Listen: This job allows me to get around the city quite a bit, but I have to admit, I don't make it to some of our neighboring suburbs as often as I should. So, when our on-air personality, Sarah Fierek, suggested we go on a tour of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, I jumped at the chance to get out of my sphere and explore a new frontier of Milwaukee's creative community.
And let me tell you, it was more than worth the drive. A beautiful building in a beautiful setting, the Wilson Center packs in a remarkable amount of arts programming under one roof. Community plays, professional performance, multi-arts education for all ages, and so much more.
Jonathan Winkle, Executive Director of the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, gave me a condensed grand tour: see podcast below.
I definitely need to get back there soon to take in a show, or perhaps take a class. Our community has so many amazing things to explore.
Jonathan did a wonderful job of giving me a concise and interesting tour -- unfortunately, sometimes an operation is just too interesting to format for short-form radio pieces. Here are a few out takes, but there's a ton more I couldn't pack in: Rather than a traditional chandelier in their main theater, the Wilson Center for the Arts has an elegant piece of locally commissioned installation art in its place -- a flock of birds that light up (see above):
Jonathan fired up the birds for Sarah and I on the tour and they were definitely a sight to see.
On the second floor, upon entering and exiting their beautiful auditorium, theater goers can take in the Ploch Art Gallery, a space that features primarily local and Wisconsin artists:
I really love when performance spaces are integrated with exhibition spaces. Culture immersion.
The Sharon Lynne Wilson Center is a hive of activity, especially its main stage. However, if he's lucky enough to catch it on an off night, Jonathan likes to have his board meetings on stage:
If this tour caught your interest, the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts has an amazing website that's packed with information. And if you haven't been there yet, do yourself a favor and check them out in person -- there's far more to see than I could ever pack into an audio piece and blog post!
Photographs by: our very own Sarah Fierek!