American Collections Galleries
grand opening oct 23
Unmasked & Anonymous Ends Nov 30 new event!
MAM After Dark
act/ react Interactive Art opens oct 4
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insider
MAM
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contents
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On View 4 Act/React Motion activates the works of art in this Milwaukee Art Museum exclusive
10 Unmasked & Anonymous Q&A with the two Wisconsin photographers
12 American Collections
Galleries Grand opening
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New, innovative displays open on the Lower Level
15 The Finest in the
Western Country
Wisconsin decorative arts in the nineteenth century
16 From the Collection The grand dame of Gilded Age portraiture
Profiles 17 Café Calatrava’s Chris Hatleli
18 Illustrator Dwellephant 19 Museum Donor
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Katherine Smith
Happenings 20 discover More 22 mam after dark 24 family fun 26 Gilbert & George Openings 28 Member Extras 29 what’s up online 30 museum store
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event ICON Key Free for Members.
Free with general admission.
By reservation only. Fee charged. Member Call 414-224-3200 for details. discounts may apply.
Free for general public.
Exhibition ticket required. Free for Members with allotted tickets.
Stay in the know Sign up for weekly eNews updates, www.mam.org/newsletter
director’s letter
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ear Museum Members,
Little did I know, before starting as director of the Milwaukee Art Museum six months ago, what a reception I would receive—at the Museum and in the community alike. Each and every conversation I have had in the past six months has helped shape my vision and goals for this organization, and I extend my sincerest gratitude to all who have helped me feel truly welcome in this wonderful city. Among the most vocal members of the community are, in fact, the Members of the Museum. It was immediately clear to me how important the Museum is to Milwaukeeans—not only as an art museum, per se, but as a cultural and historical landmark, with the Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion standing unequivocally as the cultural icon of Milwaukee. It is a joy watching local residents as they introduce the Museum to visitors from out of town, the pride of their city on display. It is a joy watching local residents as they (How many times have you lifted introduce the Museum to visitors from out your arms to emulate the Burke of town, the pride of their city on display. Brise Soleil?) Maintaining this presence within the community is elemental in my decisionmaking process, as is maintaining the important role of our Members. Your suggestions play an incredibly large part in everything we do. This magazine marks the first edition of our (now) quarterly MAM Insider series. In an effort to deliver more in-depth, behind-the-scenes information to our Members, we have expanded the original newsletter to include informative articles, artist interviews, special features, and more. Additionally, by switching to a quarterly print schedule, we have reduced the amount of paper used to produce it. We hope you enjoy the new format and will regularly visit our expanded website for up-to-the-minute programming details, news, and information. You can even sign up on the website to have event updates emailed to you weekly. continued next page
ART LIVES HERE www.mam.org
Courtesy Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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director’s letter
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Starting in October, the Museum will remain open until midnight on the third Friday of each month for the new MAM After Dark event, which premieres with the ever-popular RunUp to the Runway fashion show. For more information, please see page 22. Another result of our perpetual search for new ways to engage our audience is the upcoming feature exhibition Act/React, opening on October 4. The 10,000-square-foot installation will feature “talking” tables, virtual snowstorms, pathways of fluorescent light, and glowing pools of organic patterns—all dependent upon and subject to the physical influence of the visitor, and groups of visitors, in the gallery space. It is with regret that I announce this as the final
Kohl’s Donates $1 Million The Kohl’s Corporation has presented to the Museum what is the single largest corporate gift of its history for education. Their donation will provide the foundation to develop new initiatives for the benefit of the Museum, its Members, and the community. exhibition executed under the direction of the now former Museum Chief Curator Joe Ketner. After three distinguished years at the Museum, Joe has returned to the world of academia. The standard of excellence Joe established for the position will serve as a lofty benchmark for the incoming Chief Curator. I am thrilled to announce that the Kohl’s Corporation, through its culture of giving and community, has presented to the Museum what is the single largest corporate gift of its history for education. Their donation of one million dollars will provide the foundation to develop new initiatives for the benefit of the Museum, its Members, and the community. Please join me in embracing this as a truly exciting time for the Museum. ¶ Warmest regards,
on view feature Member Preview Celebration Thurs, Oct 2, 5–9 pm $20 non-members
6:15 pm Program with guest curator George Fifield 7:30 pm Performance, Triptych in Four Movements by UWM’s Luc Vanier, performed by the Milwaukee Ballet Appetizers and cash bar
Member-Only Preview Days Thurs, Oct 2, 10 am–9 pm Fri, Oct 3, 10 am–5 pm
Member-Only Gallery Talk and Artists’ Panel Fri, Oct 3, 1:30 pm Join curators George Fifield and John McKinnon as they discuss the works in Act/React with the artists themselves, after a tour of the exhibition.
