The rising popularity of plein air painting has inspired several events around the Milwaukee area in recent years. Plein Air MKE is the first of its kind to bring together the arts and cultural organizations inhabiting the choice East Side real estate known as the Milwaukee Museum Mile.
The event marks the five-year anniversary of the Museum Consortium formed by the Charles Allis Art Museum, the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the North Point Lighthouse, the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum and Saint John’s On The Lake. “By banding together and pooling our resources we’ve been able to bring more gravity to the location,” explains John Sterr, executive director of the Charles Allis and Villa Terrace Art Museums Inc.
From May 7-14 easels will line the Milwaukee Museum Mile from Juneau Park on the south to Lake Park on the north. Up to 75 artists will be by their sides working furiously to capture ever-changing light and other ephemeral details. Strict guidelines evidence high stakes: “a minimum of 95% of each painting must be created on-site … A painting will be disqualified for judging if the artist is found using an iPad or photos on their easel, is standing outside the boundaries, or intentionally impedes the sightline of another artist.” Besides public exposure and bragging rights, the artists are vying for eight cash awards from $200 to $2,000.
The Charles Allis will be hosting informative talks on art appreciation and art collecting. The Jewish Museum Milwaukee has enlisted musicians from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music to delight the public and inspire the artists toiling away in the JMM’s atrium. The North Point Lighthouse will stir creativity through sociality with a coffee klatch during which the public can mix, mingle and caffeinate with the artists painting one of the many perspectives commanded by the bluff. More than one mere mile of the East Side will be abuzz with activity. On opening day, Saturday, May 7, the artists will warm up with “Quick Paint on Brady,” a 2.5-hour plein air competition in miniature. “One of the main goals of the Museum Coalition is to benefit the historic East Side, both artistically and economically,” says Sterr, “The Quick Paint will funnel business to Brady Street and since most plein air painting has nature as its theme, the urban setting should yield some interesting results.
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Plein Air MKE 2016 culminates in a reception with hors d’oeuvres, drinks and a string quartet on Thursday, May 12 from 5-8:30 p.m. at St. John’s on the Lake, which houses a satellite gallery of the Museum of Wisconsin Art. The newborn works of art will be on display for the judges to scrutinize and the public to purchase. “This is an opportunity for the public to own a piece of the East Side,” Sterr emphasizes, “There will be paintings of various sizes for a wide range of prices.” Admission is $10.
