Mural-makers to transform East Side alley into a work of art
Throughout the summer, artists will transform the alley that runs behind the Oriental Theatre and Colectivo Coffee into an outdoor collection of murals.
John Kowalczyk mural, Photo @ Jeff Redmon
The organizers of Black Cat Alley, a local collaboration that will turn an East Side alley into a gallery of street art, have selected the roster of local, national and international artists who will be commissioned to populate the installation.
Alderman Nik Kovac, a member of the Milwaukee Arts Board, said the project is a partnership between the East Side Business Improvement District, the Milwaukee Arts Board, and sponsors like Roundy’s, New Land Enterprises and Colectivo Coffee. Throughout the summer, artists will transform the alley that runs behind the Oriental Theatre and Colectivo Coffee into an outdoor collection of murals, complete with a seven-day installation from September 11-17.
“Art has a way of transforming even the most mundane space into a destination and an experience,” Alderman Kovac said. “I’m thrilled that Black Cat Alley will find a home among the other cultural institutions and destinations of Milwaukee’s East Side.”
MTO, a European artist selected for the project, is well-known on the global street scene for his grey-scaled photorealistic works, which appear in Berlin, Paris, Venice, Lisbon, Los Angeles and New Orleans. This will be his first piece in the Midwest.
The local artists whose work will be featured in the alley are Andrea Guzzetta, John Kowalczyk, Jenny Jo Kristan, Brandon Minga, Tia Richardson and Adam Stoner. The two students are Ian McGibbon of UWM Peck School of the Arts and Renée Martinez of MIAD. The two national visiting artists are Bunnie Reiss, a contemporary artist from Los Angeles, CA, and the artist “CERA” of Philadelphia, PA, who has strong Milwaukee roots as a graduate of MIAD.
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.
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This sounds like a wonderful project! Can’t wait to see it!
Gee, This will give Alderman Bar Stool Donovan a chance to be an art critic again. Remember his criticism of the mural the kids painted on the South Side ???.