1. Plan an Art Day Trip to Sheboygan
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
A John Michael Kohler Art Center-Art Preserve doubleheader had long been on my to-do list, and I’m so glad I finally made the trip earlier this month. These museums are perfectly sized to do both comfortably in a day without feeling like you’re rushing through. My highlight of the more traditional JMKAC was “Pao Houa Her: The Imaginative Landscape,” the centerpiece of which is a haunting video of traditional Hmong song poetry. But the Art Preserve, focusing on artist-built environments, was really my jam. It showcases the widely varying and often quirky work of outsider artists – local luminaries like Mary Nohl and Eugene Von Bruenchenhein as well as global artists like India’s Nek Chand, who created a fascinating “kingdom” of figures of cement and discarded items. I’m already planning a return visit. And, of course, one must stop at 3 Sheeps Brewing, one of Wisconsin’s best taprooms, before heading home. As one does.
2. See Carmen at the Milwaukee Ballet
CAROLE NICKSIN, EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
I’m excited to see Milwaukee Ballet’s Carmen this weekend. Word on the street is that this is one production you don’t want to miss!
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Sip a Pitcher of Cider and Realize How Little You Know at Pomona Cider
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
I’m an unathletic dude with glasses in his late 20s – so yes, I do go to bar trivia nights often. Recently, I stopped by Pomona Cider on the East Side for their Thursday night trivia, and I have to say it was a great time. The 7 p.m. trivia coincides with their pitcher happy hour, so of course pitchers of Pomona’s sweet, sparkly cider were purchased on the cheap and enjoyed in the bright taproom. One small but crucial detail – the guy running trivia had a good playlist going. Quality tunes are an elevating factor that cannot be ignored. And, believe it or not, my team actually won (despite my knowing next to nothing about anything), and I take that as a sign that Pomona is a great place.
4. Bake a Ginger Drizzle Cake
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
If you read last week’s editors’ picks, coming here now you may be thinking ginger is my latest obsession. You might be right. For a recent party, I brought a ginger cake for dessert. Not a deep, dark gingerbread, but a bright, subtly tropical poundcake with a dense texture and crunchy sugar crust. The cake, called Ginger Drizzle, is a wonderful closing course recipe in chef Marie Mitchell’s cookbook, Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen. The cake is a ginger dream, including in its ingredients ground ginger, grated gingerroot and candied ginger. But it’s not so much ginger that it is all you taste. But I may have pulled back just a little on the amount of gingerroot in the warm infused syrup you pour over the top of the cake.
5. Find Trinkets at Fischberger’s Variety
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
My partner introduced me to these green little dorks called Smiskis. They’re glow-in-the-dark blind-box figurines with cute, shy poses, and we have begun to amass them. OK, “amassing” is a bit ambitious – we’ve only collected three altogether. And Fischberger’s Variety has become our Smiski dealer. This eccentric shop on the border of Riverwest and Harambee sells all sorts of trinkets and doodads, including Smiskis and the related Sonny Angels. But they also sell home decor, international candy, stationery and more. Just stopping by and browsing is a fun time, and if I happen to pick up a Museum Smiski while I’m there, who’s to judge?
6. Read Our Award-Winning Stories!
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
Is this self-promotion? Yes. Yes, it is. I apologize, but also please allow me this indulgence. Last week, Milwaukee Magazine won 15 Excellence in Wisconsin Journalism Awards from the Milwaukee Press Club. This, if I might briefly forsake humility, is awesome! We took home awards in both design and writing, and you can check out those award-winning stories here.
Editors’ Note: Archer won three awards! He won’t say it, but he did. Congrats to him and to the whole team!
