1732
(0 votes, average 0 out of 5)
Written by Debra Brehmer
Oct 20, 2010
The fall art season is upon us and a number of venues are gearing up for Halloween-style offerings that honor the dead.
Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, 839 S. Fifth St., opens its annual Dia de Los Muertos exhibition on Fri., Oct. 29, from 5 to 8 p.m. There will also be a parade beginning at 5 p.m. This exhibition, curated by Jose Chavez, brings together the best of both worlds, meaning the local community and the spirit community. Individuals of all ilks create small altars in the Mexican tradition to summon memories of those who have passed. It’s colorful, celebratory and solemn all at once.
Redline Milwaukee, 1422 N. Fourth St., is also hosting a Day of the Dead event called La Ofrenda on Thurs., Oct. 28, from 7 to 9 p.m. For $10 at the door, you can participate in skeletal assemblage, papel picado and sugar skull making. You can also take in the current show featuring work by German-born, NYC artist Clemens Weiss (through Dec. 18).
From Redline, it’s a hop and a skip over to Dean Jensen Gallery. “Wisconsin Modern” features six mid-century artists with ties to Wisconsin. Jensen is summoning the dead as he re-examines the roots of Fred Berman (who is still alive), Carl Holty, Karl Knaths, Jon Schueler, Lucia Stern and Mark Tobey. All six artists explored abstraction during its heyday.
In a similar vein, the Charles Allis Art Museum, 1801 N. Prospect, is showing the work of another deceased Wisconsin artist, Bruno Ertz, through Jan. 9. Ertz lived in Manitowoc (as did self-taught artist Rudy Rotter), and he is known for his realistic, immaculate paintings of insects and birds done in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Meanwhile, Portrait Society, 207 E. Buffalo Street, Third Ward, is also showing a deceased Wisconsin artist through Jan. 8. Bernard Gilardi painted in his spare time for more than 40 years in his near north side basement. He died two years ago and this is the first time his fantasy-inspired work has been shown.
This content has been locked. You can no longer post any comment.
