All posts tagged music

Milwaukee Art Beat – October 9th, 2009 [Part 2]

It’s the second installment from my time at the Milwaukee Art Beat in October. To find out about the gifted individuals mentioned previously please read Part 1. Now, let’s get down to art. First up, is artist Amanda Iglinski, who enjoys working with many different mediums. I was quite fascinated with her pieces. I found them dark, clever, and at times humorous (my sense of humor can be off-beat at times).What’s more, I liked the dynamic colors, the layers, and her concepts. According to her bio, she has been creating art for as long as she can remember. You can view a few more of her pieces on her website.

Next, is artwork by Laura Meyer. Not only does she sculpt, paint, and photograph, but she is also a fashion designer who specializes in costumes and corsets. Created in 1998, her design company is called Twilight Attire and it sells locally and nationally. This may seem strange, but one thing that struck me was the placement of her pieces at Art Beat. The building interior and her artwork complimented each other beautifully. There were two photographs in particular that were hung from a wooden door, and for a moment I thought the door was a part of the art piece.

The entire space appealed to me, from the painted exposed piping to the wood cross-bracing, even to the detailed ironwork of the banister in the cafe area. The architect in me was enlivened. Mercy Hill Gallery supports talented local artists by allowing them to showcase their work at no cost to them. They host receptions, private parties, and events such as Art Beat all in support of Milwaukee’s promising art community.

As stated in Part 1, the night was filled with a wide range of performance pieces. A very unique act called The M.U.T.E.S (Marvelous Unspeaking Troupe of Entertaining Scoundrels) put on 2 very amusing skits; one of a bank robbery gone very wrong and the other poked fun at Adolf Hitler. They are inspired by silent films and bring that genre to life in front of your very eyes. The interview revealed that members of the team are heavily involved with the arts, performing in local plays, designing theatrical make-up, directing films, etc. Check out some of their Charlie Chaplin-like performances.

Oh how sweet the sound! The following artists require your auditory attention so I highly encourage you listen to their work from their websites:

Aaron Lundquist is an interesting spoken word artist, poet, and sculptor. His words are inspired by nature and when he performs he takes on a potent persona. We saw images of some of his sculpture as well, personally my favorites of his. I believe they were described as borderline “beautiful and disturbing.”

Jeremy Scott is a brilliant saxophonist, pianist, lyricist, and most recently a spoken word artist. He has played the saxophone since he was a little boy and took on the piano in his late teens. He was the last to perform that night, but I think he was definitely worth the wait.

Annie B. (producer of Art Beat) and her band Shut Up Marie opened up the evening with a couple of rousing original songs. I was entranced by the guitar part. It was imaginative and different, which is what made it so appealing. Annie B. has performed nationally in over 100 venues and her band Shut Up Marie has released songs that has made it to radio charts. Maybe you’ve already heard them.

Ladies and gents, that concludes my coverage of Milwaukee Art Beat. I was so glad that I attended. If you liked any of the artists presented in these posts, comment on them, or if you’re in the position to do so, give them your support. Keep the arts alive!

Art Beat photos are referenced from Lisa’s List.

Milwaukee Art Beat – October 9th, 2009 [Part 1]

"Artbeat encourages artists and non-artists alike to explore their own inspirations and creativity..."

I was immersed in marvelous talent last Friday (Oct. 9th) at the Milwaukee Art Beat. There was art in various scintillating forms including photography, sculpture, mosaics, painting, and even performance art. It was quite the experience. In some cases, we were able to hear directly from the artist in on-stage interviews, receiving an in-depth look into their work.

For the record, Artbeat is a non-profit organization that encourages and promotes art among youth and the community. It also acts as a showcase for local artists to present their work to the masses. I commend and admire their efforts. Personally, I can’t imagine my life without the arts (this blog definitely wouldn’t exist). All of the artists at this show are extremely talented and often do many different things.

First up, is photographer and writer, Steve Daubs. He recently roamed through Russia on a photographic expedition, shooting people and places. In the interview he shared that a lot of activity actually occurs below ground in passages and tunnels, which is where a good number of his photographs were taken.

Also, on display were a number of his beauty shots that recreated that old Hollywood glamour. The images convey the idea of being almost impossibly perfect and the model appears to be untouchable. He included a photograph of one of the models in her normal state (still naturally lovely). It was fascinating to see the juxtaposition between manipulated reality and actuality. Below are shots taken from Steve Daubs’s website.

Next, is professional mosaic artist, Shelly Bird. With many years of experience, she has completed various residential and commercial pieces ranging from walls to wall hangings. I find her work beautiful and dynamic. Shelly uses unique materials like blown glass or natural rock, some of which is reclaimed. She also prefers stained glass for its quality of light and mirrored iridescent elements for their ability to express a sense of movement. Below is a picture of her with her work at Art Beat, but I encourage you to look at more of her work on Yessy Art Gallery.

Now we move on to sculpture. Bruce Niemi is a second generation sculptor who works with stainless steel and bronze. I love the rhythmic, yet powerful curves, and overall flow of his work. The twists, shapes, and connections are quite alluring. What’s more, a positive message is behind all of his artwork, with titles such as “Protected,” “Living the Dream,” and “Reaching for the Heights.”

Niemi has been creating sculptures for over thirty years and quoted from his site he states “if you studied my art you would know my heart.” If you are ever in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Bruce and his wife Susan invite you to visit their Sculpture Garden featuring artists from around the world. To see more of Niemi’s work check out the galleries on his website.

This was a performance art piece that was fun to watch and listen to. Artist Shelby Keefe put on a lively 18 minute show in which she painted a scene from one of her photographs while groovin’ to the music that she put together herself. She is a contemporary impressionistic painter who has won awards for her urban landscape paintings, and her work is displayed in collections around the United States.

I’ve gazed at many of the pieces on her website, my favorites being the ones that are architectural in nature (no surprise there). I would also like to mention that Keefe is about to release a CD with her music. She collaborates with other musicians and uses a great program called GarageBand (I even modeled a part of one of my studio projects after it). Listen to samples of her work on Reverb Nation.