Milwaukee Art Museum Blog

“The Art of Now” on View in the 2021 Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition

Post author By Amy Kirschke
Post date February 10, 2021
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Victoria Fernandez, “*We All Hold Hands*,” 2020. Acrylic and watercolor. National American Visions Award and Gold Medal in Painting. Grade 12, Pius XI Catholic High, Milwaukee, Cathy Burnett, instructor.

This year marks the 45th year the Milwaukee Art Museum has hosted the Scholastic Art Awards: Wisconsin Exhibition, celebrating the artistic talent of students in grades 7–12 from across our state. Unlike in years past, the exhibition is entirely virtual, with more than two hundred works available for viewing through March 21, 2021.

Selecting the works to include in the annual Scholastic exhibition is a challenge in normal times. When twenty-nine arts professionals from across Milwaukee’s creative community gathered online in early January to judge the over 1,800 art submissions, they all agreed this exhibition of next-generation art felt more essential than ever.

Art Education Studio at Home

Snow + Art = Perfect Wintry Mix!

Post author By Brett Henzig
Post date January 21, 2021
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One of the best parts of living in Wisconsin for many is the snowy winters. While the joy of snow days might not be the same for adults as for kids, the fun of making snow angels or the thrill of throwing a snowball never fades. I remember spending hours digging tunnels through snow drifts that couldn’t possibly have been as tall in life as they exist in my memory. I wouldn’t come inside until my masterpiece was finished . . . or my toes were numb.

As we settle into this cold winter, there are two things that can help us thrive: art and the great outdoors. That’s why the Kohl’s Art Studio is teaming up with the Urban Ecology Center (UEC) to encourage everyone to bundle up and get creative together—outside!

Art Behind the Scenes Curatorial

The Neapolitan Crèche: A Holiday Tradition

Post author By Tanya Paul
Post date December 17, 2020
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Naples, Italy, “Nativity Scene (Crèche)”, mid-18th century. Polychromed terracotta, painted wood, and fabric, on a later support. Dimensions variable. Gift of Loretta Howard Sturgis, M2006.9.1-.20. Photo by John R. Glembin.

Although this year we cannot gather at the Museum to see the Neapolitan crèche in the European galleries, an annual tradition for many, it is still possible to appreciate the joy this special tableau brings.

Art Behind the Scenes Curatorial

Crèche Redux: A Storyboard

Post author By Richard Knight
Post date December 11, 2020
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Back in early 2018, Tanya Paul, Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art, proposed that the Museum again install its Nativity scene, or crèche, in the galleries for the holidays. The work, a visitor favorite, hadn’t been on view since 2013, because the setting for the Holy Family and other figures was worn and needed repair—such stage sets are often fragile constructions that require replacing. The Museum’s setting needed either to be restored or refabricated. The decision was made to make a new stage set, and a group of us, from the Conservation department and the preparatory staff, started to explore the possibilities.

Art Curatorial

The Neapolitan Crèche

Around this time each year the Museum places its beloved Neapolitan crèche in the galleries. But because the Museum is temporarily closed through the holiday season, we unfortunately can’t share the crèche with you in person. I invite you, however, to read on to learn more about it, and about the history of restaging the Nativity scene.