There’s an important distinction between “childish” and “child-like.” The latter names the whimsy and lack of self-consciousness that animates those who are immune to the mediocrity-inducing influence of societal expectation. The music of Thelonious Monk, for instance, is child-like. “Childish,” on the other hand, refers to a lack of discipline that spoils the charms of the child-like. The less successful films of Will Ferrell would fall into this category.
A high dose of child-like charm will be on display in “Art In the Garden,” an event celebrating children’s art at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 2-4 p.m. For the past 16 years, the Villa Terrace has enriched classes visiting from Milwaukee Public Schools with its wealth of art, architecture and botany. “Art In the Garden” will exhibit drawing, painting, sculpture and photography that have stemmed from students’ time at the Villa Terrace. An arts activity for children will be offered along with juice and snacks.
Día de los Muertos Ofrendas and Mariachi Flor de Toloache
Latino Arts
1028 S. Ninth St.
Celebrate your dearly departed with Latino Arts on Friday, Nov. 4. At 5 p.m. an opening reception will be held for their annual exhibition of the holiday’s traditional altars known as ofrendas, which local, regional and international artists have contributed. At 7:30 p.m. in the Latino Arts Auditorium, NYC’s first all-female mariachi band, Mariachi Flor de Toloache, will perform their modern take on the Mexican musical tradition ($15 general admission, $20 at the door). To learn more about the rich traditions and symbolism of Día de los Muertos ofrendas, register for a workshop led by local artist Nicole Acosta Nov. 14-17, held from 9:30-11 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. each day.
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“Lability”
H.F. Johnson Gallery
2001 Alford Park Drive, Kenosha
“Lability” is a peculiar title for a ceramics exhibition. As the nominal form of “labile,” lability denotes the state of being liable to change or easily altered, a state that does not straightforwardly apply to hardened clay. The show collects works by contemporary ceramic artists whose works hang from the wall, thereby subjecting three-dimensional works to a two-dimensional style of display. Having removed the works from their natural habitat of the pedestal, the artists face the challenge of balancing the gravitational demands of the heavy material with the artistic impulse to transgress boundaries. “Lability” opens with a reception, 4:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 3.
