‘Out of the Box’ Brings Visitors to Lakefront State Park

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Photo via Black Box Fund

By now you may have heard about, or even visited the first of, an unusual series of family-oriented events unfolding in bursts through August 1 in Lakeshore State Park. “Out of the Box,” as it’s titled, is the creation of a new Milwaukee public-art presenting organization called Black Box Fund. Altogether, over 80 free outdoor music and dance performances and playful learning opportunities will take place in the beautiful lakefront setting beside an unforgettable flock of giant, neon-colored, sculpted swallows.

The birds are an installation by Cracking Art, a group of European artists who “regenerate” plastic refuse into sculpted animals of all sorts. The plastic is thereby kept from destroying real animals and environments, while the art aims to both delight us and remind us of the need to change our ways. Putting mission over fame, Cracking Art’s artists choose anonymity. The 22 swallow sculptures sharing the park lawn with native swallows is an Italian work titled REbirth.

“Cracking refers to the process of converting something natural—oil, which is basically compressed dinosaurs—into plastic,” says Black Box Fund Executive Director Marilu Knode tells me as we watch kids play on the birds while adults fly kites and take photos. “Cracking Art was founded in 1993 by a guy in Italy who is really concerned about how plastic is taking over our natural landscape. There’ve been several generations of people pointing at that environmental crisis, and I would say that this past year, because we were all at home, we’re really thinking about it again.”

Knode has curated art exhibitions in different parts of the country, specializing in public art, for over 30 years. She returned to Milwaukee for family reasons, and served as the original co-curator, with Milwaukee Art Museum director Russell Bowman, of Sculpture Milwaukee in 2017. “What I love very much about that project,” she says, “is the fact that some very generous people in town bought works and donated them to the city. Milwaukee has one of the best contemporary public art collections now in the county.”

“In any city, about 10% of your population goes into an art museum,” she notes, “But public art has the 90%. There’s a deeper engagement.” Of her work for Black Box Fund, she says: “I love the energy behind thinking what new models for public art can be.”

Stream of Visitors

As REbirth attracts a steady stream of fascinated visitors, Board President Doug McDonald outlines the history of Black Box Fund for me. He and Deborah Kern are the co-founders. Kern owns, and McDonald runs, Mod Gen, a contemporary general store in the Third Ward. She’s an arts lover; he’s a visual artist. The Third Ward is an arts district but, they noticed, there’s little street activity to show that.

“All these great art organizations seemed to be buried up on the fourth and fifth floors,” he begins. “Deb and I wanted to see what we could do to connect the arts we have in town with public spaces, creating events and installations that really have a presence and would be a draw for people. It’s that whole idea of a black box theater—taking a raw space or place in the community, altering it temporarily, and creating events around it that create community connectivity.”

So in 2019, they organized an ambitious event. Kern, who follows international online art sites, had discovered a series of realistic sculptures by U.K artist Luke Gerram based on photos of the lunar landscape taken from a lunar orbiter. She and McDonald managed to have Gerram’s sculptures installed outdoors in the Third Ward’s Catalano Square.

“We linked up with some fantastic people here in town, who all knew what they were doing,” McDonald explains, “to create three days of programming – music, dance, poetry, indigenous drum circles – all relating back to humanity’s relationship with the moon, because it just seemed like a natural thing to do.” They called it Under One Moon.

Cracking Art was their next art discovery. They planned to open their second public event around that work in 2020, but the pandemic intervened. They used the time to expand their vision, form partnerships with the DNR and local science organizations as well as more art groups, and build something near monumental. “Out of the Box” has arrived.

“The overall goal,” McDonald says, “is not only to have the narrative the Cracking Art work inspires, but to really look at the breadth of diversity of what we can assemble in the park, whether they’re art organizations or not. How do we shed light on the great things people are doing here in the city, and just provide space for them? How do we make connections between the average public and all of these great institutions -- small or large, it doesn’t matter?”

At the first event on Sunday morning, June 20, lots of happy kids and adults were dancing among the sculptures to Irish jigs performed by Lil’ Rev. On foot, on bikes, on boards, folks of all ages enjoyed the sights and sounds. The weeks ahead are packed with music, dance, crafts, poetry, puppetry, guided walks, and the occasional food truck. Or just bring a picnic, as Knode suggests, and enjoy being there.

For a complete schedule of times, events and activities, visit blackboxfund.org.