Image by Gudrun Lock
MIAD's 'Humanly Possible' Exhibit Finds Empathy in Art
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
273 E Erie St
One can be forgiven for concluding that empathy is in short supply these days; since the ability to both understand and experience the emotions of another person demands identifying with the other as a human of equal dignity—not as a left-wing snowflake or a right-wing deplorable. “Humanly Possible: The Empathy Exhibition” at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design finds 12 contemporary artists playing with the idea of empathy and inviting viewers to vicariously experience the world in new, unfamiliar ways.
Works include photography and digital media works by Milwaukee artist and recent Mary L. Nohl Fellowship recipient Lois Bielefeld, who explores the power and complexity of gender identity. Senior Lecturer in UW-Milwaukee’s Peck School of the Arts Raoul Deal presents large-scale woodcuts that highlight the challenges of celebrating one’s Mexican heritage in a political environment that looks askance at immigrants.
“Humanly Possible: The Empathy Exhibition” opens on Jan. 12. On Friday, Jan. 19, from 5-9 p.m., a public reception will be held during Winter Gallery Night. And on Thursday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m., exhibiting artists will gather to discuss the power of the visual arts to elicit empathetic reactions.
“Journals and Journeys”
Gallery 224
224 E. Main St., Port Washington
Gallery 224’s new exhibition, opening Jan. 12, gathers work by seven Wisconsin artists whose work demonstrates the sort of self-reflective adventurousness developed through journaling about journeys. “Journals and Journeys” is accompanied by an extensive series of programs designed to assist the public in enhancing their own journaling activities. On Saturday, Jan. 27, Tori Tasch leads a workshop on simple yet effective image-transfer techniques to tell one’s story where words fail. On Saturday, Feb. 17, Lynne Bergschultz shares the secrets of creating one’s own journals through simple paper-folding techniques.
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Cal Kothrade: “What Lies Beneath”
North Point Lighthouse Museum
2650 N. Wahl Ave.
Imagine donning a wetsuit and diving down 175 feet into the icy, dark depths. Internationally renowned, award-winning underwater photographer Cal Kothrade has made his name photographing historic shipwrecks in these extreme conditions. In his talk, “What Lies Beneath,” Kothrade will expound on the diving equipment, training, camera gear and skill sets necessary to make beautiful art beneath the surface of North America’s Great Lakes. The lecture takes place Wednesday, Jan. 17, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the North Point Lighthouse Museum. General admission is $10, seniors and students are $5 and members are free.
