Water, Art and Spirit on Bradford Beach in Milwaukee

Months in the making, We Are Water: Beachfront Celebration of Milwaukee's Water had its debut last night on Bradford Beach. The celebration took many forms, including recitations of poetry and spoken word, a dance performance, and a solemn spiritual ceremony led by members of a local Indian community.

As dusk grew deeper the beach was set aglow. The culminating activity was a participatory temporary art installation created and led by environmental artist Melanie Ariens. The audience was invited to take a clear plastic filled with water illuminated with small LED lights and to place them on the beach in a prearranged pattern that represented the Great Lakes. In the gathering darkness the radiance of the lakes were joined by illuminated words provided by members of the Overpass Light Brigade.

The event was organized by Milwaukee Water Commons, a network of individuals and organizations intended "to foster connection, collaboration and broad community leadership on behalf of our waters" that was inspired by plans to make Milwaukee a “fresh water hub." (The Milwaukee Water Commons is the local chapter of a larger initiative called the Great Lakes Commons.)

There were a wide variety of participants of all ages. I didn't hear an official estimate but it looked to me like over a hundred people. When the ceremony ended with everyone gathered around the glowing Great Lakes in the darkness a local pastor gave a blessing and said, "Go in peace." No one moved; no one, it seemed, wanted the moment to end.

Here is my visual meditation on the event.

I was delighted to be in the company of many talented photographers. To see more images from the event go to the Milwaukee Water Commons Facebook page.

Mayor Barrett takes a walk in 3 Bridges Park

Yesterday, July 30, Mayor Tom Barrett led a group of over 50 people on a walk through Three Bridges Park in Milwaukee's Menomonee Valley. It was the latest lap of an effort to "Walk 100 Miles With the Mayor" that began, according to the City's website, 50 days ago. Mayor Barrett has reputedly walked 158 miles in that time. Presumably he added at least a couple more miles walking from one end of Three Bridges Park to the other and then back again.

The affair was well documented, as I expect are all events the Mayor attends. I joined a sizable cadre of camera-wielding participants, some more official than others. Here are a selection of images I captured of the Mayor's leadership as pedestrian-in-command.

Please go to Urban Wilderness for the photo essay.


This post is one in a series that relates to my Menomonee Valley Artist in Residency. For more information about the residency and links to previous posts and photographs, go to MV AiR.

A reflection

Love people, not things

Seek beauty, not fame

Express your beliefs and values, not your ego

Breathe deeply

Create art

photo: the White Place, Abiquiu, NM

Zimmerman is open for gallery night

You're invited!

Menomonee Valley Artist Residency

Open House
 
Along with my hosts at Zimmerman Architectural Studios I invite you to visit with me on gallery night. Come see my latest artworks.

Zimmerman Architectural Studios
2122 W. Mount Vernon St.

Friday, July 25
5:00 - 8:00 p.m.

New work and works in progress will be on display.
If you have never been to the historic gas building that Zimmerman remodeled for their offices, it's worth a visit in itself!

Refreshments will be served.

Zimmerman is easy to see but hard to find. It is the large brick structure behind the tall octagonal tower near 25th Street between St. Paul and Canal Streets. Access is from 25th Street.

If you can't make it on gallery night, feel free to contact me to make an appointment: eddee@eddeedaniel.com

To learn more about the Menomonee Valley Artist in Residency and for links to blog posts and photographs, go to MV AiR.

Listening to Mitchell: a sneak preview

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A seven-block long stretch of Mitchell Street from the Modjeska theater to St. Stanislaus is the setting for an interactive, multidisciplinary art and sound project by Sonja Thomsen and Adam Carr. The same duo brought “Here, Mothers, Are” to a north side neighborhood in 2012. This project promises to build on their earlier success. Listening to Mitchell officially opens Friday, July 11 with a ceremonial unveiling of the audio installation. However the visual components have been appearing along the street since June.

Sadly, I will be unable to attend the opening ceremony. But I’ve enjoyed seeing the work go up and I’ve taken a few photos to provide a sneak preview. I must admit that on my first pass along the street I missed many of the installed pieces because they blend in so completely with the milieu of advertising and commercial graphics that occur as a matter of course.

Here is what the artists have to say about the work:

“Photographs of souvenirs uncovered during the research process become artifacts of place, reflect experience of time, and represent the street’s tangled cultural identity.

The installed images, ranging in scale from twenty foot murals on building exteriors to five-inch photographs on checkout counters, foreground the commercial corridor’s

ever-present personal narratives.”

Once I got the hang of the nature of the installations and the graphic aesthetic it was like a scavenger hunt to wander down the street and pick them out.

