Forward 2016: A gallery walk & talk at Charles Allis

You are invited!

Please join me at the Charles Allis Art Museum this Saturday, 3-5 pm, for a walk and talk with eight of the artists in Forward 2016: A Survey of Wisconsin Art Now.

Inverse, from Lynden Sculpture Garden

The participating artists are Lois Bielefeld, Kevin Giese, Pat Hidson, Jeanne Nikolai Olivieri, Sara Risley, Jason Van Roo, Sara Willadsen and myself.

I will be talking about the two photographs reproduced here. Inverse (above) is from my 2015 artist residency at the Lynden Sculpture Garden. HL2016 no. 3 (below) is from an on-going series about New York's High Line Park. Come hear more about each of those projects.

HL2016 - 3, from The High Line: An Abstract Nature

The exhibit, which was juried by Susan Barnett and Brent Budsberg, has been on display since October 27, 2016 and runs through February 19, 2017. 

There is a discounted admission fee for this special event:
$3 Members, Students w/ ID and Seniors | $5 General Admission.

The Charles Allis is at 1801 N Prospect Avenue in Milwaukee. More information available on the museum website.

FORWARD opens at the Charles Allis Art Museum

Inverse, from the Lynden Sculpture Garden Series

I am honored to announce that two of my images have been included in FORWARD: A survey of Wisconsin Art Now at the Charles Allis Art Museum. The exhibition, which opened this evening, was juried by Susan Barnett and Brent Budsberg. The show includes 58 works in a diverse range of media and is particularly strong on painting and photography.

HL2016-3, from the High Line Series

FORWARD runs through Feb. 19, 2017 so there is plenty of time to see it. The Charles Allis is located at 1801 N. Prospect Ave. in Milwaukee. For more information go to their website.

Charles Allis: A visual tour of 100 Years

detail from The Master Bedroom by Martha Glowacki

When I first moved to Milwaukee in 1976 I happened to live just a few blocks from the Charles Allis Art Library, as it was called then. I developed a fondness for the quirky tastes of its former owner when I met there regularly with a group of poets. I admired the gems by Inness and Ryder and always knelt before a small glass case to admire the netsukes from Japan.

from permanent collection

Some things have changed in the 30+ years since then. The Library became a museum and, along with nearby Villa Terrace, was acquired by the Milwaukee War Memorial as a satellite. A gallery to exhibit changing contemporary shows was shoehorned into two upstairs rooms. A great room was added that could accommodate larger contemporary works as well as larger parties of patrons.

from permanent collection

 But most of the mansion has remained exactly as I first saw it, the main hall, the sitting room, dining room, library and master bedroom, all kept meticulously inviolate with Mr. Allis’s personal collection intact. Until now.

from permanent collection

 In honor of its 100 year anniversary, for the first time artists were asked to create installations that intrude – and reflect – on the staid integrity of the permanent collections. I found it a refreshing and welcome departure and I enjoyed the diversity of responses.

The Library with Gary Gresl installation

 Gary Gresl's transformation of the library was characteristically outrageous and constituted the most extreme intervention. A collaboration by Alexander Boyes and Martha Glowacki in the master bedroom was much subtler, moodily evoking the spirits of the deceased former inhabitants. 

The Dining Room with Ashley Morgan installation
(you have to listen to this one!)

 Here then is a visual tour, just a few things I noticed (and was able to capture in the mostly dimly illuminated rooms.) I wasn't able to capture Reginald Baylor's multiple video installations in the Sitting Room. Of course, you should go see them all yourself. These are mere snapshots.

the changing exhibits gallery with fireplace

The Marble Hall with Carol Emmons installation 

the house is showing its age

The Master Bedroom with Glowacki installation 

The Master Bedroom bath with Boyes installation
(you have to see this one move!)

You have plenty of time to plan a leisurely visit - or multiple visits: according to the Charles Allis Art Museum website this lasts through November 13.