A one-night event at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center celebrates the artistic achievements of veterans. On Thursday, March 2, from 7-9 p.m., “Veterans Light Up the Arts" features musical and dramatic performances by Milwaukee veterans and a showcase of visual works by veteran artists. U.S. Army Reserves veteran Tarik Moody of 88Nine Radio Milwaukee is the evening’s MC. There will be performances by singer-songwriter Jason Moon, the J. Ryan Trio and Feast of Crispian, a nonprofit organization that uses Shakespeare’s timeless insights into the human condition to help veterans reintegrate and overcome traumas. The event is open to the public and technically free, although a $10 donation is suggested.
“Veterans Light up the Arts" is part of a series hosted by the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in conjunction with the run of Grounded , a new play about an ace fighter pilot who finds herself grounded when she becomes part of the “chair force" flying drones over Iraq. Grounded runs through April 2.
“Cecelia Condit: Tales of a Future Past"
Lynden Sculpture Garden
2145 W. Brown Deer Road
UW-Milwaukee professor Cecelia Condit is a master of the contemporary fairy tale. Like the best fairy tales, Condit’s tales find the perfect balance between the fanciful and the frightening. Her most recent work, the two-channel installation “Tales of a Future Past," tells the story of a solitary giraffe that collects small animal forms and whose world is turned upside down when it crosses paths with an aggressive zebra. There is an opening reception for the exhibition, which also includes photographs of fictitious landscapes, 3-5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
“Of Shapes and Figures"
Gallery 2622
2622 N. Wauwatosa Ave.
Milwaukee-based painter Jake Nordstrum has a solo show of paintings opening at Wauwatosa’s Gallery 2622. Nordstrum’s primary influences are Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso. “I didn’t know that art could be like that," he remembers thinking about Picasso’s cubist portrait of Ambroise Vollard, “and I wanted to explore the avenue of pushing art further than you think it can go." Nordstrum frequently juxtaposes his abstract paintings with titles derived from biblical verses, delighting in the tension between interpretive openness of abstract art and the rigor of religious exegesis. A reception will be held 6-9 p.m. on Friday, March 3.
