A peek into critique

There is something for artists, writers, and the outdoorsy-types in this week’s Art Date, with a peek into the critique process, Bay View Gallery Night, plus exhibition and garden openings.

Personal items and artifacts are part of Treasures From the Allis Collection. Courtesy Charles Allis Decorative Art Museum.

FRIDAY, MAY 31 

Treasures from the Allis Collection   
Charles Allis Decorative Art Museum
1801 N. Prospect Ave.
Opening reception 6-8:30 p.m.
Exhibition continues through Oct. 6

Curators John Eastberg and Emily Pfotenhauer have combed through the personal collection of the Allis family, a wealthy industrialist clan who, at the opening of the 20th century, amassed an admirable and eclectic art collection.

Choice objects are presented for special consideration, including paintings, furniture, pieces made by Tiffany Studios, plus exquisite objects d’art from Asia. One fanciful inclusion: bowling pins and an iron ball made by E. P. Allis Company, which are now admired artifacts rather than the family playthings they were back in the day.

It’s a big night in Bay View as more than 100 artists show works at various venues throughout Bay View. The Alterra parking lot (2301 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) will be a pivotal location with an art and craft fair, plus a mural exhibition. Other large venues include the Milwaukee Makerspace (2555 S. Lenox Ave.) where the Bay View Arts Guild will be in residence. Or, head over to Hide House (2625 S. Greeley St.) for multiple floors of art and music.

Check out the full schedule for more details on locations, art, music, performances, and more.

60 wrd/min art critic    
Lori Waxman at Inova Gallery
2155 N. Prospect Ave.
May 31-June 2: 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. & 2:30-5 p.m. each day

The cliche (or excuse) states that everyone is a critic, but that’s not really true. What sets a critic apart lies in a depth of knowledge combined with a penchant for rigorous opinion which may not reflect personal tastes or biases. This project at Inova seeks to “demystify the art review process” by hosting Lori Waxman, who will review and write about works during this three-day show.

Waxman has contributed to various high-profile arts publications and teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She will review art submitted by artists and provide on-the-spot, in-person critiques. The reviews will also be posted in the gallery during the exhibition run.

Consider this a sort of inscribed performance, a hammering of words and sentences to translate the vision and understanding art. The written critique preserves the moment of perception, sieved through experience and analytical thought.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1 

Ken Kagami and Scott Reeder: The Future is Stupid opens Saturday. Courtesy Green Gallery.

Ken Kagami and Scott Reeder: The Future is Stupid  
Green Gallery
1500 N. Farwell Ave.
Opening reception 6-9 p.m.
Exhibition continues through July 14

Works by Scott Reeder in recent years have highlighted abstract compositions, seemingly austere compositions that were a switch from his figurative and overtly ironic paintings. Tantalizing preview pictures suggest overt satire will be in order, paired with pieces by Japanese artist Ken Kagami whose cheeky constructions hint that this will be an exhibition of provocative commentary.

SUNDAY, JUNE 2 

Roy Staab, Sacatar Mandala. Courtesy Alfons Gallery.

When Art Belongs in Nature: Roy Staab
Alfons Gallery
St. Joseph Center
1501 S. Layton Bvld.
Opening reception 1-4 p.m.
Artist’s talk from 3:15-4 p.m.

Roy Staab‘s sculptures typically have an ephemeral quality; they’re often made of local materials gathered from wherever he’s working, whether it be Wisconsin, Brazil, Japan, Taiwan, or places beyond. Described by Staab as “drawing in space,” his installations articulate delicate, crystalline geometry through supple organic materials and textures. Nature typically reclaims these works, but they are preserved through photography. This exhibition features large-scale photographs of installations from Staab’s international career.

2013 Renaissance Garden Opening 
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum
2220 N. Terrace Ave.
1 p.m.-5 p.m.
Free admission

It has been eleven years since the Villa Terrace’s Renaissance Garden was restored, cascading in grandeur down the steep slope from the high terraces of the Italianate home. This year’s official opening of the gardens will be celebrated with free admission to the museum, plus music by Mrs. Fun.

Emilie Clark, Untitled EHR-46, from Sweet Corruptions, 2012. Courtesy Lynden Sculpture Garden.

Emilie Clark: Sweet Corruptions  
Lynden Sculpture Garden
2145 W. Brown Deer Rd.
Opening reception 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
Free admission

The work of Emilie Clark consciously combines art and science, specifically, research studies undertaken by women in the nineteenth century. This exhibition uses the work of Ellen H. Richards, a sanitary chemist,  as a starting point for considerations of organic material and its mutability over time: changing, corrupting, transforming. Clark’s responses take the form of painting, watercolors, and writing, plus projects inside the Bradley home and on the Lynden grounds.