Baird Center Selects Artists, Works To Be Displayed

Security Guard by Marc Sijan in 2020. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Baird Center, now nearing the end of its $456 million expansion project, has selected a roster of artists to bring color and character to the building’s newly-constructed walls.

The convention center on Monday announced its lineup of 21 artists and artist teams who will create original works for display in the expanded Baird Center north building and the existing south building.

The new art, including wall-hanging works and large, three-dimensional sculptures, is intended to highlight the rich history and culture of Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

Selected artists include Ben Butler, Bluworld of Water, Brandon Minga, David Najib Kasir, Ed Marquand (Tieton Mosaic), FreelandBuck, Greg Gossel, Haddad|Drugan, Jay Yan, Jeffrey Swider-Peltz, John Fleissner, Kathryn E. Martin, Kevin J. Miyazaki, Mark Brautigam, Nicolas Lampert, Nova Czarnecki, Reginald Baylor Studio, Rosy Petri, Tommy Sweeney and Tuan Tran (Design Fugitives).

Marc Sijan, the creator behind the hyper-realistic “Security Guard” sculpture, will return with a new piece for the expansion. The original sculpture, Syl, is a lifelike depiction of Sijan’s father that stands just inside the Baird Center’s south entrance, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave. Sijan, who is based in Bay View, will create a female counterpart for the north building.

Most of the artists selected are from the Milwaukee area. An arts selection panel with diverse backgrounds in visual arts and poetry was used to select the majority of the art. The selection process began in April 2022 and was led by Colorado-based Public Art Services, a third-party art consultant. The company assembled a group of panelists to identify international, national, regional and locally-based artists for the project. An RFQ was released in August 2022 and closed in September 2022.

“It was exciting and gratifying to work with such a diverse selection panel of local artists, poets and arts supporters. The result is a group of artists with deep representation by regional and Milwaukee-based artists,” said John Grant, creative design and project manager for Public Art Services, in a statement. “It’s really what these arts projects are all about and it’s a way for Baird Center to support its community of creative artists.”

Following the selection process, 16 artists were awarded contracts. Another four were selected with the help of Eppstein Uhen Architects, an architecture firm involved with the Baird Center expansion.

Marty Brooks, Wisconsin Center District president and CEO, commended the process and shared his excitement for the upcoming collection. “Public Art Services did a tremendous job overseeing the artist selection process and the panel identified talented artists whose pieces represent our city and state’s vibrant culture,” he said. “I believe this incredible collection will engage and bring joy to Baird Center guests from across the globe for years to come.”

The expanded Baird Center is set to open in May. The project, which broke ground in October 2021, will add 112,000 square feet of exhibition space to the convention center. A 300,000-square-foot main hall, a new 2,000-person ballroom, 24 meeting rooms and an indoor waterfall will also be added. The outside of the building will feature outdoor decks and revamped common spaces. The building will be reoriented to the north and given a new entrance.

Artwork within the Baird Center has been a topic of controversy throughout the past year. In April 2023, the convention center planned to remove a literary arts installation created in 1998, Urban Milwaukee previously reported.

The move would have effectively destroyed the arts project, which was permanently installed and cannot be removed in any way that will preserve it. The news sparked backlash from Milwaukee’s arts community and members of the Wisconsin Center District board. A month after the controversy erupted, Brooks agreed to a compromise to save the installation.