Community Calendar

Jack Earl, one of the first Arts/Industry artists-in-residence, said the Arts/Industry residency in the Kohler Co. factory felt like a “mad dash at something.” Mad Dash: 50 Years of Arts/Industry is a chronological installation of artworks, letters, photographs, and promotional materials dating from 1974 to the present. It reveals the origin and history of Arts/Industry through the artists themselves.

Every artist donates an object made during their residency to the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s collection. Mad Dash presents artworks from this collection to encapsulate the experience of art making within Kohler Co. and highlight various stages of the artists’ careers.

Parallel Play was created as an integral component of Marquette’s Biology class, Creative Problem Solving. This cross-disciplinary course teaches STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students to embrace divergent thinking as a path to innovative problem solving. Through art-based activities and small group interactions with artists and STEM faculty, the class emphasizes the similarities between the creative processes of scientists and artists. The class is team-taught by Dr. Deanna Arble, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences and Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement, Haggerty Museum of Art.

Featuring work from the Haggerty’s permanent collection, Parallel Play is divided into four sections that coincide with the scientific method—clarify, ideate, develop and implement. Through the exhibited art pieces, connections have been made between the work of artists and scientists with a special emphasis on the essential elements of scientific research—rejection, revision and the formulation of new ideas. Parallel Play aims to demystify the process of innovation across disciplines and to illuminate the multiple routes of discovery and interpretation that art has to offer.

Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Stackner Family Endowment Fund.

Milwaukee-based artist, writer, and curator Michelle Grabner pays homage to custodial labor through this installation of household sinks and replicated everyday objects. Largely unseen janitorial work is instead foregrounded through the presence of commonplace objects used to keep institutional spaces sanitary. In the traditionally orderly gallery space, rests a silver leafed garbage can, cast bronze broom, and cast porcelain buckets, caddies, wash brushes, toilet paper rolls, washcloths, "wet floor" signs, and cleaning supplies.

The majority of the work in Grabner's exhibition is produced in the Kohler MakerSpace, an invitational project space for artists and designers based in Kohler's Pottery. In addition, the display includes work from Kohler Co.’s commercial production line including single basin wall-mounted sinks.

Grabner’s display celebrates the labor of sanitation, highlights the design of those objects, and creates a conceptual link to Cleaning Woman, a photograph by August Sander in the Museum’s adjacent collection display.

In Partnership with Kohler Company

For more than fifty years, Ellie Lee Weems (1901-1983) trained his lens on the African American residents of Jacksonville, Florida. Weems imaged entertainers, newlyweds, and beauty queens in his photography studio. In addition, his camera accompanied him throughout his vibrant community as he documented life events as ceremonial as graduations and as quotidian as backyard gatherings. His yearslong practice resulted in a copious archive that continues to expand visual and historical accounts of the American South and beyond.

Born in McDonough, Georgia, Weems studied photography at Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) and later lived briefly in Atlanta before settling in Jacksonville, where he worked until 1981. His images trace the advancement of photographic techniques, as well as document a community’s commitment to sustaining and nurturing itself throughout major shifts across the twentieth century. The exhibition presents a glimpse into the photographer’s work and offers a gateway for reflection on the power, practice, and preservation of African American photography, situating Weems among a host of image makers who have contributed to the rich visual repository of African American life and culture. 

Visual Legacies is organized by guest curator Dr. Rikki Byrd, in collaboration with Weems’s family members Dr. Saundra Murray Nettles and Kali Murray, Professor of Law at Marquette University Law School.

The exhibition features selected photographs from the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History in Atlanta. Photographs and materials from the Ellie Lee Weems Family Collection held by Dr. Murray Nettles will also be on view.

Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Marquette University Women’s Council Endowment Fund and in part by a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.

The Big 4-0, Vol. 2: New Views of the Collection reimagines the Haggerty Museum of Art’s six lower galleries for the spring semester, presenting an entirely new installation of outstanding works from the Museum’s own holdings. The exhibition expands on collection favorites such as Keith Haring and Salvador Dalí paintings with rarely seen works on paper brought out for the special anniversary. The show of modern and contemporary art contains distinct themes within each gallery such as artistic composition through chance, the role of personal biography, artistic use of commercial printing, and artistic creation following wartime.

The Big 4-0 Vol. 2 is the second of a two-part installation of the exhibition galleries. Vol. 2 features a completely new display to demonstrate the breadth and depth of the Museum’s collection. In combination, the Fall and Spring anniversary exhibitions feature more than 100 works of art. Both installations are curated by Dr. Kirk Nickel, Marc and Lillian Rojtman Curator of European Art.

Support for this exhibition is generously provided by the Emmett J. Doerr Endowment Fund and in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Since 1974, over five hundred artists have participated in the Arts Center’s Arts/Industry residency. The program, operated in collaboration with Kohler Co., offers artists the time and space to focus on the creation of new work in the company’s pottery and foundry studios. As part of the Arts Center’s celebration of Arts/Industry’s fiftieth anniversary, the twelve artists in residence at the Kohler Co. factory during 2024 will exhibit their work in a yearlong group exhibition, Clocking In: 2024 Arts/Industry Residents.

The exhibition will present four residents’ work at a time, in rotations of approximately four months each.

New to storytelling? Or in need of a refresh on the basics? Want to practice a story to tell at our StorySlam? This workshop is for you!

This workshop takes place directly before the StorySlam and is meant to be a place to workshop a story you might want to tell on-stage later that night. If you aren’t ready to throw your name in the hat, no worries! This space is open to anyone who is interested in becoming a better storyteller, and is a perfect way for you to connect with other storytellers before our StorySlam!

In this workshop experienced storytelling coaches will guide you through an interactive training covering the need-to-know details of the craft. Discover, shape and share your stories with confidence. Space is limited, reserve a spot today!

This workshop gives you…

A step-by-step guide to crafting a story
The confidence to someday tell your story on our stage
Simple storytelling framework you can use everyday
The tools to become a superb storyteller or public speaker
*This ticket does not provide entry into the following StorySlam. To attend the StorySlam, you must purchase a separate ticket

Ex Fabula StorySlams are live events where community members connect and share true, personal stories related to the night’s theme, told without props or notes. Come just to listen – or throw your name in the hat for a chance to share a true story related to the theme of “Found Family”. At the end of the night, the audience votes by secret ballot to crown an Audience Favorite, who will be invited to share a story at ALL STARS in May.

The audience can also be a part of the storytelling by submitting UltraShorts! These are “ultra-short” stories on the night’s theme that will be read onstage by the emcee.

Want to practice your story before the slam? Join us for the StoryStarter workshop from 5:15-6:15pm right before the event!

Start the New Year with Art: John Suess Solo Exhibition at Wauwatosa Public Library

Celebrate the beauty of Wisconsin through the eyes of local artist and retired librarian John Suess. This special solo exhibition features over 30 original works, including landscapes from Suess’ acclaimed “Road Trips” series, vibrant florals, and tranquil local scenes. Suess, a former Milwaukee Public Library librarian, brings his artistic journey full circle by exhibiting in a library setting.

📅 Dates: Thursday, January 2 through Friday, January 31, 2025
📍 Location: Wauwatosa Public Library, First-Floor Gallery, 7635 W North Ave, Wauwatosa, WI 53213
🎟️ Admission: Free

Library Hours:

Monday–Thursday: 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Friday–Saturday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Don’t miss this opportunity to explore Suess’ serene and inspiring artwork. For more information about the artist, visit JohnSuessFineArt.com or follow him on Instagram and Facebook.

Perfect for art enthusiasts and community members alike, this exhibit offers a moment of peace and beauty to start the new year.