30-Minute Express Talks Thurs, Oct 9–Nov 20, 12 pm
Gallery Talks
Tues, Oct 7 and 28, Nov 11, 1:30 pm
Lecture: Art on the Edge: Technology and Its Consequences?
Thurs, Oct 16, 6:15 pm Join Steve Dietz, artistic director of the Biennial 01SJ Global Festival of Art on the Edge, as he discusses what’s next in new media and its consequences.
Artist’s Lecture: Expanded Cinema
Thurs, Nov 13, 6:15 pm Come see the new installation by Amy Granat in Sensory Overload, opening today, before hearing about the broadening visual effects used in contemporary artworks. Act/React sponsored by
Daniel T. Keegan
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Brian Knep
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Knep, who won two Academy Awards (for Scientific and Engineering, and Technical Achievement) for his work on Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park (1993), has been applying his technological expertise to artworks. 5 His newest project, Healing Pool, is a 30 x 20-ft interactive floor piece that will premiere in this exhibition. Brian Knep, Healing #1, 2003 Courtesy of the artist
act/ react Interactive Art oct 4, 2008–Jan 11, 2009 www.mam.org
act/react on view
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Daniel Rozin
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Daniel Rozin’s works use a variety of mirror metaphors and explore the reflective nature of new media, where pieces of junk, chrome spheres, or television static become the pixels of a video camera image, creating a “reflection” of the viewer. Daniel Rozin, Snow Mirror, 2006. Courtesy of bitforms gallery, New York, and ITP, Tisch School of the Arts, New York
Act/React Catalogue + DVD The 82-page catalogue features essays by guest curator George Fifield and former professor at M.I.T. Judith Donath, as well as a DVD with interviews, video documentation of the artwork, and biographies of the artists. The catalogue, co-produced with ASPECT, will be available for purchase beginning October 1 in the Museum Store and at www. mam.org/store. $34/$30.60 Member
the first extensive exhibition in an art museum of intuitive, digitally developed interactive art. Imagine entering the g alleries and your movement s trigger “brushstrokes” to create painterly patterns on the wall, colorful forms to reconfigure in your wake, or sounds to emit from seemingly inanimate objects. Step inside and experience these extraordinary immersive environments developed by six pioneers of responsive art. “Interactive cinema” and other projects involving computer keyboards and similar mechanical interfaces have been explored throughout the history of installation art. This exhibition “I want to create a transformpresents a sampling of what is a ative experience for people growing body of artwork, where the interactivity involved is nonwho don’t expect it.” —Brian Knep technical and performed with the entire body of the viewer. These ten installations invite you to move through space, to explore how your motions affect the images, lights, or sounds around you. Go ahead—ACT on your curiosity.
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he Museum is hosting, exclusively,
Janet Cardiff
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Act/React is guest curated by George Fifield, founding director of Boston Cyberarts, Inc., and coordinated at the Museum by Curatorial Assistant John McKinnon.
The collaborative duo Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller have forged a multimedia practice that critics have identified as one of the most significant breakthroughs in conceptual art in the past decade. They are known for their narrative, audio-driven walks through museums and urban landscapes. To Touch (1991), a work solely by Cardiff, is an object that, when stroked gently, talks to you.
Janet Cardiff, To Touch, 1993. Courtesy of the artist and Luhring Augustine, New York www.mam.org
act/react on view
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Scott Snibbe
Scott Snibbe’s Boundary Functions (1998) and Deep Walls (2003) respond to the interactions of individuals relative to one another. The floor and wall, respectively, become activated as each person moves in the space, recording their presence as visual theatre.
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Scott Snibbe, Deep Walls, 2003. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Installation view at San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California, 2003
Liz Phillips
For 39 years, Liz Phillips has been combining audio and visual art forms with new technologies. A pioneering artist in interactive technologies, Phillips has recently invented systems that create an interactive and multidimensional sound-landscape. Liz Phillips, Echo Evolution, 1999. Neon tubes, loudspeakers, amplifier, computer, synthesizer. Courtesy of the artist.
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Camille Utterback
Camille Utterback has been active in interactive installation since 1999. Her first interactive piece, Text Rain, is a landmark work in the field. Since 2001, she has been working on a series that explores human interactions within a painterly environment. These are dynamic compositions that react to human motion in the gallery space, creating imagery that is organic and evocative. Camille Utterback, Untitled 6, 2005. Courtesy of the artist. Photo: Camille Utterback
“Imagine entering the galleries and your movements trigger ‘brushstrokes’ to create painterly patterns on the wall, colorful forms to reconfigure in your wake, or sounds to emit from seemingly inanimate objects.” www.mam.org
Unmasked & on view
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Shimon and Lindemann Consider Portraiture
Anonymous ends Nov 30, 2008
John shimon and julie lindemanN
“The show enables the viewer to contemplate the interplay among individual artists, technology, vernacular practice, and the continuum of art.”
