Free Day + Celebration Commemorates Milwaukee Philanthropist Alfred Bader

MILWAUKEE, WI—April 15, 2024—The Milwaukee Art Museum commemorates the late art collector, chemist, and philanthropist Dr. Alfred Bader on Sunday, April 28, 2024, on what would have been his 100th birthday, with a Free Day + Celebration. Thanks to longstanding partner Bader Philanthropies, visitors enjoy free admission to the Museum’s day-long program filled with art making, gallery tours, and performances.

Born in Vienna, Austria, in 1924, Dr. Alfred Bader settled in Milwaukee in 1950 following his studies at Queen’s University and Harvard University. As the founder of Aldrich Chemical Company, Bader built an innovative, successful business in Milwaukee while developing a passion for collecting old master paintings. Upon becoming a Museum Member in 1952, Bader guided the European art program at the Milwaukee Art Museum. In addition to donating significant works of art, Bader and his wife, Isabel, served as advisors to the Museum. In recognition of Dr. Alfred Bader and his commitment to the city of Milwaukee and the arts, the Museum invites the community to participate in its Free Day + Celebration: Alfred Bader’s 100th Birthday.

Festivities include:

• 10 a.m.–5 p.m., Explore the Museum’s collection and exhibition galleries
• 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Art making in the Kohl’s Art Studio
• 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Art making with guest facilitator TBEY in the Milwaukee Room
• 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Bingo—with prizes such as a TRUE Skool mug, First Stage and Danceworks gift certificates, Museum t-shirts, and Museum memberships
• 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Community engagement fair with Milwaukee-based arts organizations supported by Bader Philanthropies
• 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., Screening of the 30-minute documentary Alfred Bader: Legend: Art, Bible, Chemistry
• 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Live DJ with TRUE Skool in the Haitian art gallery
• 11 a.m., Performance by Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Windhover Hall
• Noon, 2 p.m., 3 p.m., Drop-in tours with ASL interpreters highlighting Milwaukee’s local heroes who helped the Museum grow its collection
• Noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., Live DJ with TRUE Skool in Windhover Hall
• 1 p.m., Performance by Hmong American Friendship Association in Windhover Hall
• 3 p.m., Performance by Bembé Drum and Dance in Windhover Hall

The Milwaukee Art Museum is one of the dozen institutions worldwide to commemorate Dr. Alfred Bader’s birthday. Celebrating with the Museum in North America are the American Chemical Society, Bader Hillel Academy, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and Queen’s University. Throughout Europe, institutions such as the Rembrandt House Museum (Amsterdam) and the University of Edinburgh are commemorating with art workshops, conferences, lectures, and performances.

“It’s an honor to continue our collaboration with Bader Philanthropies in commemoration of Dr. Alfred Bader,” said Kantara Souffrant, PhD, Curator of Community Dialogue at the Milwaukee Art Museum. “We are delighted to partner with Bader-supported arts organizations in Milwaukee and celebrate Bader’s legacy of generosity with our community.”

New to the Museum’s roster of programs, Free Day + Celebration are quarterly campus-wide events that highlight accessibility and community building and create a celebratory atmosphere and sense of play and wonder. Free Day + Celebration will activate the Museum’s campus from music in Windhover Hall and the Haitian art gallery to art making in the Kohl’s Art Studio and the Milwaukee Room. Visitors are encouraged to spend time in the European art galleries, where artworks gifted by the Baders are on exhibition. Activities will be accessible to people who use mobility devices, as well as people who communicate with American Sign Language.

The second program in the Free Day + Celebration series, Alfred Bader’s 100th Birthday follows the February tribute to Milwaukee-born trailblazer Vel Phillips.

This Free Day + Celebration is made possible by Bader Philanthropies.

About the Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an essential destination for art and architecture and a vital cultural resource that connects visitors to dynamic art experiences and one another. Housed in iconic buildings by Santiago Calatrava, Eero Saarinen, and David Kahler on a 24-acre lakefront campus, the Museum is Wisconsin’s largest art institution and home to both broad and deep collections, with exceptional holdings in American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; conceptual and minimalist art; prints and drawings; European art from the Renaissance through the nineteenth century; photography and new media; modern and contemporary design; folk and self-taught art; and twentieth-century Haitian art. A bold symbol of Milwaukee’s ambition and forward-thinking vision, the Museum is a place for community building, education, and celebration that fosters creativity and critical discourse for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. For more information, visit mam.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.