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Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Adventure in Art

Black cat walking across the lawn

Enjoy a highlight from our recent virtual event, Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays at Home: Animals in Art. “Step inside” a painting with Ali, and learn to move like a lion!

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Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Animal Sketchbooks

Man holding up a Milwaukee Art Museum sign in front of the Museum

Did you miss Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays at Home: Animals in Art? No worries! We’re featuring some of our favorite activities from the virtual event right here, on the blog.

Check out Brett’s animal drawings, and then make your own sketchbook.

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Art Collection Education Modern Prints and Drawings Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Chalk the State

Rooster in bright colors with both eyes on the same side
Pablo Picasso, Rooster, 1938. Pastel on paper. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1959.373. Photographer by Larry Sanders © 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Rooster in bright colors with both eyes on the same side
Pablo Picasso, Rooster, 1938 (detail). Pastel on paper. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley M1959.373. Photographer by Larry Sanders © 2010 Estate of Pablo Picasso / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
JULY 25–26, 2020

This weekend, take to your sidewalks, driveways, and parking lots to create bright, joyful chalk art! We’re joining with the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) and many other arts organizations throughout the state to encourage a weekend of outdoor art making. Spread positive messages to family, friends, and neighbors—or create your own masterpiece, inspired by works in the Museum’s collection!

Many famous artists have used chalk to make both sketches and finished works of art. To create the drawing below, Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) used pastels. Pastels are made from pigment, or color, and chalk; the two are blended and held together with a binder. Picasso’s pastel drawing of a rooster shows many of the special things you can do with this material. Use sidewalk chalk to make a drawing outdoors. Save pastels for drawing on paper!

Here are some tips and tricks for working with chalk and pastels:

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Art Collection Contemporary Education

Letters to Sunny

Sunny #4 by Alex Katz is one of the most beloved pieces in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection. Many visitors make sure to visit Sunny every time they come into the galleries.

Gray, long-haired dog sitting in a field by the lake with its tongue out
Alex Katz, Sunny #4, 1971. Oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley, M1975.143. Photo by John R. Glembin. © 2019 Alex Katz/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York
Gray, long-haired dog sitting in a field by the lake with its tongue out
Alex Katz, Sunny #4, 1971 (detail). Oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley, M1975.143. Photo by John R. Glembin. © 2019 Alex Katz/Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York

Who wouldn’t love this sweet face?

While the Museum was closed, our artworks felt very lonely—and Sunny was no exception! When we heard how much he missed his regular visitors, we knew we had to do something. For the entire month of June, we opened the Museum’s mailbox to messages and drawings for Milwaukee’s most popular pup. 

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Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Painted Birds

Four birds sitting together in a birdcage

Did you miss Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays at Home: Animals in Art? No worries! We’ll be featuring some of our favorite activities from the virtual event in the coming weeks.

Learn to paint birds with Liala.

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American Art Collection Curatorial Modern

Loïs Mailou Jones and “The Ascent of Ethiopia”

Egyptian face in the foreground with a group of people climbing a hill to the city
Lois Mailou Jones, The Ascent of Ethiopia, 1932. Oil on canvas. 23 1/2 × 17 1/4 in. Purchase, African American Art Acquisition Fund, matching funds from Suzanne and Richard Pieper, with additional support from Arthur and Dorothy Nelle Sanders, M1993.191. Photo by John R. Glembin. © Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
Lois Mailou Jones, The Ascent of Ethiopia, 1932. Oil on canvas. 23 1/2 × 17 1/4 in. Purchase, African American Art Acquisition Fund, matching funds from Suzanne and Richard Pieper, with additional support from Arthur and Dorothy Nelle Sanders, M1993.191. Photo by John R. Glembin. © Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust
Lois Mailou Jones, The Ascent of Ethiopia, 1932 (detail). Oil on canvas. 23 1/2 × 17 1/4 in. Purchase, African American Art Acquisition Fund, matching funds from Suzanne and Richard Pieper, with additional support from Arthur and Dorothy Nelle Sanders, M1993.191. Photo by John R. Glembin. © Lois Mailou Jones Pierre-Noel Trust

The artistic talent of Lois Mailou Jones (1905–1998) was recognized at an early age. She received a wide range of encouragement, including scholarships to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, in her native Boston, and after graduating with honors, she assumed teaching was a likely next step. But, in what was the first of several rejections in an openly racist society, she was told to go south and help “her people.”

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Art Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Clay Snakes

Young woman making homemade clay in her kitchen

Did you miss Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays at Home: Animals in Art? No worries! We’ll be featuring some of our favorite activities from the virtual event in the coming weeks.

Learn to make your own clay and sculpt snakes with Dianne.

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Art Collection Contemporary Education Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Art in Motion

Harry Bertoia, Dandelion, 1970. Gold-plated bronze and beryllium, 78 × 34 in. (198.12 × 86.36 cm). Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley. M1975.131 Photo credit: P. Richard Eells © 2010 Estate of Harry Bertoia / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Harry Bertoia, Untitled, 1970. Stainless steel, 66 × 48 in.(67.64 × 121.92 cm). Purchase, with funds given in memory of Maurice W. Berger, President of the Board of Trustees, 1964-1968. M1970.88 © Estate of Harry Bertoia / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Harry Bertoia, Dandelion, 1970. Gold-plated bronze and beryllium, 78 × 34 in. (198.12 × 86.36 cm). Gift of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley. M1975.131 Photo credit: P. Richard Eells © 2010 Estate of Harry Bertoia / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Make moving art inspired by the kinetic sculpture of Harry Bertoia.

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Art Behind the Scenes Collection Contemporary

The Man That Time Forgot: Duane Hanson’s “Janitor”

Time changes everyone—or almost everyone. Through the years, the Janitor has remained a constant in the galleries of the Milwaukee Art Museum.

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Art Collection Education Haitian Studio at Home

Kohl’s Art Generation Studio at Home: Trip to the Market

Tightly-packed crowd at an outdoor market
Laurent Casimir, Crowded Market, 1972. Oil on Masonite, 36 × 48 in. (91.44 × 121.92 cm). Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg M1991.117 Photo by Larry Sanders
Tightly-packed crowd at an outdoor market
Laurent Casimir, Crowded Market, 1972 (detail). Oil on Masonite, 36 × 48 in. (91.44 × 121.92 cm). Gift of Richard and Erna Flagg M1991.117 Photo by Larry Sanders

Markets are great places to discover new things to buy and eat. In his work Crowded Market, Laurent Casimir captured a very busy outdoor market in Haiti. The artist filled every inch of his painting with people who are buying and selling goods, helping us imagine what it felt like to be there. Can you spot some of the different things people are buying and selling in the painting?

This week, we are going to make our own paint, using items that you may find at a market. With a grown-up’s permission, look for colorful spices and foods in your home. Flower petals are also a great source of color. Not everything you choose will make a good paint, so you’ll want to try them out before starting your artwork. Avoid foods that are sticky or very thick. Here are some of the things I collected: