Category: Art

A Night at the Museum

Alberto Rios is not only one of the Museum’s wonderful third-shift security officers; he is also a talented photographer. You may have seen some of his photos featured on the Museum’s social media pages. He captured this gorgeous sunrise on the East End and an image of Schroeder Galleria lit up for Pride Month, among other views of the Museum. Because he has such a great eye, and he has the unique opportunity to capture the Museum at a time when most are asleep, I asked if he would create a photo diary, taking viewers through one of his shifts. Get a behind-the-scenes—and somewhat eerie—look at the Museum (after dark!) below.
—Erin Aeschbacher, associate content writer

Art Collection Collection Reflection Contemporary Curatorial

Collection Reflection: Curator Margaret Andera on Beth Lipman

Post author By Margaret Andera
Post date October 9, 2020
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Various glassware stacked and laid out on top of a short, black, wooden table — Beth Lipman, *Laid Table (Still Life with Metal Pitcher)*, 2007. Blown, sculpted, lamp-worked, and kiln-formed glass on wood table. 85 × 103 × 96 in. (215.9 × 261.62 × 243.84 cm). Purchase, Jill and Jack Pelisek Endowment, Jack Pelisek Funds, and various donors by exchange M2009.48. Photo credit by John R. Glembin © Beth Lipman

We invite you to join us as each curator focuses on a single work of art, exploring both that object and how the object speaks to the collection as a whole, as well as to the chosen theme in particular.

Art Museum Buildings

The Poem that Inspired the Name “Windhover Hall”

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date October 8, 2020
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Did you know that the Museum’s Windhover Hall was named after one of donor Harry Quadracci’s favorite poems: The Windhover (published 1918) by Gerard Manley Hopkins? Read the full poem, and hear the work read aloud by Alicia Rice, Kohl’s Art Generation Community Relations Coordinator.

Art Collection Curatorial European

From the Collection: Portrait of Henry VII of England

Post author By Catherine Sawinski
Post date September 29, 2020
5 Comments on From the Collection: Portrait of Henry VII of England

Probably after Meynnart Wewyck, *Henry VII of England*, 1504/09. Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, M1989.63. Photo by P. Richard Eells.

Probably after Meynnart Wewyck, Henry VII of England, 1504/09 (detail). Bequest of Catherine Jean Quirk, M1989.63. Photo by P. Richard Eells.

English history can appear to be a long list of kings and queens with the same names. The queen that most of us are familiar with today is Queen Elizabeth II. The first and only other Queen Elizabeth ruled from 1558 to 1603.

Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Art About Work

Post author By Brett Henzig
Post date September 24, 2020
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Make your own drawing inspired by the action-packed artwork of Luis Jiménez.

Art Curatorial

#AskACurator Day 2020

Woman in short hair and glasses talking to a small group of people about art — *Ariel Pate, assistant curator of photography, giving a gallery talk in the Herzfeld Center for Photography and Media Arts. Photo by Kat Schleicher.*

On Wednesday, September 16, we invited the Museum’s social media followers to ask the curators anything—and they delivered! Check out some of the questions and responses below.

Art Education

I Have “Big Adventures” at the Museum, Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act

Post author By Milwaukee Art Museum
Post date September 10, 2020
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Woman with short blonde hair and a bright green top sitting in a wheelchair talks to a small group of young boys at a Museum — Photo by Matt Haas

July marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. July was also when the Museum reopened to the public after being closed for four months to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic has necessarily brought new attention to concerns about safety and access—something that Museum docent Mauree Childress, who uses a wheelchair, said “people with disabilities have top of mind whenever they leave home—pandemic or not.” Based on conversations we’ve had over the years, I invited Mauree to write about her experience as a person with a disability who frequents the Museum—and what the anniversary of the ADA meant to her.
—Amy Kirschke, director of adult, docent, and school programs

Art Membership

Donor Profile: The Krei Family

Post author By Elisabeth Gasparka
Post date September 8, 2020
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Bride and groom standing with a set of parents in the Museum; Krei family — The Krei family (L-R: Melinda, Andrew, Margaret, and Ken) celebrates Andrew and Margaret’s wedding at the Museum.

The Krei Family Sponsors a Month of Free Admission in Memory of Melinda Krei

The Museum is honored to have received the Krei family’s tremendous gift to support amonth of free admission for all visitors when we reopened to the public this past summer. The family provided the sponsorship in memory of the late Melinda Krei, and comments from guests overwhelmingly expressed their thanks to the family.

“Melinda was one of the Museum’s greatest advocates, and her legacy is sharing the comfort and inspiration she found here with the community during this challenging time,” said Marcelle Polednik, PhD, Donna and Donald Baumgartner Director, Milwaukee Art Museum.

Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Making in the Moment

Post author By Brett Henzig
Post date September 3, 2020
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Learn about an abstract painting, and then make a summer-inspired work of your own.

Art Collection Education Modern Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Paint and Pour

Post author By Alicia Rice
Post date August 27, 2020
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Abstract paint strokes of black, blue, and red on a white background — Helen Frankenthaler, Hotel Cro-Magnon, 1958. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1966.153. © 2010 Helen Frankenthaler / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

When you look at the painting below, what do you see? American artist Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011) was an Abstract Expressionist; these artists used line, shape, and color to express themselves.

Frankenthaler invented her own painting technique, which she called “soak staining.” First, she added turpentine to her oil paints to make them thinner (and very runny!). Then, she laid a cotton canvas flat on the floor, and poured, dripped, and brushed the paint onto its surface. Since her canvases were unprimed, or raw, the paint soaked into the fabric.