Fantasy has played an important role in art since prehistory. Among the depictions of cave lions, cave bears and mammoth (oh my!) in the painted caves of the Upper Paleolithic are found occasional human-animal hybrids that have mystified archaeologists like a fly in their theoretical ointment. Whatever its meaning, the impulse to invent fantastic creatures is carried over in the hellscapes of Hieronymus Bosch and Marc Chagall’s iconography.
“Mythos Fantasia,” at Inspiration Studios through Oct. 30, finds emerging Milwaukee artist John Zieloski working in a similar vein. “I call this work my fantasia period,” Zieloski explains, “The paintings in this collection are derived from impressions left in my mind’s eye by James Cameron and Tim Burton movies such as Terminator and Avatar. I choose to paint mythological creatures because, in a sense, they represent humanity’s creativity and imagination…back to the beginning of history.” An artist reception will be held on Saturday, Oct. 14, from 6-9 p.m.
Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays: Día de los Muertos
Milwaukee Art Museum
700 N. Art Museum Drive
Look. We both know that Sparky didn’t go to live on a farm upstate. So why shelter Junior from the ineluctable certainty of death? Why not spend Sunday, Oct. 15, at MAM for Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sundays: Día de los Muertos? From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., families will be given a crash course in the tradition and visual vocabulary of Día de los Muertos, the Mexican holiday celebrating the lives and memory of our dearly departed, through hands-on art activities. There will also be performances by Latino Arts Mariachi Infantil and Mariachito Sol and the Milwaukee-Based Dance Academy of Mexico directed by Marina Croft.
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“Back to School”
Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Center
2220 N. Terrace Ave.
It’s a disarmingly charming idea: Present the current work of esteemed local artists situated alongside pieces that they created back when they were in school. Such is the conceit of “Back to School,” on display the Villa Terrace from Oct. 12 through Jan. 28. The juxtaposition of past and present allows viewers to not only appreciate each artist’s maturation but, more interestingly, to suss out what has remained stable in each artist’s approach. During the opening night reception, there will a panel discussion at 7 p.m. on how the development from student to professional offers insight to an artist’s current work.
