Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel Presents New Fall Exhibitions to Explore and Discover

MILWAUKEE–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Saint Kate – The Arts Hotel, Milwaukee’s first-of-its kind independent arts hotel, announced today the hotel’s rotating fall exhibitions in its four gallery spaces. Celebrating the vibrancy of the creative process, the newly opened immersive arts hotel features an ever-changing line-up of talented works in its gallery spaces and throughout the 219-room arts hotel.

Free and open to the public, the hotel’s galleries allow visitors from near and far to discover, learn and view things from a new perspective. Whether visiting for a night’s stay or simply taking in the beauty and diversity of artwork during a day’s visit, guests can appreciate the incredible artistic talent that thrives inside Saint Kate. Serving as an artistic platform where all art forms are encouraged, Saint Kate offers guests the opportunity to view over 100 pieces of contemporary art in its seed collection from emerging and renowned artists across the globe, engage in performance art in its Arc Theatre, and relish in artistic drink and dining experiences.

Fall Exhibitions Feature Artists with Ties to Milwaukee and Include:

MOWA | DTN Presents Sound | Asleep (September 14, 2019 – January 8, 2020)

The Museum of Wisconsin Art’s newest venue – MOWA | DTN – presents Sound | Asleep: The Photographs of Steven Foster and Tomiko Jones. Conventional displays of art privilege level lines and generous spacing – all the better to spotlight the merits of individual works. In Sound | Asleep, both Foster’s and Jones’ installations incorporate these principles of exhibition to reflect influence and collaboration, making the installation of the photographs as much a part of the work of art as the photographs themselves.

Foster’s photographs exalt in views of everyday life that reveal a similar appreciation of space and repetition. Dynamically hung on the wall, the photographs comprise a graphic musical score intended for musical interpretation, which is brought to life by trumpeter Russ Johnson. Jones’ photographs feature more than 200 images in an atypical installation that reflects the vicissitudes of life on the go.

“Playing House: A New Domesticity, Featuring Artwork by Lois Bielefeld and Michelle Grabner” (November 15, 2019 – March 1, 2020) | The Gallery

Hotels are unique places where public life and domestic life merge. They often strive to make their guests feel like they are “at home” or “a home away from home.” Viewers will examine works by Lois Bielefeld and Michelle Grabner, two artists who explore the multifaceted nature of the domestic and the many ways the concept of home or the domestic can be interpreted.

Grabner is a Milwaukee-based artist whose body of work focuses on intellectualizing objects that are seen and used every day, as well as common, shared experiences. Much of her work involves abstracting domestic materials and things that are close at hand, giving them a glorified and uplifting presence.

Grabner has shown with the Green Gallery, Milwaukee; Gallery Gisela Clement, Bonn, Germany; James Cohan, New York; Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago; Shane Campbell Gallery, Chicago; Milwaukee Art Museum, Milwaukee; INOVA (Institute of Visual Arts), Milwaukee; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; and Western Exhibitions, Chicago. Grabner co-curated the 2014 Whitney Biennial.

Bielefeld is a photographer who is known for the performative or narrative nature of her photographs. These works are part of her New Domesticity series, where Bielefeld is thinking about what domesticity looks like today, long after feminism responded to the American idealized hyper role-driven society of the 50’s and 60’s. She created portraits of artists (and those they share their homes with) along with accompanying audio interviews, asking about what home and home making looks like.

Bielefeld has exhibited at The Warehouse Museum, Milwaukee; the Haggerty Museum of Art, Milwaukee; the International Center of Photography, New York; Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend; Portrait Society Gallery, Milwaukee; and Usable Space, Milwaukee.

“Cope & Drag” – Kim Faler (September 28, 2019 – January 10, 2020) | The Space

Faler’s work explores functionality in architecture and design, as well as how our emotional attachment to everyday objects sometimes defies logic. Her site-specific piece for Saint Kate, Cope and Drag, explores the themes of anxiety, pressure and reliance within the public eye. Located within Saint Kate’s “The Space,” Faler stacks architectural wall fragments and wooden frames on top of one another, creating a completely useless support structure. The wooden structures are then concealed and revealed with a brightly colored paint and dangling neon rope, serving to tantalize and distract the eye. The Wait, and Dolly, focus on the materials that make up objects, and our innate understanding of both those objects and our emotional connection to its new versions. The seeming fragility of the objects and their construction adds a sense of unease or urgency to the work, allowing viewers to examine what they know and question the routine and patterns that shape their everyday lives.

Faler, who resides and works in North Adams, Mass., has exhibited at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASSMoCA), Art Dubai, Sp/Arte in Sao Paulo, as well as LaMontagne Gallery in Boston, David Winton Bell Gallery at Brown University in Providence, R.I., and the Beeler Gallery at the Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio.

“News from Nowhere” – Ben Balcom (October 15, 2019 – February 23, 2020) | The Closet

Opening Reception: October 15; Artist Talk and Film Screening: October 23

Balcom is a filmmaker currently living, working and teaching in Milwaukee. His films investigate the relationship between cinematic artifice and ordinary experiences of everyday life. At Saint Kate, Balcom has created a movie theatre for one to show his newest film, News from Nowhere, which is an exploration of Milwaukee’s urban landscape.

His films have been exhibited at the European Media Festival, Media City Film Festival, Anti-Matter Media Arts, Alchemy Film, Ann Arbor Film Festival and Slamdance. His work received the Black Bear Award for Best Use of Sound at the 2016 Athens International Film & Video Festival, and the Niagara Award for Best Cinematography at the 2015 Ann Arbor Film Festival. In 2015 he was selected for a Mary L. Nohl Individual Artist Fellowship.

Balcom currently teaches film production at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee and is the co-founder and co-programmer of Microlights Cinema.

“Snowman” – Ray Chi (November 21, 2019 – March 3, 2020) | The Cabinet/The Vitrine

Chi is a Milwaukee-based artist, architect, furniture designer and filmmaker. He approaches sculpture from the lens of an architect and uses his public art as a platform to spread a message of positivity. The Snowman is a sculptural video work –it consists of three television monitors, stacked on top of each other to form a pyramid, while the monitors show a time-lapse video of a melting snowman.

Chi has exhibited his work at Union Art Gallery, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; Milwaukee Art Museum; Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, Milwaukee; and the Frederick Layton Gallery, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design.

“Our fall and winter exhibitions showcase a wide range of contemporary art, exploring diverse themes,” said Maureen Ragalie, Saint Kate curator. “We are especially excited for the new exhibitions because they highlight works by artists who have ties to Milwaukee, showcasing the incredible talent we have right here in our city.”

To learn more about the new fall exhibitions, please visit: https://www.saintkatearts.com/exhibitions.

Saint Kate – A First-of-its-Kind Arts Hotel

Located in the heart of Milwaukee’s theatre and entertainment district, Saint Kate blends exceptional hospitality with artistic expression. Saint Kate’s motto, “invite participation and expect change,” challenges visitors to keep an open mind, embrace change and evolve as individuals. The 219-room arts destination features five unique culinary experiences, a 95-seat black box theatre for rotating performances, multiple gallery and exhibition spaces and 11,597 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. Saint Kate is within walking distance of notable arts attractions in Milwaukee’s entertainment district, the Third Ward and the Fiserv Forum. Artists interested in showing their work at Saint Kate can learn more here. For more information or to book reservations, please visit: https://www.saintkatearts.com.

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.