Canned food sculpture exhibit opens this weekend at Milwaukee Public Museum

MILWAUKEE — Thirteen teams made up of Milwaukee-area leaders in architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) are gearing up to compete in the annual exhibit and charity event Canstruction®, where they’ll each design and build a captivating sculpture made entirely of canned and non-perishable food, all to raise awareness about hunger. Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM), Women in Design, Wisconsin Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (Wisco NOMA), American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) are partnering for the second year in a row to showcase these impressive and unexpected pieces of art at MPM, February 1 through 17. Each design must include at least 1,000 food items and be inspired by this year’s theme, “WisCANsin.” The public is encouraged to vote for their favorite sculpture as part of several awards the teams can win. Following the exhibit, the food will be donated to a local pantry.

“Building on the enthusiasm and success of last year’s Canstruction® debut at MPM, which resulted in 12 imaginative canned works of art, thousands of visitors and the donation of more than 33,000 food items, the Museum is thrilled to once again host this fun, inspiring event,” said Rebecca Ehlers, MPM’s Vice President of Marketing, Communication & Visitor Experience. “We’ve seen firsthand throughout the past year the skill and hard work that goes into build projects, as we’ve begun construction on our Future Museum, and we’re excited to give the area’s best AEC firms the opportunity to connect with the community and each other in a lighthearted way, all for a good cause.”

The exhibit is included with MPM’s daily admission, which is discounted at $15 during the opening weekend of Canstruction®, February 1 and 2, as part of VISIT Milwaukee’s Museum Days promotion. At the reduced rate, Museum visitors can observe the teams on Saturday, February 1, as they spend the day carefully assembling their sculptures in the Steigleder Special Exhibit Gallery; on Sunday, February 2, they’ll be able to view the completed sculptures.

On Kohl’s Thank You Thursday, February 6, when admission is free for all thanks to Kohl’s generous support through Kohl’s Cares, the public is invited to attend the Canstruction® Milwaukee Awards Ceremony from 1 to 2 p.m. A panel of judges will present the teams with awards in the following categories: best meal, best structural ingenuity, best use of labels, most cans and people’s choice (determined by visitors’ votes).

“With 16 firms making up 13 teams, this year’s competition marks the most participants since Canstruction® Milwaukee began more than 10 years ago,” said Ali Kopyt, co-founder of Women in Design and Managing Architect at KORB Architecture. “Year after year, I’m blown away by the creativity of the designs, but what I hear from so many firms is how much they value the team-building experience. Oftentimes, younger designers are taking the lead on the design of the structure, and it’s rewarding for the whole team to embrace the challenge and emerge from this process with new confidence, leadership skills and team collaboration, while also giving back.”

Upon the conclusion of the exhibit, the teams will “de-can-struct” their sculptures so that the food can be donated to the Jewish Community Pantry, a program of the Harry & Rose Samson Family JCC. For nearly 50 years, the Pantry has provided emergency food and community resources to Milwaukee residents in the Metcalfe Park and Amani neighborhoods on the city’s north side.

“As grocery bills have soared throughout the past year, we’ve witnessed more and more people in our community who are struggling to feed their families,” said Heidi Gould, Director of the Jewish Community Pantry. “The support the Pantry receives from Canstruction® is truly life-changing for so many. Last year’s donation helped us serve the Pantry community for nearly six months. And with even more teams participating this year, we anticipate that impact will be even greater.”

The teams participating this year are: AG Architecture, Bray Architects, Engberg Anderson and CG Schmidt, EUA and Gilbane, Findorff and Galbraith Carnahan Architects, GRAEF, HGA, JLA Architects, Kahler Slater, KORB Architecture, Mortenson Construction, VJS Construction Services, Zimmerman Architectural Studios and Boldt.

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.