Got grievances? Then get to the Milwaukee Art Museum for the MAM After Dark celebration of Festivus on Dec. 16, from 5 p.m. to midnight. The "Seinfeld"-inspired evening will include traditions such as feats of strength, photos with the Festivus pole and the airing of grievances, emceed by Comedy Sportz's Beth Lewsinki. Check the MAM website for additional details.
The Festivus events include a tour at 8 p.m. of "Taryn Simon: Photographs and Texts" with curator Lisa Hostetler. This important exhibition will close on Jan. 1, so get in to see it while you still can.
As the year winds down, so do other exhibitions. "Current Tendencies II: Artists from Milwaukee" surveys the local scene in all its diversity, including social reflections in the art of Sharon Kerry-Harlan, Reginald Baylor and Luc Leplae, the exquisite sound and sculpture of Jordan Waraksa, and the multi-layered video of Jessica Meuninck-Ganger and Nathaniel Stern. The exhibition continues through Dec. 31 at the Haggerty Museum of Art, 530 N. 13th St.
Closing even sooner is "Input/Output" at Inova/Kenilworth, 2155 N. Prospect Ave., showing work from the UWM Peck School of the Arts Department of Film, Video, Animation and New Genres MFA program. The department name alone suggests the spirit of experimentation found in this next generation of artists and creators. The exhibition concludes its brief 10-day run on Dec. 18.
A notable exhibition opening soon is "One World: One People: Jewish Photographic Portraits by Arnold Newman" at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, 1360 N. Prospect Ave. Newman's subjects include important figures in politics, the arts and entertainment, such as Golda Meir, Leonard Bernstein and Marc Chagall. The exhibition opens on Dec. 25, from noon to 4 p.m. with the event "A Jewish Cinematic Celebration," featuring screenings of "West Side Story" and "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," films involving two of Newman's portraiture subjects.