artist Q&A
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right
left
J. Shimon & J. Lindemann, Self-Portrait with Camera and Squash, Whitelaw, Wisconsin, 2007 (detail). Courtesy of the artists. J. Shimon & J. Lindemann, The Revenal Sisters (Carrie & Trish), 1995 (detail). Courtesy of the artists.
n the summer of 1981,
as students at UW–Madison, Wisconsin photographers John Shimon and Julie Lindemann met playing in a band; four years later, they were collaborating on photography projects. Here, curator Lisa Hostetler gets personal with the artists. See exhibition images, join the blog, and learn more at www.mam.org/sandl.
How did you become interested in photography? Our respective childhoods in rural Wisconsin were very isolated. Reproductions of photographs—old LIFE magazines, seed catalogs, anything that came in the mail—had a major impact. Eventually, we wanted to participate.
How did working at the Milwaukee Art Museum in the mid-1980s impact your work?
Artist Talk with Jen Davis
The behind-the-scenes access, from seeing the Diane Arbus exhibition to photographing curators Beaumont Newhall and Carol Hartwell before their lectures, gave us a sense of the continuum of the photographic medium. Later, throughout the 1990s, we’d bring our students to the Museum’s Study Center to look at prints from the Collection and were able to observe more closely the specific object qualities imparted by each artist, which influenced the aesthetics of our own work.
Thurs, Oct 30, 6:15 pm Reception: 7–8 pm Chicago-based photographer represented in the exhibition
What is your favorite aspect of the exhibition?
Film: Immortal Cupboard: In Search of Lorine Niedecker
Co-sponsored by the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Photography Council and the Coalition for Photographic Arts
Gallery Talks
Tues, Sept 9, Oct 21, Nov 18, 1:30 pm
The way the show enables the viewer to contemplate the interplay among individual artists, technology, vernacular practice, and the continuum of art. Certain styles and conventions emerged as a result of the apparatuses and chemical processes developed by inventors and engineers. The exhibition shows how innovative artists subverted these conventions while anonymous practitioners utilized them to equally great effect, proving that, ultimately, the gravity of recording a human likeness on film transcends method. ¶
Thurs, Nov 6, 6:15 pm Premiere of Cathy Cook’s experimental portrait of the Wisconsin poet, for which Shimon & Lindemann were visual collaborators
This exhibition was organized by Lisa Hostetler, associate curator of photographs, and sponsored by the West Foundation, with additional support provided by the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation.
Available in the Museum Store and at www.mam.org/store $18/$16.20 Member
Unmasked & Anonymous Exhibition Catalogue
www.mam.org
“These galleries suggest that many American decorative arts sprang from five basic instincts: sex, death, power, fantasy, and kinship.” and paintings in unconventional ways that inspire a new, modern-day wonder about art and design. The galleries will feature decorative arts and paintings from the collections of both the Museum and the Chipstone Foundation as part of their ongoing partnership. The “American Furniture” gallery, which contains some of the finest surviving pieces from the seventeenth through the early twentieth centuries, offers visitors the chance to behold the beauty of furniture and its lines, shapes, and carvings. This courtyard-like space with architectural plinths and dramatic lighting mimics the display techniques used in fine classical sculpture galleries, an approach that elevates the
Possibly William Price, Desk and Bookcase, 1735–40. Purchase, Rayniak Bequest. Photo: Efraim Lev-er.
Edmund Charles Tarbell, Three Sisters—A Study in June Sunlight, 1890 (detail). Gift of Mrs. Montgomery Sears.
below
n Renaissance Europe,
museums inspired wonder. Cabinets of curiosities or Wunderkammern contained paintings, sculpture, and decorative objects that, alongside exotic bird specimens, excavated gemstones, and meticulous drawings of flowers, filled highceilinged halls. These installations, with their panoply of visual wonders, struck awe in their viewers, but they also raised questions about the world—the mysteries of its natural phenomena and the unfamiliarity of its many cultures. The reinstallation of the American Collections galleries embraces the legacy of the cabinet of curiosities. In several distinct gallery areas, visitors will encounter historic objects
Photo: Efraim Lev-er.
