The success of television programs like “Antiques Roadshow” and “Storage Wars” reveal our fascination with finding treasures in our midst and give substance to the intoxicating prospect that Great-Grandfather’s shellac stack of 78s may contain Tommy Johnson’s “Alcohol and Jake Blues” (recently sold for $37,100) or that the canvas caked with decades of dust is a long-vanished Vincent Van Gogh (Sunset at Montmajour, rediscovered in 2013, is valued upwards of $50 million).
“Hidden Treasures: Art Nouveau and Arts & Crafts in our Midst” at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum unveils a collection of antiques that has been hiding right under Milwaukee’s nose. The treasures date from the late 1800s to the 1930s and are representative of two of the era’s most important artistic movements: Art Nouveau and the arts and crafts movement. The collection was amassed by Milwaukeean John S. Winkowski (1944–2014) and includes early-20th-century luxury metal goods from Germany’s Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, diaphanous glass vases from the legendary atelier of Émile Gallé and ultra-chic silver claret jugs that put contemporary pimp cups to shame. The exhibition opens with a reception on Thursday, June 25 from 6-8:30 p.m.
“All in the Family”
Racine Art Museum
441 Main St.
Sibling rivalry isn’t all bad. Sure it makes road trips hell on parents, but properly channeled, such strife can spur sibs to heightened achievement. Case in point are the ceramic collaborations of identical twins Kelly and Kyle Phelps, which address the complex role of the middle class in contemporary American society and form the focus of the Racine Art Museum’s new exhibition. “All in the Family” displays works made by familial pairings—siblings, couples, and parents and children—to ask questions about how our closest relationships shape the creative process. The exhibition opened Sunday, June 21.
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“The Big Idea III: Envisioning”
Latino Arts
1028 S. Ninth St.
Having been subsidized by the U.S. Department of Education and acknowledged for Excellence and Innovation in the Arts by the College Board, the Advancing Literacy and Math through Art Program (ALMA) has not lacked in official recognition. Further evidence of the program’s success is exhibited in “The Big Idea III: Envisioning,” which contains curriculum, information about visiting artists, images of lessons in progress and, most importantly, artworks by Bruce-Guadalupe Elementary and Middle School students in second through eighth grades. “The Big Idea III: Envisioning” is on display at Latino Arts Inc. from June 25 through Aug. 25.
