Haitian Invasion: After two years of planning, Milwaukee hosted the multi-day "Haiti 2012 Dreams and Reality" conference ("Pays Rêvé, Pays Réel") featuring that nation's artists, filmmakers and writers. The group was treated to a welcome dinner at Lynden Sculpture Garden, which displayed beautiful paintings by Orville Bulman, an American artist inspired by a trip to Haiti.
On hand were Haitian Cultural Attaché Marie-Anne Toledano, Marquette University's Sarah Davies Cordova, novelist Louis-Philippe Dalembert, UW-Milwaukee professor Patrick Bellegarde-Smith, Fran and Judy Croak, Milwaukee Art Museum curator Brady Roberts and Director Dan Keegan, Youthaiti President Gigi Pomerantz, soon-to-retire UWM French professor Gabrielle Verdier, Alliance Francaise's Anne Leplae, gallery operator David Barnett and Joan Dvorsky. Bradley Family Foundation hosted the event. Its director, David Uihlein Jr., and sculpture garden Executive Director Polly Morris presented an exhibit overview. At Marquette, B&D also viewed Haitian director Arnold Antonin's quirky, award-winning film Les Amours d'un zombi, candidat à la présidence ("The Loves of a Zombie, Presidential Candidate").
Retro Fashion: Feathers & Foxtails, an online vintage clothing store, celebrated its launch with a wall-to-wall blowout at Hotel Foster. Orchestrated by company creator Margaret Butler, the evening included music by Faux Fir and an over-the-top fashion show, backed by musicians Nicholas Stuart and Bradley Kruse from The Wildbirds, Al Kraemer of Calliope playing Farfisa, Hot Coffin drummer Justin Krol, and tambourinist Clarissa Anderson, doubling among the show's 15 models.
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Others on the runway included Jonathan Charles, cheered on by mom Joyce DeGroote, sister Amanda DeGroote with Troy Semandel, Kelsey Barber, Bob Tiede, Claire Muza, Danielle Bailey, Jessica Mutsch, Dana Jacobsen, actor Kyle Queenan and Svetlana Stoycheva. Assisting Butler were Holly Topel Neubert, Nina Mueller, Karly Boor and Kathryn O'Hara.
Bumping elbows were graphic designer Eric Koschnick, Devin Arch, Kristin Bridges and Amy Mulhern, Do414.com proprietor Jeremy Rogers, Kendall Mann, Danielle Hanson, Jerica Beakman, Danceworks instructor Chris Gilbert, Emily Craft in a vintage lid, Chuck Watson, Corissa and Casey Grundman, writer Evan Solochek, musician Asher Gray, Richard Bowman and bassist Ben Perlstein. Bartenders Lauren Landa, Amanda Olson and John Revord were busy.
Poetry Night: Woodland Pattern overflowed with poetry fans listening to Steve Anderson, Chris Austin, Paul Enea, Elliot O. Lipchik and Steve Pump read from their new book of poems, Portals and Piers. The five meet on Sunday mornings to read and discuss each other's work. Spotted in the audience were Maxine Wishner and Dan Mooney, heading to New York to celebrate her birthday; Gini Holland; Water Buffalo Books Director Mark Sachner and MaryLee Knowlton; Susan and Noah Dixon; and Woodland Pattern's Rob Baumann and co-founders Karl Young and Anne Kingsbury.
Gourmet Delight: Hearing rave reviews, B&D checked out The Noble in Walker's Point, which David Kressin and Frank Harroun have transformed into a cozy, retro gem. Other diners were retired pediatrician Sally Hunt with her husband, whirligig artist Rostislav (Slava) Yanovsky, their son Stefan and Brennan Balestrieri; activist Bill Sell, who ate and scampered off to the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; producer Pat Buckley and Rose Champagne, a Community Care nurse practitioner, there with pals Jason O'Brien, a Community High School teacher, and his wife, Holly, a Children's Hospital nurse educator.
St. Pat's Redux: For the 46th year, "Irish" Mary Kelly hosted her St. Pat's shenanigans, complete with the best corned beef, soda bread, plenty of green frosting and Irish spirits. Amid the "Celtic" cavorters were Dirk Urban with chanteuse Robin Pluer in colorful headdress; Lenore Lee; Bay View Historical Society chief Nancy Tawney and Greg Chrisafis; Mitchell Airport pianist Patricia Monroe, accompanied by wine and slivovitz importer Tony Jansen, there with his business partner, Le Mans racer Jacques Grelley, just back from a Lima-Rio drive.
Well Done: Success lived up to its title, opening in the beautiful Next Act Theatre space. After a visa delay, actress Kriti Pant arrived from Delhi that morning and performed without a yawn. The Theatre MXT play also featured John Kishline, Deborah Clifton and Ed Morgan, whose girlfriend, Dr. Raquelina Luna Calvo, was in town from the Dominican Republic. Friends gathered in the lobby for an après-sip-and-celebration: Theatre Gigante's Isabelle Kralj and Mark Anderson; graphic artist Frank Ullenberg; and Bunny Gumbo's irrepressible Jim Fletcher. Helping (wo)man the bar were house manager Gwen Zupan, celebrating her big 25 that evening, plus stage manager Jessica Connelly and Libby Amato, Kriti's understudy. Charles Kakuk, Next Act's 20-year-veteran managing director, watched over the assemblage.
Flappin' Jacks: Post-St. Pat's partiers queued up at Sugar Maple for beer pancakes concocted with Rogue Chocolate Stout and flipped by brew connoisseur and author Lucy Saunders. The flapjacks were being tested for Saunders' upcoming book, Dinner in the Beer Garden, due out in October. Pub owner Bruno Johnson grilled Klement's sausage, while his wife, Adrienne Pierluissi, held down the inside fort. Beermaker Mike Brenner herded the hungry brunchers. Among early eaters were freelance writer Amy Waldman, VISIT Milwaukee's Margaret Casey with Ray Fister, and machinery appraiser Brook Scheiber.
If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the April 5 issue of the Shepherd.
