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Art Behind the Scenes Education Museum Store

Milwaukee Studio Visit: Author and Illustrator Lois Ehlert

Stack of books. Photo by Megan Yanz Photography

Our senses were first enticed by the lovely scent of fresh, natural flowers as we approached Lois Ehlert’s apartment in a beautiful old downtown building on an otherwise blustery day.

Ehlert welcomed me and Megan Yanz so Megan could photograph her remarkable collection of folk art while I learned more about Ehlert’s newest publication for children, The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life (a limited quantity of copies signed by the author are available to buy online). With the feature exhibition Uncommon Folk: Traditions in American Art now on view at the Art Museum, the timing was perfect to visit Ehlert’s cozy, artful and welcoming home.

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Art Events Exhibitions

What’s Up at the Museum?

ImageThe groundhog may have seen his shadow, but the Museum is jumping full steam into spring with its new exhibition, Accidental Genius: Art from the Anthony Petullo Collection.

Containing 200 works of modern and contemporary self-taught art from some of the world’s greatest self-taught artists, the exhibition has opened to rave reviews and much praise, and is on view thanks to the generosity of its collector and donor, Anthony Petullo.

To celebrate the exhibition, the Museum has a variety of programs and Gallery Talks scheduled, as well as panel discussions, dance performances, and a special MAM After Dark.

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Art Education Events

What’s Happening at the Milwaukee Art Museum: April 4-April 11

For you baseball fans, it’s Opening Day at Miller Park, so here’s an obligatory-yet-enthusiastic GO BREWERS!

If you missed Art in Bloom last weekend, be sure to check out the photos on the Museum’s Facebook page, as well as on Chelsea Kelly’s latest blog.

This week, don’t miss Target Free First Thursday (April 7). Admission is FREE for individuals from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the Museum features a Frank Lloyd Wright Express Talk at 5:30 p.m., plus an Artist Talk by Colleen Plumb at 6:15 p.m.

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Art Behind the Scenes Events

How Well Do You Know Art in Bloom?

View in Windhover—a part of Tim Garland’s Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired display. Photo by the author.

Art in Bloom 2011 is in full swing! Huge flower displays are being wheeled through the galleries. Floral designers are snipping, arranging, considering, and re-arranging. Hundreds of garden goodies line the gallerias. There is a gelato cart, yes, you read that right, a gelato cart, parked near our beloved Coffee with a Conscience. And the best part of all—it smells so good in the galleries!

So I have a little game for you when you come visit us this weekend!

How well do you know Art in Bloom?

Can you find the locations of ALL of the following photos and detail shots!? If you’re the first person to identify everything correctly in the comments below, I’ll send you two free passes to come see our Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century exhibition before it closes in May! Check out the photos after the jump. Just write down the Mystery Photo number (it’s in the captions), as well as your best description of the space, gallery name, or gallery number. Good luck!

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Art Events

What’s Happening at the Milwaukee Art Museum: March 28-April 3

Spring has officially arrived, and that means it is time for Art in Bloom at the Museum. This year’s event runs Thursday, March 31 through Sunday, April 3 and includes old favorites and new surprises.

This year’s event features the new Milwaukee’s Calatrava rose, bred by rosarian and Milwaukee native Bill Radler, and named in honor of the Santiago Calatrava-designed addition to the Museum. The intoxicatingly fragrant, double-bloom white rose will be available for advance purchase at the event, courtesy of Johnson’s Nursery.

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Art Events

Oh, I do love having dirt to dish.

You Grown GirlOn Friday, April 1st (no, this isn’t an April Fools’ joke!) the Museum will have Gayla Trail, urban gardener and creator of YouGrowGirl.com, give a talk titled DIY Dirt to Dish: Growing Great Grub with Limited Resources.  The lecture is at 7pm in Lubar Auditorium and is offered as part of the Museum’s very popular “Art in Bloom” weekend.

This is the lecture for those of us that love to grow our own… fruits, veggies, herbs, whatever.. with or without a backyard (or any yard!)  Gayla will be on hand to answer your toughest questions. If you’re an enthusiastic noob, like me, or you’ve been troweling away for decades, she’ll have something valuable to share about getting the most out of that $5.00 bag of dirt you bought at the garden center. 

Categories
Art Events Exhibitions

What’s Happening at the Milwaukee Art Museum: March 21-March 27

Happy Spring from the Milwaukee Art Museum! And in honor of spring, be sure to purchase your Art in Bloom tickets before Friday, March 25. Some lectures have already sold out, so don’t miss out on your chance to experience everything that Art in Bloom (March 31–April 3) has to offer.

This year’s Art in Bloom premiere’s Milwaukee’s Calatrava™ rose, bred by Milwaukee native Bill Radler and cultivated at Johnson’s Nursery. This double-flower, white bloom rose is intoxicatingly fragrant, and tints slightly pink as cooler weather sets in. A limited number will be available for sale at Art in Bloom, so don’t miss out.