Author: Milwaukee Art Museum

Functional Fashions

Installation view, “Functional Fashions,” Milwaukee Art Musuem, 2019.

*Within the disability community today, some may prefer identity-first language (e.g., “disabled person”), or person-first language (e.g., “person with a disability”). Because the curators do not know the preferences of the historical subjects in the “Functional Fashions” display, they chose to use identity-first language based on the recommendations of collaborators.

The mistaken belief that there is no history of clothing designs for disabled users has had a number of repercussions. Among them: nearly all designers treat their own iterations as inaugural, there has been a dearth of innovation as designs are continuously repeated, and disability-led innovation is written out of the historical record [1]. Not only is there a long history of clothing designed by and for disabled persons, but in some cases it sets a higher standard than the efforts that followed. “Functional Fashions,” a display in the 20th- and 21st-Century Design Galleries at the Milwaukee Art Museum, introduces the largest collaborative clothing line for disabled persons in American history.

Art

Book Donation Drive Through March 10

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date January 31, 2019
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Donate books.

In conjunction with the exhibition The San Quentin Project, The Milwaukee Art Museum is collecting books for the incarcerated people in our community. The book drive continues through March 10, 2019, through the run of the exhibition The San Quentin Project: Nigel Poor
and the Men of San Quentin State Prison.

Art Collection Curatorial Exhibitions Photography and Media Arts

Curating Ho-Chunk Objects in Mrs. M.—’s Cabinet at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date July 31, 2018
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Painting of a brown, woven basket — Egg basket (circa 1900).

Ho-Chunk presence and their arts contributed to the development of Wisconsin Dells tourism—and to the material and aesthetic culture of the state. While Ho-Chunk representation is not always considered by tourists beyond stereotypical art for the trade, there is still a long and well-documented history of Ho-Chunk material life in the Wisconsin Dells area. The Ho-Chunk objects currently on exhibition in Mrs. M—’s Cabinet, are not the expected souvenirs of the Wisconsin Dells trade, but give a glimpse into the unfamiliar Ho-Chunk objects made and used in the Dells in the late 19th century.

Tags Chipstone Foundation, H. H. Bennett, Ho-Chunk, Little Eagle Arts Foundation, Native Americans, photography, Wisconsin Dells, women artists

Art Collection Curatorial European

From the Collection: “The Martyrdom of St. Justina of Padua” by Domenico Brusasorci

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date January 2, 2018
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Attributed to Domenico Brusasorci (Italian, ca. 1516–1567), *Martyrdom of St. Justina of Padua*, mid–16th century. Oil on slate. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Myron Laskin Jr. M2016.117 Photo credit: John R. Glembin.

Images of women martyrs have always been popular in art. Their stories are ripe with dramatic moments that capture the imaginations of both artist and audience. The subject also offers examples of moral virtue. Images of martyrs could be used as teaching tools for women in the early modern era, visually showcasing the moral ideals that they should embody.

Tags Christianity, Domenico Brusascorci, From the Collection, Italian art, Mannerism, matyrdom, Saints, St. Justina of Padua, Women in art

Events Museum Store

Our Resolution in 2018 is to Help You Keep Your Resolutions

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date December 27, 2017
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Every year, millions of Americans make resolutions to start on New Year’s Day. The Milwaukee Art Museum always wants to inspire you, but your art museum also wants to inspire you to reach your goals this year.

Tags new year's

20th and 21st Century Design Art Curatorial Exhibitions

John J. Reiss: Artist, Designer, and Collector

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date September 5, 2017
2 Comments on John J. Reiss: Artist, Designer, and Collector

John J. Reiss, photographed for Wisconsin Architect, January 1968

Milwaukee has been home to many talented designers over the years, but they often fly under the radar. A designer’s main concern is to convey a message or idea on behalf of a client; one’s identity is secondary, but a talented designer finds a way to stand out.

Tags 20th century design, Black Mountain College, graphic design, John J. Reiss, Milwaukee, Modernism

Art

Social before Social Media: Paul Druecke: A Social Event Archive, 1997–2007

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date August 14, 2017
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The exhibition Paul Druecke: A Social Event Archive, 1997–2007 has been extended until August 27th! Come discover this Milwaukee artist’s project that looks at how “social” was defined in the era before social media.