Grand Opening October 23
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on view
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The New American Collections Galleries
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furniture both literally and aesthetically. Several specialized audio tours that explore a variety of themes will also be available: including the relationship between furniture and music, furniture and literature, and furniture and the marketplace. In the gallery called “Hidden Dimensions,” visitors will encounter objects from historic America in much the same way they see ethnographic artifacts at a natural history museum. Anthropologists often attribute core human instincts to cultures across geography and time. Studies of decorative arts from our own culture, however, rarely consider the way pieces of furniture, silver, and ceramics relate to these primal human needs. These galleries suggest that many American decorative arts sprang from five basic instincts: sex, death, power, fantasy, and kinship. A third gallery, which springs most explicitly from the cabinets of curiosities legacy, is an artistic collaboration between Madison artist Martha Glowacki and curators at the
Grand Opening
Thurs, Oct 23, 5:30 pm
Co-sponsored by the American Heritage Society and Collectors’ Corner
Opening Program, 6:15 pm The Silent Message of the Museum With artist Fred Wilson, whose groundbreaking exhibition Mining the Museum started a national conversation about the display of history and objects
Gallery Talks
Tues, Nov 4, 1:30 pm With curator Sarah Fayen Tues, Nov 25, 1:30 pm With curator Ethan Lasser
continued next page www.mam.org
Opening Lecture continued from previous page
Gallery Talk
Tues, Sept 23, 1:30 pm With guest curator Emily Pfotenhauer
on view
Museum and Chipstone. Using objects from the Chipstone collection combined with original artwork, Glowacki has created an updated cabinet of curiosities that probes the historical intersections of art, design, and scientific 14 discovery. This site-specific art installation explores ideas about organizing knowledge in the early modern world, the influence of science on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century decorative art, and notions of the exotic in the early American household.
Thurs, Sept 11, 6:15 pm With guest curator Emily Pfotenhauer
Margaret Beattie, Crazy Quilt, 1883. Gift of Marion Wolfe, Mrs. Helen L. Pfeifer, and Friends of Art. Photo: Larry Sanders
Engraving from Ferrante Imperato, Historia Naturale, 2nd ed. (Venice: Presso Combi, & La Noù, 1672). Courtesy of Special Collections, Memorial Library, University of Wisconsin–Madison.
As in the past, the Lower Level also features pre-1900 American paintings from the Museum and the Layton Art Collection. Curated in collaboration with now former Chief Curator Joe Ketner, these reconfigured galleries highlight the nineteenth-century collecting of Frederick Layton and explore several themes shared by many of the works collected in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The Museum will further continue to mount three exhibitions per year in the Decorative Arts Gallery. And while the perennial favorite Chair Park remains intact, it is surrounded by new interactive displays that engage adults as well as families. ¶
Charles Hermann and Company, Jug, 1856–1870. Kenosha Public Museum.
The Finest in the Western Country: Wisconsin Decorative Arts 1820–1900 showcases the diverse array of furniture, ceramics, textiles, and metalwork created by Wisconsin craftspeople in the nineteenth century. This wide variety of objects reflects the early history of the region—viewed as the “Western Country” by the more established East—as it underwent a dramatic transition from frontier territory to settled state. The 2008–Jan 4, 2009 decorative arts of nineteenth-century Wisconsin tell a story of cultural complexity and rapid change, encompassing traditions brought by settlers arriving from Britain, Europe, and New England; native customs of the Ho Chunk, Menominee, Ojibwa, and Potawatomi; and expanding systems of industrial manufacture and mass distribution.
Wisconsin Decorative Arts 1820–1900 Sept 11,
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The Finest in the Western Country:
“The decorative arts of nineteenth-century Wisconsin tell a story of cultural complexity and rapid change.” The Finest in the Western Country highlights this diversity, extending from the fur trade metalwork of the 1820s to the innovative art pottery of the 1890s. The earliest work on view is a circa 1823 steel cooking fork with elaborate copper inlay by Green Bay blacksmith Joseph Jourdain, now in the collection of the Neville Public Museum of Brown County. A range of furniture styles are featured, from fashionable midcentury American forms like the work table by John Nancolas of Mineral Point to distinctive traditions brought by European immigrants such as Finnish-born Heikki Saukko’s unusual rocking chair. Other significant groups of objects include Native American beaded and woven bags, Milwaukee saltglazed stoneware, and functional earthenware pottery from around the state. This exhibition brings together for the first time over forty important objects from the collections of historical societies, museums, and private individuals throughout Wisconsin. These works were brought to light through the efforts of the Wisconsin Decorative Arts Database project, an ongoing collaboration of the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Chipstone Foundation to find and document early Wisconsin decorative arts for a publicly accessible online archive (http:// content.wisconsinhistory.org/decorativearts). ¶ This exhibition is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Chipstone Foundation, guest curated by Emily Pfotenhauer, Hummel Fellow at the Chipstone Foundation, and coordinated by Sarah Fayen, curator at the Chipstone Foundation. www.mam.org
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Cecilia Beaux, Portrait of Mrs. John Buttrick and Her Son John, 1912 (detail). Gift of Mrs. John D. Bryson.
