Photo Credit: Rosy Petri
One of Rosy Petri's artworks.
Art meets commerce, courtesy of the Pfister Hotel and their Artist-in-Residence program, a nationally recognized collaboration that allows emerging artists to earn while they learn.
Rosy Petri is a self-taught, multidisciplinary artist that pieces together art, a passion for social justice and fabrics of the African Diaspora. Petri’s art has been featured throughout Milwaukee and around the country.
“Last year, I was in the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network and had just started creating art outside of my home,” says Petri. “My mentor suggested that I apply to the Pfister program. I never knew that being a professional artist could be a choice; it was an amazing revelation.” Petri has sold around 10 pieces at the Pfister, with prices ranging between $2 and $20,000. “I want everyone who wants to own art to be able to afford it,” she explains.
Using traditional techniques in unconventional ways, Petri is creating a series of quilt portraits of diverse American musicians, including Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone and Janis Joplin. Smaller pen and ink drawings fill one wall of her Pfister studio, and Petri’s frisky and friendly dog Mojo welcomes visitors with enthusiasm. The studio is open to hotel guests and the general public, who are encouraged to interact with the artist.
Selected by a juried committee from several finalists, each artist-in-residence spends one year working at the hotel’s first floor studio. Upon the completion of their time, they select one legacy piece that will go on permanent display in the hotel. Petri is the 11th resident artist to win the title.
Petri puts in 30 hours a week at the studio, creating new artwork and leading weekly tours of the Pfister’s art collection. “This is a storied place with a fascinating history and a surprising art collection. There are nearly 30 paintings on the seventh floor alone,” she says.
Petri’s spare hours are spent volunteering in soup kitchens, homeless shelters and city gardens. “I like to occasionally re-orientate myself with my soul,” she says. “I’m inspired by people who do the hard work, but I do not feel the need for recognition. I’m more of a back-of-the-house person, an extroverted introvert.”
With four months left in her residency, Petri reflects on the opportunity. “This appointment has given me the opportunity to test the waters. The Pfister has given me a chance to see how successful I could be. It’s both terrifying and delightful.”
Music Inspired by the Bard
“If music be the food of love, play on!” So wrote William Shakespeare in Twelfth Night.
The Concord Chamber Orchestra (CCO) has taken Shakespeare literally and will perform an evening of music inspired by the Bard. “This season, we dedicate our programming to William Shakespeare,” says CCO artistic director Jamin Hoffman. “Much like classical music, Shakespeare’s plays continue to have an impact centuries after they were written.”
CCO is an all-volunteer group of approximately 50 players from a variety of professions and backgrounds. Since 1975, the ensemble has provided an outlet for casual musicians who wish to remain artistically active.
Natalie Bakkan, an accountant by day and part-time professional musician, has played French horn for the Florentine Opera and the Wisconsin Philharmonic. She says, “It is a treat to play with CCO. Some professional players, after years of playing the same music, see performing as more of a job. People who perform with the CCO play for the pure joy of making music. It’s a great energy!”
Hoffman has conducted CCO since 2004, following 12 years as assistant and then resident conductor of the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra. A professional French horn player in his younger days, Hofmann received his master’s degree in music from UW-Milwaukee.
“We offer quality music delivered with a friendly vibe,” says Hoffman. “Our affordable ticket prices provide a way to introduce children to live concerts. Families can attend a CCO performance and not be afraid that they may not be dressed just right or may applaud at the wrong moment.” To further the experience, audience members are encouraged to attend complimentary post-concert receptions to meet the players. The orchestra presents several free concerts throughout the year in parks and retirement communities.
Featured on the December program is the Overture to Twelfth Night by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who taught composition to John Williams of Star Wars fame. “You can definitely hear the musical similarities between the two,” says Hoffman. Also offered is the Christmas inspired opera Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti, the first opera written specifically for television.
The Concord Chamber Orchestra performs Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Basilica of St. Josaphat, 333 S. Sixth St.
