Milwaukee Art Museum Presents Range of In-Person and Virtual Art Experiences This Spring

Milwaukee, Wis. – March 18, 2021 – This spring, the Milwaukee Art Museum will offer a variety of ways for visitors and families to have art experiences, both online and in-person. The popular annual events Art in Bloom and Lakefront Festival of Art will be virtual celebrations again this year, with highlights shared beginning April 22 and June 18, respectively. Visitors to the newly reopened Museum now can enjoy exploring new artworks and exhibitions on the main and lower levels.

“We’re thrilled to welcome people back inside the Museum once again,” said Robert Stein, Deputy Director and Chief Experience Officer. “As the weather warms and vaccinations increase during the spring, we look forward to having visitors see even more of the  galleries, connecting together via virtual programs, and exploring the many outdoor options on the Museum grounds.”

Currently on view in the Museum’s Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts, Susan Meiselas: Through a Woman’s Lens has been extended through April 11, 2021. The exhibition presents never-before-shown photographs by documentary photographer Susan Meiselas, alongside iconic series that reflect the artist’s ongoing commitment to focusing on the lives and perspectives of women on the edges of the mainstream. Many of these pictures record the moment during which they were made, when women were asking important questions about gender equality and their roles at home, in politics, and in the world. An in-depth virtual tour, co-created with the artist, complements the in-gallery experience, and is available at mam.org until May 31, 2021.

Opening June 11 in the Museum’s Baker/Rowland Galleries, Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel, 1820–1920 is the first major exhibition to focus on the influence of Spanish art and culture on American painting.

During the nineteenth century, artists increasingly added Spain to their European tours to study the masterworks in the Prado Museum and to capture the country’s scenic charms and customs. Through more than 100 paintings, photographs, and prints, the exhibition features artists and movements that expand upon areas of particular strength in the Museum’s collection ,and features major works by Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Robert Henri, and John Singer Sargent alongside their Spanish contemporaries.

Also among the highlights are Sargent’s famous Carmencita (1890) from the Musée d’Orsay; a newly discovered painting by Mary Cassatt from a Madrid private collection never before shown in the United States; and Spanish old masters on loan from the Prado Museum that American painters copied. This exhibition is co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

Only a few days remain to see the more than two hundred top artworks by Wisconsin students in the first virtual version of the Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition. On view virtually through March 21, this juried exhibition is drawn from over 1,800 submissions in categories such as Ceramics & Glass, Comic Art, Fashion, and Sculpture.

Each year, the Scholastic Art Awards program acknowledges excellence in the visual arts and encourages the artistic endeavors of young people through the United States. A number of artists in the Museum’s collection were Scholastic Award recipients, including Nancy Burkert, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol.

Members are invited to feed their appetite for learning during virtual Member Art Breaks. On April 21 at noon, Amanda Brown, collections manager for works on paper, will lead a presentation on modern Mexican prints. On May 26 at noon, Terri White, Associate Conservator of Objects, and Rick Knight, Framer/Mountmaker, will present and offer Members a behind-the-scenes look at one of the Museum’s beloved and unique sculptures, Untitled by Robert Gober, known informally as “the Suitcase.” Member Art Break presentations include a Q&A and an optional facilitated discussion with other Museum Members.

Member Month in May will hold special significance this year, as the support of Members has been vital in helping the Museum weather the challenges of the pandemic. All month long, Members will be able to bring an extra guest to the Museum for free, beyond the number their membership usually allows. Members can also take part in a scavenger hunt through the galleries, and although the Museum Store is closed for in-person shopping, Members receive 20 percent (or double their usual discount) off when they shop online.

Opportunities for families to learn together virtually for free will continue during the spring. At Story Time in the Galleries: At Home on April 3, May 1, and June 5 at 10:30 a.m., a Museum educator will read a story, show a work from the collection, and lead an activity. At Play Date with Art: At Home on April 9 and May 14, families can visit mam.org/playdate at 10 a.m. to enjoy art activities, performances, and close-up views of Museum artworks. Play Date with Art and Story Time in the Galleries are sponsored by Four-Four Foundation and an anonymous donor.

Beginning May 23, kids and families can explore art in three dimensions during Kohl’s Family Sundays at Home: Sculpture. Through June 6, visitors can learn about inventive methods and materials in the Museum’s sculpture collection, and get inspired to make their own creations.

The Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition is supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributing sponsors include The Heller Foundation and Mary Ellen Heller in memory of Avis Heller, Peter and Debra Johnson, and an anonymous donor

Susan Meiselas: Through a Woman’s Lens is made possible with the Supporting Sponsor, Northern Trust. Additional support is provided by the David C. & Sarajean Ruttenberg Art Foundation. The exhibition is presented in collaboration with the Feminist Art Coalition. Exhibitions in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts are sponsored by the Herzfeld Foundation.

Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel, 1820–1920 is made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor. The Henry Luce Foundation is the National Presenting Sponsor of Americans in Spain, which also is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Supporting Sponsors are the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, the Tourist Office of Spain in Chicago, and the Milwaukee Art Museum’s American Arts Society; Contributing Sponsors are Christie’s and The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

 

Hours
Fri–Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

General Admission Pricing
$19 Adults
$17 Students (w/ID), Seniors (65+), Military
Free for Kids 12 & under every day thanks to Kohl’s
Free to Members
Free to Wisconsin K–12 teachers with valid school ID or pay stub

About the Milwaukee Art Museum

The Milwaukee Art Museum welcomes people from throughout the community and the world to find themselves and lose themselves in art, creativity and culture. At any one time, visitors can experience over 2,500 works on view within the Museum’s collection galleries and three ever-changing exhibition spaces; participate in engaging programming; and explore the one-of-a-kind spaces across the 24-acre lakefront campus. The iconic architecture brings together structures designed by Eero Saarinen, David Kahler and Santiago Calatrava. Famous for its moving Burke Brise Soleil, the Museum serves as a symbol for Milwaukee pride and connects the shores of Lake Michigan to the city’s bustling downtown.

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.