on view
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from the collection
beautifully painted
work capturing a tender moment between mother and child, Portrait of Mrs. John Buttrick and Her Son John (1912) demonstrates the talent of Cecilia Beaux (American, 1855–1942), one of the leading portrait painters during the turn of the twentieth century. Painted shortly after the death of Mrs. Buttrick, the canvas serves as a memorial. Notably, rather than follow the Grand Manner style of portraiture from the eighteenth century, which idealized the subject, Beaux introduced a more narrative, everyday quality. The granddaughter of Mrs. Buttrick, Mrs. Cissy Bryson donated this painting to the Museum after its nationwide tour in a Cecilia Beaux exhibition organized by the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
At the height of her career, during the 1910s and 1920s, Beaux was considered by critics and the public alike to be the grand dame of Gilded Age portraiture—the equal to William Merritt Chase and John Singer Sargent. Chase called her “not only the greatest woman painter, but the best that has ever lived.” In 1933 first lady Eleanor Roosevelt presented Beaux with the Chi Omega fraternity’s gold medal for “the American woman
“Beaux was considered by critics and the public alike to be the grand dame of Gilded Age portraiture.” who had made the greatest contribution to the culture of the world.” See this painting in the reinstalled American Collections galleries on the Lower Level. ¶
profiles chris hatleli
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A Milwaukee native, Hatleli began cooking as a teenager at his parents’ restaurant. He was involved in opening The Social (Best New Restaurant of 2001, Shepherd Express), Sol Fire, and Coquette Café. He spent ten years at Sanford—named one of the top fifteen
“The menu is designed to awaken the senses…” restaurants in the U.S. by Zagat Survey— and has worked alongside some of the country’s top chefs. David Jones, the Museum’s director of food and beverage, recently sat down with Chris.
You change the café’s menu with each feature exhibition. What is in store for Act/React? The menu is designed to awaken the senses, heighten awareness of different tastes, and bring out a unique reaction from each guest. An ingredient like miso marmalade can taste great in so many different ways…
Chris Hatleli Age: None of Your Business Day Job: Chef de Cuisine, Café Calatrava Favorite Artwork in the Collection: Pablo Picasso’s Cock of the Liberation MAM Member Since: 2006
What is it like to cook for 1,000 people at Member openings and other events? I love the biggest dinners because they are always for special occasions. If you really want to make something special, you better know how to make a lot of it! I learned that from my old boss, Sanford D’Amato. He is a legend. I cooked alongside him for Julia Child’s 80th birthday party in New York. I’ve also organized a pair of benefit dinners in Atlanta for Usher Raymond, the Grammy Award–winning recording artist.
What’s next for Chris Hatleli? Cooking a dinner for the James Beard Foundation in New York—it doesn’t get any bigger than that! It’s like everything has been leading up to this. ¶
www.mam.org
profiles
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dwellephant In a few pages, you’ll come across the playful cast of characters of artist and illustrator Dwellephant. These animated creatures are eager to take part in all the fun-filled education activities throughout the coming year; enjoy their company. Making his mark in Milwaukee in 2006 with his prize-winning poster for
“I’m a firm believer that the art is far more important than the artist.” WMSE’s 25th anniversary, Dwellephant has mined the chance encounters, nuanced conversations, and random sightings of his daily life to bend and shape illustrations for everything from MKE to the seasonal sales catalogues for Brach’s candies.
Where did you go to school? The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Columbus College of Art & Design (Columbus, OH). I’m glad I went to both, too. Chicago coddled that wildly imaginative side of me. Columbus, on the other hand, was more like target practice for your technical skills. It helped prep me for being a professional.
What brought you to Milwaukee? In 2003, about ten or so friends and I moved here. We were all working on a magazine together, and after five years, we wanted to try a different city. The editor was originally from here, and we would visit once or twice a year, so we all decided to relocate. Within a year, we were publishing a quarterly magazine with international distribution. Granted, every dollar we made went back into the magazine. We all had freelance gigs on the side to pay our bills.
How did Dwellephant come to be? I’m a firm believer that the art is far more important than the artist. I want the art to be what you pay attention to, not the person who made it. So I decided to create an alias. One day, I was reading a book on elephants. I tend to collect keepsakes of my late relatives, and I learned that elephants do the same. I thought it was cool that I lived like elephants. The word “dwell” just popped in my head, and boom—“dwellephant.” I sure hope what I read wasn’t fiction, because I’ve built my entire career around it. ¶
Dwellephant Age: 30 Day Job: Illustrator Favorite Artwork in the Collection: Duane Hanson’s Janitor MAM Collaborator Since: 2008
katherine smith
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Katherine Smith is a Museum donor who has made a special gift to the Museum through a charitable gift annuity, benefiting both her and the Museum: Katherine is guaranteed an annual payout of 6½ percent for life, plus a variety of tax savings, while the Museum receives any assets remaining in
“In today’s uncertain climate, older individuals and couples are attracted to the security that gift annuities offer.” the charitable gift annuity after Katherine has passed away. When added to the endowment, this gift will support Museum programs for years to come. Here, Katherine talks about her decision to invest in a charitable gift annuity.
