6-10 p.m.

A few months ago, three local artists formed The Parachute Project, a mobile art organization that aims to “reestablish vibrancy and restore the collective community” by inhabiting  abandoned spaces in Milwaukee. No longer satisfied to sit by and watch as the city empties, the project aims to take over four separate historical, but nonetheless empty, landmarks in Milwaukee with local artists, performers and filmmakers. Join the Parachute Project at their inaugural show under the extraordinary backdrop of the former Pabst Factory.

Terrible Beauties: the work of Rebecca Schoenecker
Redline Milwaukee
1422 N. 4th Street
6-9 p.m.

Using embroideries, paintings and animations, Rebecca Schoenecker explores the gendered body through myth, iconography and folk narrative. Catch a talk with the artist at 5 p.m.

Pieces: paintings by Andre St. Louis
Grava Gallery at the Marshall Building
207 E. Buffalo Street, suite 130
6 p.m.

Painter Andre St. Louis presents a new series of paintings in response to the assumption that all two-dimensional work begins with four lines- those being the edges of a piece of paper or canvas. In Pieces, St. Louis utilizes abstract formatting to display vivid representational portraits.

2010 Senior Exhibition
MIAD galleries
273 E. Erie Street
5-9 p.m.

MIAD’s senior exhibition will feature work from 135 artists and designers, representing the school’s 11 Bachelor of Fine Arts majors. It’s one of the most anticipated gallery shows of the year, and is one not to be missed.

Arts@Large
Story School (lower level)
3815 Kilbourn Avenue
5:30-8 p.m.

5th, 6th and 8th Grade students at MPS’s Story School are exhibiting photographs they made during a recent Arts@Large-sponsored artist-in-residency with Milwaukee-photographer, Troy Freund. Each class was shown the photos of historically significant photographers like Edward Weston, Cindy Sherman, Gregory Crewdson and Yosuf Karsh. On Gallery Night, each class will exhibit photographs inspired by the work of those photographers.

Guildess presents FLOW
Live Artists Studio
228 S. 1st St., # 302
6-9 p.m.

In honor of Earth Day, Guildess hosts FLOW, a gallery show featuring new and original work inspired by and dedicated to the Earth’s lifeblood- water. FLOW will feature over a dozen artists and 25 percent of all work sold on Gallery Night will go to the Great Lakes Water Institute. Stick around after the show for EBB, a fundraiser and after party with live music from Eat the Mystery and local DJs.

The Gallery Project: Jennifer Price
Tory Folliard Gallery
233 N. Milwaukee St.
5-9 p.m.

Tory Folliard announces MIAD student Jennifer Price as the winner of the 5th annual Gallery Project. Price was chosen out of five finalists to show and sell her artwork in the Tory Folliard gallery this Gallery Night. From their website : “Jennifer Price paints loose and colorful abstractions as reinventions of what she imagines distant memories to look like. Large-scale canvases reveal memories in a multitude of relationships and conversations filling the picture plane, while her intimate work communicates more concise and vivid memories.”

In the Balance– Amanda Gerken, Josie Osborne and Heather Weiderman
Walker’s Point Center for the Arts
839 S. 5th St.
5-9 p.m.

The WPCA will unveil it’s new gallery space with In the Balance, a series of mixed media pieces by three area artists, each exploring the poetics of space, urban archeology and the complexity of benign surfaces.

Photos by Amanda Rose
Freya
2318 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
7-10 p.m.

From the artist: “Following a technical breakdown in my system of editing photographs I wanted to try creating big, bold, dynamic images without the use of editing software. In this new series I used long-exposure photography mixed with light painting to create vivid multi-layered images depicting a variety of themes within a single exposure. What you see is what came directly from the shoot, straight from my camera. I then flipped the image negative and pushed each shot to the other end of the spectrum creating a very different piece. Together they reflect light and dark, raw and manipulated, saturation and void.”

MARN Art Treasure Hunt
241 N. Broadway
Friday: 5-9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

MARN wants to make an art connoisseur out of you yet. Featuring affordable works from a handful of top local artists, the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network aims to reach art lovers of all economic and educational backgrounds and simultaneously support Milwaukee’s art community. Most pieces are priced between $25 and $75, and anyone purchasing four pieces or more will be entered to win a prize!

The Coalition of Photographic Arts annual members show is always a hit on spring Gallery Night. Featuring new work from CoPA’s more than 200 members, the show promises to be  as intriguing as it is vast.  CoPA was designed to develop appreciation and support the creation of fine art photography in our region. Since 2004, CoPA has worked to cultivate awareness of contemporary photography through educational programs, lectures, panel discussions and exhibitions.

Did we miss anything? Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win a pair of tickets to Street Seen, on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum until April 25.