Arts

Vestie Davis (American, 1903-1978) Nathan’s Coney Island, 1971. Credit: John R. Glembin, courtesy of the Milwaukee Art Museum. This Friday, “Uncommon Folk: Traditions in American Art” opens in the Milwaukee Art Museum. It’s an exploration of the museum’s folk art and self-taught art collection, which remains the largest of its kind in the country. Surprisingly, it’s also an exhibit about patriotism with a strong whiff of American independence showcased by the mere fact that these artists created beloved, statement-making pieces of art without formal training, academic, or particularly, European influence. For those unfamiliar with folk and self-taught art, this self-confidence…

WRANGLER MEN by Daniel Fleming Image courtesy of UW-Parkside and Hanson Dodge Creative  Behind every great advertising and marketing campaign is a group of creative minds. But this concept gets a high-octane boost from local artists, who have been rounded up  by Reggie Baylor’s Plaid Tuba, and then given the task of using their respective media to create unique works of art about a smattering of local and national brands. The exhibit dubbed “Branding Creativity” opens tonight in the Fine Arts Gallery at University of Wisconsin-Parkside, and according to a statement, is meant to blur the lines between fine art…

The auction house’s (525 E Chicago St.) local summer auction is July 25, but the preview opens tomorrow. The summer auction features a mix of artwork, decorative arts (think vases, lamps, etc.) as well as furniture. There are also lovely porcelain tea services and cobalt blue glassware. Also tomorrow is their  Young Collectors party, which starts at 5 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. I hope to see you there.  Two large estates that were sources for much of this auction’s contents are that of Bettie Blunt, a collector, and Mary Griggs-Burke, whose family’s vacation home in Cable, Wis., is essentially…

A young Roger Ebert by Art Shay courtesy of Chicagoist.  This Friday a free exhibit of Art Shay’s photography will open at the Hanson Dodge Creative Studios (220 E. Buffalo St.) to honor the life and work of an extremely accomplished photojournalist.  Shay flew more than 50 combat missions during World War II, and when he returned home he began writing as a journalist for Life Magazine. Somewhat curiously, he often wrote anonymously. But it was after this reporting stint that he realized his love for photojournalism, and eventually had his photos published in Sports Illustrated, Time, Life, The New…

  Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, the largest art and antiquities auction house in the Midwest, has opened a new location in the Third Ward (525 E. Chicago St.). This morning the auction house kicked off its first auction, and Leslie herself made an appearance for the bidding.  Hindman opened her auction business in Chicago in 1982, which quickly grew to include locations around the country (Denver, Col., Palm Beach, Fla., and Naples, Fla.), and just two years ago, she opened a location on Mason St., across from the Pfister. But if today’s auction is any indication, the auction house fits right…

Nickolas Muray (American, 1892–1965) Christmas Cakes and Cookies, ca.1935. Carbro print. 14 1/2 x 22 5/16 in. (36.9 x 56.6 cm). Collection of George Eastman House (Gift of Mrs. Nickolas Muray). © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives, Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film. After six years of work by Katherine Bussard and Lisa Hostetler, the Art Museum’s latest photography exhibit Color Rush will open to the public tomorrow, and it is most definitely in your best interest to check it out.  The exhibit begins at the turn of the 20th century, when photographers first started experimenting with…

Images courtesy of the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. Looking to delve deeper into the private passions of some of the most interesting members of Milwaukee’s Jewish community? Starting Dec. 16, Jewish Museum Milwaukee’s “Revealed: Private Collections from the Jewish Community” will bring unique collections of everything from Chinese snuff bottles to outsider artwork into the public eye – many of which are on display for the very first time. The exhibition showcases collections of fine art, hidden treasures, Judaica and more – all loaned by members of Milwaukee’s Jewish community. Paintings from nationally-recognized realist David Lenz, blown glass by the “father…

That most wonderful time of year is upon us again and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League is getting into the spirit with its 2012 Holiday House. Andy Nunemaker, local entrepreneur and well-known art collector, has opened his spectacular home to some of Wisconsin’s most talented designers. Two designers from Otter Creek Landscape and Wreath Factory were given the honors of decorating Nunemaker’s expansive living room. Matt Trotter, who worked on the room with Otter Creek owner Mike Beeck, says the living room plays an important role during the holidays. “It’s where everybody comes together to reconnect with family and friends,“ he…

Milwaukee Art Museum’s largest fall exhibit opens to the public tomorrow, and it offers a look at some of the most important paintings by the Dutch and Flemish masters. The exhibit is culled from a collection of works from London’s Kenwood House, an 18th-century mansion once owned by Edward Cecil Guinness. Yes, that Guinness.  Guinness bequeathed the art collection along with the estate to England. The house is now under repairs, which provided the perfect opportunity to tour 43 of its paintings. The exhibit visits only four American cities, including Milwaukee.  From Rembrandt’s most mysterious self-portrait, to a selection of…