Why a charitable gift annuity? I was familiar with this vehicle and discovered that it was an important part of my estate plan. It would allow me to leave a legacy with the Museum, simplify my estate, reduce taxes, and secure a guaranteed income for life.
Why give to the Museum? Art is critical to a creative, engaged life; it provides new perspectives and opportunities to come together as a community. Compared to other museums, whose endowment generates about 23 percent of the operating budget each year, the Museum’s endowment provides less than 10 percent. The endowment has not grown with the demands on the Museum. I want this Museum to continue to inspire generations to come.
Katherine Smith Age: 72 Day Job: Retired Museum gift: $10,000 Charitable deduction: $3,720 Annual income: $650/year, for life Portion of income that is tax free till 2024: 61% Favorite Artwork in the Collection: High Chest of Drawers MAM Member for over 25 years
Have you experienced tax advantages? Without question. A portion of the amount I used to purchase the gift annuity was deductible as a charitable contribution, and part of the income I receive each year is tax free. Plus, I used stocks and other assets that have risen in value to purchase the gift annuity, allowing me to avoid a large chunk of the capital gains taxes. ¶ For more information about gift annuities and other planned giving options, contact Mary Albrecht at 414-224-3245. *The above example is for demonstration purposes only. Examples are for informational purposes only and are not intended as financial advice.
www.mam.org
happenings discover more For a complete listing of programs and up-to-the-minute event details, visit www.mam.org. happenings
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additional lectures and gallery talks 5:30 pm Book signing in Baumgartner Galleria
6:15 pm
Lecture in Lubar Auditorium
Optional dinner to follow ($70/person) RSVP 414-224-3293 Sponsored by the Fine Arts Society
Watteau and His World: A Personal Journey Through Art and Life Friday, September 19 Hear from author Jed Perl as he discusses his book Antoine’s Alphabet on the mysterious painter Antoine Watteau. Set amidst the glamour and intrigue of eighteenth-century Paris, this “fairy tale” for adults provides a new way to think about art.
“Perl’s dazzling asides and vignettes amount to a wonderfully deep and rounded portrayal of this great master.”
—John Richardson, art critic/historian
Antoine’s Alphabet by Jed Perl, available at the Museum Store and www.mam.org/store $25/$22.50 Member
Gallery Talks Tues, Sept 16, 1:30 pm A Trip Down Memory Lane with Barbara Brown Lee, American Collections Tues, Sept 30, 1:30 pm A Closer Look: Vassily Kandinsky Tues, Oct 14, 1:30 pm Curator’s Choice
Book Salon Sat, Sept 20, 1:30 pm Antoine’s Alphabet by Jed Pearl
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The Monument Men: Protectors of Cultural Heritage Sunday, October 5 Meet Monument Men survivor Harry Ettlinger, who appeared in the film The Rape of Europa, as he recounts firsthand his role as a member of the Allied Forces team during WWII responsible for returning more than 5 million artistic and cultural items stolen by the Nazis. The role of the Monument Men in preserving cultural treasures was unprecedented, and Ettlinger himself supervised the recovery of stolen art stored in the German salt mines in Heilbronn-Kochendorf.
6:15 pm
Lecture in Lubar Auditorium Optional dinner to follow ($70/person) RSVP 414-224-3293 Sponsored by the Fine Arts Society
Polish monuments officer holding da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine upon its return to Poland in May 1945.
Jan Lievens: Out of Rembrandt’s Shadow Thursday, November 20 Discover one of the most fascinating and enigmatic Dutch artists of the seventeenth century with Arthur Wheelock, curator of northern baroque painting at the National Gallery of Art and curator of Jan Lievens: A Dutch Master Rediscovered, opening at the Museum in February.
1:00 pm Lecture in Lubar Auditorium Sponsored by the Fine Arts Society
Get the inside scoop on our next feature exhibition, Jan Lievens, opening Feb 7, 2009.