In 1997, conceptual artist Paul Druecke began going door to door asking local residents to contribute a snapshot of a “social occasion, public or private, current or historical” to his project A Social Event Archive. Predating Instagram and Facebook and the blurring of private and public that such social media platforms encourage, the collected 731 photographs reflect a democratic definition of social events, up to and including picnics and potlucks, planned events and spontaneous moments.

Art Collection Curatorial European Exhibitions Prints and Drawings

From the Collection: The Annuciation by Hendrick Goltzius

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date July 11, 2017
2 Comments on From the Collection: The Annuciation by Hendrick Goltzius

Winged woman holding flowers out to a pregnant woman with cupids above — Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617), *The Annunciation*, from the series *The Life of the Virgin*, 1594 (detail). Engraving. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Christopher Graf M1980.233. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.

Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617), The Annunciation, from the series The Life of the Virgin, 1594. Engraving. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Christopher Graf M1980.233. Photo credit: John R. Glembin. — Hendrick Goltzius (Dutch, 1558–1617), *The Annunciation*, from the series *The Life of the Virgin*, 1594. Engraving. Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Christopher Graf M1980.233. Photo credit: John R. Glembin.

The current exhibition in the European works on paper rotation space (on view until July 30) is Alluring Artifice: Mannerism in the Sixteenth Century. The show features 30 prints that explore Mannerism, a movement that emerged in European art around 1510–20 and lasted until about 1600. Characterized by densely packed compositions and a focus on the human form, the style resulted in images that are deliberately challenging in both design and technique. One of the prints featured in the show is The Annunciation, an engraving by the Dutch master printmaker Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617).

Over the years, people that I meet have asked me what I am working on, and I usually reply that I was reading a book on art history. At one point I said that to my mathematics teacher from high school. He turned his head quickly and said confidently, “Like about Da Vinci?”

Tags 17th Century Art, Dutch art, Exhibitions, From the Collection, Mannerism, prints, Renaissance, works on paper

Art Collection Curatorial European

From the Collection: Francisco de Zurbarán’s “Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb”

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date June 27, 2017
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Man in brown hooded robe looking down at a skull in his hands — Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664), *Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb*, 1630/34 (detail). Oil on canvas. Milwaukee Art Museum, Purchase. Photo by John R. Glembin

The Milwaukee Art Museum’s painting by Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664), Saint Francis of Assisi in His Tomb, has been popular with museum goers since it entered the collection in 1958. This is probably not surprising, since Zurbarán’s work is infused with a humanity that connects instantly with viewers.

Tags 17th Century Art, catholicism, European art, european painting, Francisco de Zurbaran, From the Collection, Religious Art, sculpture, spanish art

Art Collection Curatorial European Exhibitions Prints and Drawings

From the Collection: Preparations for the Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche by Diana Mantuana

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date June 13, 2017
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Scene of people laying around and eating, drinking, and talking — Diana Mantuana (Italian, ca. 1547–1612), after Giulio Romano (Italian, probably 1499–1546), *Preparations for the Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche*, 1575 (detail). Engraving. Plate and sheet: 14 13/16 × 44 1/8 in. (37.62 × 112.08 cm). Milwaukee Art Museum, Gift of the DASS Fund M2013.34. Photo credit by John R. Glembin.

The current exhibition in the European works on paper rotation space (on view until July 30) is Alluring Artifice: Mannerism in the Sixteenth Century. The show features 30 prints that explore Mannerism, a movement that emerged in European art around 1510-20 and lasted until about 1600. Characterized by densely packed compositions and a focus on the human form, the style resulted in images that are deliberately challenging in both design and technique. One of the prints featured in the show is Preparations for the Wedding Banquet of Cupid and Psyche, an important recent acquisition by the Italian female engraver Diana Mantuana (ca. 1547–1612), who is sometimes referred to as Diana Scultori.

Tags Cupid, engraving, Italian art, Mannerism, Mythology, prints, Psyche, Renaissance, venus, Women in art, works on paper