Milwaukee blacksmith Ryan Send presents “Tension” at the Villa Terrace Art Museum

MILWAUKEE (Oct. 18, 2023) — The Villa Terrace Art Museum presents “Tension,” a solo exhibition by Milwaukee blacksmith and Villa Artist-in-Residence Ryan Send, which brings metalwork into the twenty-first century at the Museum.

In a series of steel installations viewable on the first floor of the Museum, Send delivers an invasion of metal “organisms” dropping from the walls. The artist’s manipulation of the metal creates an illusion of movement and life through a visual exaggeration of the laws of physics.

“Steel is a material of contradiction,” says Send. “It has a natural rigidity while being incredibly malleable. ‘Tension’ creates a visual fallacy between that rigidity and the organic dropping and melting of each organism.”

“Send’s work makes you rethink what you know of the material,” says Senior Curator Phoenix Brown. “Guests will be able to see the shift and the breadth of metalwork techniques from the early twentieth century into the twenty-first as they compare our permanent collection of ironworks to Ryan’s steelwork.”

The Villa Terrace is home to the world’s largest collection of Cyril Colnik ironworks. With this new blacksmith-focused residency the Museum hopes to boost public knowledge of blacksmithing as an art form.

“This exhibition is an amazing opportunity for our community to see how blacksmithing continues to be practiced and developed,” says Executive Director Jaymee Harvey Willms. “We’re so thrilled to be able to welcome Ryan and future blacksmiths to the Villa to highlight this craft with the help of UWM and the vision of Adam Hawk and Yevgeniya Kaganovich. We see a future for metals and craft at the Villa Terrace with this collaboration. Send has been a partner in helping design and build this new residency program.”

“Tension” opens at the Villa Terrace Friday, Oct. 20 and runs through December. Visitors can enter the exhibition for free as part of Gallery Night MKE from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on opening night.

To learn more about the exhibition, residency programs or visiting the Villa Terrace visit www.villaterrace.org.

About Villa Terrace Art Museum
Villa Terrace Art Museum is Milwaukee’s historic home for contemporary craft and material exploration. The Villa Terrace enriches Milwaukee’s quality of life by creating opportunities for residents and visitors to experience history, culture and the arts through vibrant exhibitions and performances in the grand yet intimate setting of this Italian Renaissance-style villa and garden. The Villa Terrace is managed by Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Art Museums Inc. For more information regarding the Museum visit villaterrace.org.

About Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Art Museums Inc.
Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Museums Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving Milwaukee’s history and enriching the county through culture and the arts. CAVT supports and celebrates the public’s access to these two historic homes and their art collections by providing innovative and inspiring exhibitions and programming that encourages a better, stronger and more inclusive Milwaukee. CAVT Museums oversees the conservation and continued development of the Museums through member and donor support. For information regarding membership, admission and events visit cavtmuseums.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.