Jan Lievens, Samson and Delilah, ca. 1628 (detail). Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
www.mam.org
NOrthwestern Mutual foundation presents
happenings
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RunUp to the Runway
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fri, oct 17 5 pm–midnight
Be seen where cutting-edge fashions from the best and the brightest local designers take center stage. RunUp to the Runway returns to the Museum with its full-production runway show for its fourth year, kicking off MAM After Dark. Discover up-and-coming Mount Mary College senior fashion students, whose innovative designs warm up the catwalk, beginning at 8:30 p.m. The award-winning couture from the RunUp to the Runway Design Competition, together with the collections of several premier Miltickets waukee Boutiques (Aala Reed, Esreserved seating selle, Molloy’s, Shop, Valentina, $35/$15 Member Vieux et Nouveau), take the stage standing at 10 p.m. What will you be wearing $20/$10 Member this fall? Freshen your look with compliAvailable online mentary beauty services provided at www.mam.org by some of the area’s top salons and spas, experience what it’s like to physically engage with the interactive installation art in Act/React, and enjoy a cocktail under the wings with a thousand of your closest friends. Programming continues well into the night for the post-Gallery Night crowd, with a beer tasting courtesy of Beer Capitol Distributing, hors d’oeuvres from Café Calatrava, and music from Tarik Moody of 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Shake it up, every third Friday of the month, with MAM After Dark, the new, monthly art happening that allows you to cast yourself in a whole new light. ¶ RunUp to the Runway is sponsored by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League’s Evening Associates and the Milwaukee Art Museum. Ticket proceeds benefit both the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and the Milwaukee Art Museum.
www.mam.org
For a complete listing of programs and up-to-the-minute event details, visit www.mam.org.
FamilyFun happenings
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Family Time in the Galleries
Kohl’s Open Studio
Art Aloud
Saturdays, 1–3 pm
Sundays, 1–3 pm
Drop in for these art activities. Stay 5 minutes or stay all day!
Try your hand at the techniques used to create the works in the Museum’s Collection. Swing by anytime between 1 and 3 p.m.
Pre-register your child today for this after-school art and literacy program held at neighborhood public libraries. Register in person or by calling the Children’s Librarian at your local library.
September
6 Sketching in the Galleries 13 Scavenger Hunt: Color 20 Meet the Artist: Kandinsky 27 ArtPack Adventures: Travel the World Through Art
September
October
7 Wire sculptures 14 Pastels 21 Watercolors 28 Monoprints
Discover Color
5 Collage 12 Tempera 19 Family Sunday 26 Cut paper
November
November
4 Sketching in the Galleries 11 Scavenger Hunt: Faces 18 Meet the Artist: Wiley 25 ArtPack Adventures:
1 Sketching in the Galleries 8 Scavenger Hunt: Animals 15 Meet the Artist: O’Keeffe 22 ArtPack Adventures:
Become a Work of Art 29 Meet the Artist
October
2 Collograph prints 9 Family Sunday 16 Chalk 23 Relief prints 30 Assemblage
Classes Adults (ages 16 and up)
Oil Painting: Master’s Techniques 8 Thursdays: Sept 4–Oct 23 Drawing in the Galleries: Art History Inspires! 8 Thursdays: Oct 2–Nov 20 Art History in the Galleries: Modern Art 4 Tuesdays: Nov 4–25
Kids (ages 6–15)
Mixing with the Masters 4 Saturdays: Sept 13, Oct 11, Nov 8, Dec 13 Drawing in the Galleries for Kids 8 Thursdays: Oct 2–Nov 20 www.mam.org/learn or call 414-224-3803 * Visit for complete details and a full listing of classes and education programs. Gift certificates and scholarships are available.
Ages 5–12
Funded by Harley-Davidson Foundation, Inc. and the Faye McBeath Foundation
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Family Sundays
Story Time in the Galleries
Sundays, 12–4 pm
Saturdays, September 20, October 18, November 15, 10:30 am
Gather family and friends for an afternoon of hands-on art workshops, gallery activities, guest artists, treats, prizes, and more!
Día de los Muertos | October 19 Celebrate life and Mexican culture at the Museum’s eleventh annual Día de los Muertos event! Paint your face and create crazy skeletons, colorful flowers, and more as you enjoy traditional Mexican treats and music.
Join us on the third Saturday of the month to hear a story relating to an artwork in the Museum’s Collection galleries, before creating your own artful drawing to take home.
Please Touch! | November 9 Please touch, twist, twirl, puff, push, and pull! Get ready for an action-packed afternoon making reactive art, inspired by the Act/ React exhibition. Experiment with music, movement, and what seems like magic in this fun and exciting interactive art style.
www.mam.org
Gilbert & George happenings
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President’s Circle Opening JUNE 11, 2008
Gilbert & George 27 fall 08
Member Opening JUNE 12, 2008
MemberExtras
happenings
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Fine Furnishings & Fine Craft Shows Midwest Airlines Center Sat, Sept 27, 10 am–6 pm Sun, Sept 28, 10 am–5 pm Members receive half off admission! Discover handcrafted furniture, decorative accessories, fine craft, and original art at this year’s Fine Furnishing & Fine Craft Show at the Midwest Airlines Center. More at FineFurnishingsShows.com. $10/$5 Member (with membership card)
Member Double Discount Shopping Get your holiday decor, trim the tree with our featured angel ornament (pictured left), and find memorable, one-of-a-kind gifts at 20% off. As always, Members receive free gift-wrapping. Double discount applies only to regular priced items.
