On Belonging, A Collaborative Art Exhibit Exploring Place and History in Milwaukee, To Run At The Warehouse Museum From March 8 to May 31

Milwaukee (Feb. 20, 2019) – On Belonging, an exhibition exploring themes of identity, race, and history, will run March 8 through May 31 at The Warehouse exhibition space in the Menomonee Valley’s Design District.

On Belonging is the culmination of collaborations started in June 2017 between two nationally recognized artists – photographer Lois Bielefeld and interdisciplinary artist Nirmal Raja. Bielefeld is a Milwaukee native, and Chennai-born Raja has lived in Milwaukee for 27 years. Products of their two collaborations to be exhibited at The Warehouse explore different perspectives on the city they live in.

A public opening reception for On Belonging takes place 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. Friday March 8. A related performance installation, Moving Archive – What is Remembered, is set for 7 p.m. Saturday March 9. Choreographed and codirected by Maria Gillespie, the performance will intersect with the On Belonging installation and feature composer and cellist Janet Schiff with performers Maria Gillespie, Chanteé Kelly and Joelle Worm.

Both events are free and open to the public. Attending the performance requires a reservation, which can be made via Eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/on-belonging-the-moving-archive-what-is-remembered-tickets-56343785780. The Warehouse is located at 1635 W. St. Paul Ave.

One body of the collaborators’ work explores the visual understanding of race and place. It examines Milwaukee’s complex historical, economic, ethnic, racial, and religious spaces. The result is a creative, complex portrait of Milwaukee.

In their second body of work, history is visualized as a membrane that connects, divides, filters and binds through the use of performance-based photography, and video installation along with an ongoing audio archive. Throughout they ask – what is our relationship to history, what does it mean to belong and what does it mean to be American?

After the opening reception, the exhibit can be seen by appointment. Information on making appointments can be found at www.thewarehousemke.org/visit. There is no charge to view exhibits.

More information can be found at the artists’ websites:
https://www.loisbielefeld.com/
http://www.nirmalraja.com/

The ongoing audio archive can be accessed here:

ABOUT THE WAREHOUSE

Located in the newly renovated 1635 Building in Milwaukee’s Design District, The Warehouse has a 4,000 sq./ft. exhibition space dedicated to displaying art. The Warehouse’s permanent collection, amassed by private collectors Jan Serr and John Shannon, consists of over 3,500 works of Modern and Contemporary art including drawings, paintings, prints, and sculpture. Major themes of the collection include self-portraits, monotypes, and contemporary craft. The Warehouse is host to exhibitions and performances, with goals to add lectures and a wider breadth of programming in the next two years. It is free and open to the public. Admission is made by appointment. Please call 414-252-0677 or make an appointment online at www.thewarehousemke.org/visit.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.