Hope all is well with everyone...
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Hope all is well with everyone...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Another Upcoming Event...
Three women owned, 'art related', businesses in the Historic Third Ward - Marshall Building have organized a special event, WOMEN IN ART. Morgan Oldenburg of Spill, Susan Kabins of Luminosity and Catherine Davidson of CR Davidson Art have invited twenty talented women to exhibit their work in a Lower Level gallery space for three days in early March. This event precedes the International Day of Women on the 8th of March and coincides with the quarterly arts event hosted by Marshall Arts on March 4th and 5th.
WOMEN IN ART
Marshall Building - Lower Level
207 East Buffalo Street
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Friday, March 4th 5 - 9 Opening Reception
Saturday, March 5th 11-4
Sunday, March 6th 12-3
Free and Open to the public
Many of the participating artists have affiliations with local non-profit organizations; there will be information about these groups as well as information on the individual artists. A variety of media and style will be exhibited; paintings, prints, textiles, mixed-media sculpture along hand-made jewelry, greeting cards and books. Many of the artists will be in attendance during this sale exhibition. Confirmed artists include Stepanie Berenz, Robin M. Fleming, Jenie Gao, Amanda Gerken, Susan Hale, Sonji Hunt, Shelby Keefe, Alison Krick, Margaret Lockwood, Chrystal Gillon Mabry, Judy Mindin, Colleen Shoop, Bridget Lyle Wolf, Ann Mory Wydeven and Kyle Zubatsky.
Other local Historic Third Ward businesses will donate flowers, offer chair massages and introduce a special jewelry charm to honor this event and the International Day of Women.
For further information or questions please contact one of the organizers:
Morgan Oldenburg at Spill 414-270-2808 morgan@spilldesign.com
Susan Kabins at Luminosity 414-278-0992susanosity@sbglobal.net
Catherine Davidson at CR Davidson Art 414-303-9389 catherine@crdavidsonart.com
Sunday, February 06, 2011
Peltz Opening...belated fun (and fashion)
Oh, it was a lovely (and really cold) evening at the opening way back when on January 21. Yes, I know this is a day picture of Peltz Gallery...what good would a night time picture do? You wouldn't be able to see what it looked like. So, let us not get all fussy and make-shift continuity editors OK? (This is not a question...even though there is a question mark...it's a test for you).Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Xenobia Bailey
This is definitely a flash-from-the-past...October 2009, to be specific about the flash point. I was cleaning out my drafts/unfinished posts and found images from a great visit to the Kohler Art Center in October 2009 that I never posted (how could that be?). My goddaughter and I went to experience an exhibit I knew she would fall in love with, the work of Xenobia Bailey. This was the third (or fourth, or fifth) time I had seen the exhibit and it was fresh every time. Her work is exciting, accessible, comforting and graphically stunning as well as complex...the kind of complexity that doesn't take itself too seriously but makes a strong comment. I love constructions that create a space that envelopes you...not like a hug, but rather more of an environment that surrounds you as a viewer/participant and transports you. Installation art is a difficult medium and Xenobia's work is an example of parts making the whole succeed. Her work is separate pieces that stand strongly on their own, but when combined enhance her Neo-funk vision of life.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
"Visions, Voices, Viewpoints and Victories of African American Artists" at Peltz Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin opens January 21, 2011 and...
However...
"Broken Landscape" is on exhibit again, but this will be the first time in Milwaukee, WI. It has been previously exhibited at FAVA (Oberlin, OH) and at the Wisconsin Museum of Art (West Bend, WI). I rarely exhibit in my hometown, so if you are local you may want to stop by the Peltz Gallery to see my work in person, as well as the other wonderful offerings in this group exhibit. This is Milwaukee's Winter Gallery Night/Day weekend as well, and Peltz Gallery is also offering their famous Free French Breakfast on Saturday January 22 11:00 a.m. -4:00p.m. which includes "coffee, conversation and comfort food". Don't miss it if you are available. I will be on hand Friday night at some point during the evening (for those of you intersted in how my hair is looking nowadays). I TOOK OFF WORK...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? I can't. But I did.
I asked Della if I could reprint her curatorial statement for the exhibit because there will undoubtedly be the same old local voices asking the same old question "why is an African American art exhibit necessary in this day and age?" Also with that same old question will come, I predict, the same old hypercritical judgements based in Eurocentric male dominated stereotypes (I have nothing against them, Eurocentric males, I mean...it's just those stereotypes are so darned troublesome) or perhaps just plain ignor-ance of the exhibit all together (you know, as in "to ignore") by the "mainstream" art community here (until February of course) OR...maybe excessive attention from those who feel guilty (over?.....) and I think that Della's statement addresses the issue in a short but to the point manner...plus, she's so much more tactful than I am. But, hey...I haven't lost my touch for a great run-on sentence.
by Della Wells
In bringing together all the artists for “Visions, Voices, Viewpoints and Victories of African American Artists”, my goal was to give the viewer a glimpse into what African American artists are producing, particularly here in Wisconsin. Each artists works in various media such as painting, print making, collage, quilts and sculpture. And I am sure that some will ask the question why an African American art exhibition in the so call post-racial America?
A discussion which has permeated the art world here and elsewhere in the United States asking, is there still a need to produce exhibitions based on racial, cultural or ethnic designation? After all, as some have claimed we now live in a so-called post-racial America, since the election of the first African American President. Furthermore, there have been criticisms that exhibitions should not be based on race, gender, ethnic, or culture and should only be arranged based on media and/or the merit of the work. Gallery owner, Cissie Peltz has faced these criticisms before with her annual exhibitions “The Remarkable Women” and “Return of The Men” exhibitions.
These viewpoints overlook three key factors: the artist's intention, context and who makes the decisions about the merit of any particular artist's work. Art is created for all types of reasons and by all man/womankind and the experience of the artist, whether it be related to culture, gender, religion, for arts sake, etc. These reasons may or may not influence an artist’s art making process. And for us to understand any art we have to consider the artist’s intention and context in which the work is produced.
And another important question is how is the category African American art to be defined? Is African American art solely defined by the race of the artist who produced it? These are two questions I want the viewers to think about while viewing this exhibition. And please consider this, exhibitions are organized around all types and subjects and reasons. An exhibition’s focus is the reason audiences may be drawn to a particular exhibition. The art work in this exhibition was chosen not simply because the artists were African American, but because each of the artists has a definite vision, voice and viewpoint. And like many artists in our western influenced culture, African American artists fight for victories to have their artistic visions seen and understood.