Give the Gift of Art— Gift Memberships A Christmas bonus for your employees, a thank you for your child’s teacher, the perfect solution for the person who has everything—give the gift that inspires, surprises, engages, challenges, celebrates, informs, entertains, and more year-round!
Discover all the benefits of membership! Photo: John R. Glembin.
Abbott Handerson Thayer, An Angel, 1893 (detail). Layton Art Collection, Gift of Miss Alice Chapman.
Fri, Nov 28, 9 am–12 pm Thurs, Dec 4, 11, and 18, 10 am–8 pm
Call the Membership Hotline at 414-224-3284 or visit www.mam.org and click on Membership. Upgrade your own membership to the Donor level and purchase gift memberships at 50% off!
“The Museum’s MySpace page was recently recognized in the top 10 among art museums by MuseumPods.com.”
What’s Up Online
fall 08
w
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ith the success
of the Museum’s redesigned website, we have embarked on several new media projects meant to provide you with not only the latest information on what’s happening at the Museum but engaging ways to experience the art that interests you. Launched in early August, the minisite for Unmasked and Anonymous: Shimon & Lindemann Consider Portraiture (www.mam. org/sandl) includes the many resources you can expect to find on the Museum’s exhibition websites: overview, event details, Flickr-powered online gallery, behind-thescenes videos, and a blog. But the Museum’s web presence doesn’t stop there. Websites for the community outreach program funded through a generous grant from Kohl’s, and for the teen internship program (with a virtual gallery of art by local teens) are also in the works. The Museum’s MySpace page was recently recognized in the top 10 among museums—thanks to teen intern Michelle Ching—and images of our Collection are now available on Facebook through an art-sharing program developed by the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Further, we are making the calendar on the Museum’s website even more user-friendly, complete with images and scheduled reminders. We will also be alternating your weekly eNews reminders (sign up at www.mam.org/newsletter) with one targeted more toward your particular interests. And inside the Museum? Interactive touch-screen kiosks are being installed in the American Collections galleries to expand your options for discovery, and audio and video materials will soon be available on iPods for exploring the Museum’s Collection galleries. ¶
iTours Coming Soon Innovative audio and video tours of the Collection are currently being developed specifically for the iPod Touch, and will be available at the Admissions Desk soon. www.mam.org
museum store what’s new 30 store
Stix + Stones Magnetic Jewelry Play freely with magnetic jewelry from Lichen Studio designer Brandon Perhacs for an array of striking and elegant designs. $88–$161/$79.20–$144.90 Member
Paulette Rollo Handbags Distributed from Wilts, England, this unique line of Hungarian leather handbags come in an assortment of sizes, shapes, and colors. $129/$116.10 Member Mini-coin purses sold separately.
Shop online anytime at www.mam.org/store
Connect and twist to create your own illuminating creation.
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TwistTogether Lamp
$120/$108 Member
StoreEvents Irma Starr—Meet the Artist/ Holiday Trunk Show Sat, Nov 8, and Sun, Nov 9, 10 am–5 pm Discover holiday plates and decorative ornaments and figurines. These exquisite pottery pieces are made with 17th-century slipware techniques. Personalization is available.
Artist Birthday Celebrations Lois Ehlert | Sun, Nov 9, 10 am–5 pm Receive a Lois Ehlert Handmade poster with each $25 purchase. Georgia O’Keeffe | Sat, Nov 15, 10 am–5 pm Receive a Georgia O’Keeffe poster with a $25 purchase or O’Keeffe CD with a $75 purchase.
Member Double Discount Days Fri, Nov 28, 9 am–12 pm Thurs, Dec 4, 11, and 18, 10 am–8 pm www.mam.org
FALL 08
insider
LAST CHANCE! Ends Nov 30, 2008
Unmasked and Anonymous
LAST CHANCE! Ends Nov 2, 2008
Erwin Reidl’s Matrix XV
Sept 11, 2008–Jan 4, 2009
The Finest in the Western Country: Wisconsin Decorative Arts 1820–1900
Thurs, Oct 23, 5:30 pm
American Collections Galleries Grand Opening
Fri, Oct 3, 1:30 pm
Act/React: Member-Only Gallery Talk and Artists’ Panel
Thurs, Oct 2, 10 am–9 pm Fri, Oct 3, 10 am–5 pm
Act/React: Member-Only Preview Days
Thurs, Oct 2, 5–9 pm
Act/React: Member Preview Celebration
Don’t Miss
MAM