Live from Milwaukee

Here I stand, gazing at Edvard Munch’s Scream, a painting oft replicated that well, just hangs there and suggests a really hellish scream.

What’s needed in my life is something that moves, get ups and shouts (or screams) if that’s what you’d like.

Molly Noyes' "Handgun Popsicle" -- yours for a mere $2!

So step right up to the 6th Performance Art Showcase, a carnivalesque spectacular showcasing the talents of 28 artists in a series of tent performances (driving home the circus-like aura of the event) and themed booths.

The theme is “Souvenirs,” which means we have a chance to take something home — something like Kasia and Jason-Drake Hames’ The Living Scream (In Two Acts), where they’ll create screams you can take home in a jar. Or perhaps a handgun Popsicle by Molly Noyes, or if nothing else, then at least the memory of time well spent. Pinkerton Xyloma’s Stories From Within: The Trashcan illustrates, via storytelling and magic, how to survive without money (yeah right!), a small ironic scam considering you have to pay to see the event  — see, nothing is for free, but the cost to enter is really peanuts with suggested donations beginning at a paltry $5 (or $3 for students).

I grew up in the world of dangerous carnivals of the tacky kind and in my distant youth was privileged to view the great Ringling Bros.& Barnum & Bailey Circus when it came to Omaha, Nebraska. In my office is a sensational lithograph touting a 40s era circus. In it women dangle upside down from whirling ladders strung high below the Big Top. Everything seems to be in motion. Co-producer Pegi Christiansen (of IN:SITE fame) is someone who seems to never stop moving, her beliefs seemingly fueled by equal dollops of fun, fantasy, and social concerns.

Lewis Koch - "Not your daddy's living room slideshow"

Motion. Give me more. In one of five tents or fifteen booth spaces, Angela Laughingheart will ask us to Swimabout and celebrate the movement of our bodies. It’s touted to be a tribute to the sea. (Will everyone be asked to coat themselves in oil?)

Here’s one I can identify with: artist Joseph R. Reeves will hold his ego above his head for two hours, which is way longer than most of the artists I know can. Actually, the ones I know wear their egos on their sleeves, no offense intended. If you object, they hit you over the head with it. Trust me.

Most of the diverse talent will be from locals, however a handful of artists from beyond our shores will also make an appearance.

Are you ready for some football? No? Then get with this live, in-the-flesh performance event. The Milwaukee Film Festival begins the next night. Then you can sit down.

The 2010 Performance Art Showcase  will held in the 4th floor gallery at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (273 E. Erie St.) on Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. Don’t expect to see anyone hawking potato peelers.