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Art Behind the Scenes Museum Buildings

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

Categories
Art Museum Buildings

The Poem that Inspired the Name “Windhover Hall”

Water and sunshafts reflecting through Windhover Hall

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.

Categories
Events Museum Buildings

Rent the Gorgeous Space Portrayed on this Season’s The Bachelor

battaglia-goodell-wedding-9-21-13-193Recently engaged? Looking to throw the party of a lifetime? No event venue in Milwaukee compares to the soaring architectural elegance of the Museum’s Quadracci Pavilion. Masterfully designed by the renowned architect and structural engineer Santiago Calatrava, the Pavilion’s Windhover Hall boasts breathtaking views set against Lake Michigan and Milwaukee’s cityscape.

The space acts as a quintessential backdrop to any occasion—it even made a recent date-night appearance on season 21 of ABC’s The Bachelor! Additional rental areas include a spacious auditorium, lavish boardroom suite, modern meeting space, and trendy Café. These areas work perfectly for corporate galas and meetings as well as social celebrations and gatherings.

Milwaukee Art Museum hosts premiere weddings, both ceremony and reception accommodations, including a cocktail hour with dinner and dancing for up to 400 guests. In combination with the expert assistance of a Museum Sales and Event Coordinator, the end result is truly a special and infinitely memorable experience for all.

Contact 414-224-3287 or rentals@mam.org for additional information or to schedule your consultation.

Images: Frontroom Photography

Categories
Art Museum Buildings

Museums and the Parking Business

Milwaukee’s United Performing Arts Fund “Ride for the Arts” happened along the gorgeous lakefront this weekend. Included was a Milwaukee Art Museum team of bicycle riders including staff, members, friends, family, and neighbors who woke up early on a Sunday morning to ride 25 miles in support of the arts.

To be honest, I joined the ride because it’s fun. But the lines between work and play can blur very easily for non-profit professionals, so I’m going to put on my Director of Visitor Services hat and talk to you a little bit about how I see bicycles, cars, and all things public access.

Because “parking” is a part of my job description at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Categories
Art Behind the Scenes Museum Buildings

A Beautiful Friendship: The Museum Store Welcomes Milwaukee Artist Chrisanne Robertson

Chrisanne Robertson's illustration in the Museum Store. Photo by the author
Chrisanne Robertson’s illustration in the Museum Store. Photo by the author.

This winter, the Art Museum Store has had the good fortune to forge a new and wonderful relationship with an exciting Milwaukee artist, Chrisanne Robertson.

Categories
Education Museum Buildings

Art inspired by technology

The Museum's Kohl’s Art Generation Studio doors. Frosted at left, clear at right!

The Kohl’s Art Generation Studio has some very nifty doors.  They appear to be frosted glass, until you flip a light switch and *click* they are clear.  How do they work?!? Here is a full scientific explanation, thanks to the Department of Engineering at the University of Cambridge.

Categories
Art Museum Buildings

From the Collection: Marble Through the Ages

Gaetano Trentanove, The Last of the Spartans, ca. 1892 (detail). Marble. Layton Art Collection, Gift of William E. Cramer. Photo by the author.

The Museum Collection contains endless stories. Our paintings hold narratives of mythological legends; decorative art objects tell us of life way-back-when; contemporary art puts our finger on the pulse of what is going on now. But have you ever traced a story through the Collection? There are many ways to do this: you could follow an artist’s work through his or her lifetime, a collector’s vision (Mrs. Bradley, Mr. Layton, the list goes on…), or you could really veer off the beaten track and follow the story of a material—you know, what an art object is made out of. One of our super-star materials? Marble!