This is another excerpt from the artists’ press release:

“There is no other place in Milwaukee like Mitchell Street. In the most densely populated area of the city, the street has remained one of Milwaukee’s most animated and diverse corridors. From its commercial heyday in the 1950s to its eclectic present, this mainstreet has been home to countless stories of grand commercial success and decline as successive waves of immigrants made their way on the street.”

Listening to Mitchell runs through September. For much more information check the website. Art City also ran a preview in May. 

You can help plan the future of the Menomonee Valley

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Milwaukee has much to celebrate. Milwaukee has chronic problems that must be addressed if we are to become a truly great city. These twin themes seem to dominate public discourse in our community and for good reason. They are both true.

3 Bridges Park in spring

Likewise, the City of Milwaukee, Menomonee Valley businesses and other stakeholders are celebrating the successful completion of the 1998 Menomonee Valley Land Use Plan by initiating a new plan, which is called Menomonee Valley 2.0. The new plan is intended to address on-going redevelopment challenges.

You can help draw new maps and create the new plan. First a very brief overview.

6th St. Bridge from Harley-Davidson Museum

The city, Valley stakeholders and the general public can all take genuine pride in the success of earlier efforts. These include the creation of Menomonee Valley Partners to spearhead redevelopment, replacing the 6th St viaduct with dramatic and inviting new bridges that lead into the Valley, extending Canal St. through the Valley, the redevelopment of the former Milwaukee Road Shops into the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, rehabilitation of the Menomonee River, and the creation of new parklands. Among the many positive consequences of these successes have been increases in employment and recreational opportunities in the Valley. The Urban Ecology Center, Harley-Davidson Museum, and Global Water Center, among others, have all located in the Valley. Potawatomi Bingo & Casino and The Hank Aaron State Trail both have experienced major expansions.

Topping off the new hotel, July 1, 2014

Menomonee Valley 2.0 is intended to build on this momentum and provide a new vision for the future of the Menomonee Valley. To date the process has involved compiling information from stakeholders, focus groups, and neighborhood groups, as well as a public workshop that allowed participants to pore over maps and make specific suggestions.

Here’s how you can help:

Menomonee Valley Partners has created an interactive mapping page on its website. You can go online (click here) and add your ideas to the Valley map. It’s easy! I did one. It looks like this:

You can see my map in its online version by clicking here.

However, before you go ahead and join in the fun of mapping, you may want to read on so that you will have a better grasp of some of the specific issues the planners want to address.

Five key Valley redevelopment areas have been identified. These areas are either vacant or likely to change in the next 10 to 15 years. They are also areas where it is hoped that solutions and ideas can be extrapolated to other areas of the Valley. Here is a map of the five sites:

Below are descriptions of the five sites. There also are links to my photo albums of each site so that you can see the issues more clearly. (Of course I have photographs! Too many to post with this story.)

1) I-94 Reconstruction area:  Yes, I-94 is going to be reconstructed. It is planned for 2019. Challenges and opportunities involve making connections from the freeway to the Valley and across the freeway between the neighborhoods to the north and south. Can these connections be made more pedestrian and bicycle friendly? Link to photo album.

2) St. Paul Avenue:  St. Paul serves as a gateway to the Valley from both I-94 and the Third Ward. The avenue currently includes light industrial and retail outlets as well as some vacant properties. St. Paul Avenue between the Milwaukee Intermodal Station and 25th Street is being re-envisioned to build on these assets. Link to photo album.

3) Mount Vernon Waterfront Sites:  More than 10 acres of waterfront property is tucked between Mount Vernon Ave. and the Menomonee River. This site is challenged by lack of access and infrastructure. The Marquette Interchange also separates it into two parcels. Link to photo album.

4) East Gateway:  Canal Street immediately east of the 6th Street bridge is a major gateway to the Menomonee Valley. There are two large, vacant properties on either side of Canal St. in the shadow of the High Rise Bridge. (Currently they accommodate hundreds of nesting herring gulls!) Link to photo album.

5) Pierce and Bruce district:  This district, defined by Pierce and Bruce Streets between the I-43 High Rise Bridge and 16th Street, has challenges involving land use conflicts and inadequate access between the Valley and surrounding neighborhood. It also includes the Burnham Canal, which is slated for rehabilitation as a wetland. Link to photo album.

To create your own Valley map click here.

This post is one in a series that relates to my Menomonee Valley Artist in Residency. For more information about the residency and links to previous posts and photographs, go to MV AiR.

The Artery was hot today!

The Artery in Riverwest is part of Milwaukee's Creational Trails project. Today there were events taking place on three performance spaces set up along the trail between Keefe and Capitol. I got there just as a thunderstorm interrupted the beginning of the festivities. The storm passed quickly, however, and the sun returned to dry everything off.

The Saehee Chang & Garam Drum Group gave a short performance and then invited audience members to join in, which I did. Although I am rhythmically challenged I love drum circles. No one seemed to notice!