It takes resources and vision to turn a boarded-up concrete building into an inspiring art museum. Collectors and philanthropists John Shannon and Jan Serr undertook that challenge, and they are sharing the fruits of their labor. The Warehouse Art Museum (WAM) (1635 W. St. Paul Ave.) opened in 2018 and features rotating exhibits of modern and contemporary art, mostly drawing from the permanent collection of over 7,000 works from all over the globe. Plus, it’s always free to visit.
The five-story concrete building was previously used as a warehouse (no coincidence there with the name), but had been boarded up for 30 years before Shannon and Serr purchased and renovated it to create the first-floor gallery. With 14,000 square-feet on each floor, they have plenty of space to operate Guardian Fine Art Services on the other four floors. This art storage company also houses over 4,000 items from their own personal collection.
Last week, the Warehouse Art Museum opened a new exhibit called “Pause/Connect: Photography in the WAM Collection,” running through November 10. With over 80 works of art, the comprehensive exhibit is guest curated by Lisa Hostetler, PhD, former photo curator at the Milwaukee Art Museum. She now works as an independent curator and art historian specializing in photography and contemporary art.
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These original works of art highlight photography’s ability to connect people across time and memory while also inviting the viewer to consider the perspective of the photographer, rather than just the subject. In a broader sense, it’s an overview of how photographs, ranging from 1910 to 2023, shape our relationships to ourselves, to each other and to the world around us. “Pause/Connect” is arranged in thematic groups that represent different photographic relationships: within, among, as and toward. There is plenty of portraiture, showing both single subjects and thought-provoking scenes.
There will also be two video installations. This is the Midwest Premiere of Carla Gannis’ 19-minute Virtues and Vices, created by AI and ChatGPT to represent different aspects of the human identity. Sonja Thomsen’s multi-media installation 3 x 3 X 3 our earth measurement was designed specially for this exhibition.
Shannon says he can remember where and when he and his wife Serr acquired each piece in this exhibit. All but two works are from their personal collection. There are a few local photographers represented, but also works from 16 different countries they have visited. One vibrant diptych shows a scene of passengers on a train in India. It was actually taken by Jan Serr, an artist herself.
This exhibition is free and open to the public from Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. There is an opportunity to make a donation that will go to the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center, and the total will be matched by the WAM.
For a full list of artists on display in “Pause/Connect” and free programs associated with the exhibit, visit the WAM website.
