The Pfister® Hotel Announces Pop-Up Gallery
Current Artist-in-Residence Todd Mrozinski teams with former Artist-in-Residence Timothy Westbrook on clothing-themed exhibit
Milwaukee, Wis., May 21, 2015 – The historic Pfister® Hotel, which is owned and managed by Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, has announced a new pop-up art gallery in its recently vacated retail space, formerly Boutique B’Lou. For the first exhibit, now open to the public, current Artist-in-Residence, painter Todd Mrozinski has teamed with former Artist-in-Residence, fiber artist Timothy Westbrook on a clothing-themed exhibit, “Biography of a Stitch.” In a space formerly adorned with clothing, the artists will present wearable art and painted portraits of everyday garments.
“With the space being a former clothing boutique, Timothy’s woven work and my painted clothing series, both of which incorporate reused garments, seemed like the perfect inaugural show,” explained Mrozinski. “All of the clothing that was painted in this show was secondhand and well worn by my family and friends. The paintings are symbolic portraits of these people through their clothing.”
“As a former Artist in Residence here, it’s an honor to be back at The Pfister showing my work at a place that has such meaning for me,” added Westbrook. “Collecting materials from the urban landscape, I am rescuing and adopting these abandoned memories to reincarnate them into elegant wearables.”
“As we search for new and exciting retailers for the space previously occupied by Boutique B’Lou, we starting thinking about different ways we could utilize the space temporarily,” said Tim Smith, general manager of The Pfister Hotel. “With the hotel’s tradition of supporting the arts, it just made sense to give local artists a chance to showcase work they may not have otherwise had the opportunity to bring to the public.”
Westbrook will be working in the pop-up gallery space as a guest artist from now until June 17, 2015. Mrozinski is serving as the curator of the gallery.
For more information on the latest news and updates from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, please visit: http://media.marcushotels.com.
About The Pfister’s Artist-in-Residence Program
In its seventh year, The Pfister’s Artist-in-Residence program features a working art studio and gallery that is open to hotel guests and visitors. The program encourages the public to interact with the artist and witness the evolution of each piece first-hand.
Over the years, The Pfister has received national attention for its Artist-in-Residence program. Since 2009, the hotel has been a member of the Alliance of Artist Communities, www.artistcommunities.org, an international association of artists’ communities and residencies featuring a diverse field of more than 1,000 programs worldwide.
The program’s current artist is Todd Mrozinski (2015-2016), toddmrozinski.com. Past artists include Niki Johnson (2014-2015), www.nikijohnson.com; Stephanie Barenz (2013-2014), stephaniebarenz.com; Timothy Westbrook (2012-2013), www.unicorns.carbonmade.com; Shelby Keefe (2011-2012), www.studioshelby.com; Katie Musolff (2010-2011), www.katiemusolff.com; and Reginald Baylor (2009-2010), www.reginaldbaylor.com.
About The Pfister Hotel
The Pfister Hotel has been the premier hotel in downtown Milwaukee for over 120 years. Originally built in 1893 by businessman Guido Pfister, it was the most lavish hotel of its time. The hotel’s storied elegance had faded following World War II, until 1962, when Ben Marcus, founder of The Marcus Corporation, purchased this grand hotel out of bankruptcy. The Marcus family renovated and restored the hotel to its original glory, adding convention facilities, a parking garage and 23-story guest tower. The Pfister Hotel remains home to the largest collection of Victorian art of any hotel in the world, and recently unveiled an interactive augmented reality tour of pieces in this impressive collection.
Today the Pfister Hotel continues its tradition of gracious service and impeccable style, and has been recognized for 39 consecutive years by AAA as a Four-Diamond property. The hotel is also an ongoing member of two prestigious organizations, the Historic Hotels of America and Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The Pfister Hotel is located at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee. More information and updates on the hotel can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thePfisterHotel and on Twitter (@PfisterHotel).
About Marcus Hotels & Resorts
Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), owns and/or manages 20 hotels, resorts and other properties in 11 states. A force in the hospitality industry, Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides expertise in management, development and historic renovations. The company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of properties including city-center meeting hotels, upscale resorts and branded first-class hotels. For more information on the latest news and updates, please visit: http://media.marcushotels.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.
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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