Peltz Gallery Celebrates 'Remarkable Women'

<p>Cissie Peltz imagined an art gallery on Milwaukee's Knapp Street 23 years ago. Today, that dream continues to be a reality. And for the past 22 years, Peltz has sponsored the "Remarkable Women Show" to highlight the wealth of female artists working in the city and beyond.<br /><br />This year, the gallery presents the work of more than 40 women artists from across the country, including many from the metro area, such as Kari Garon, Lee Ann Garrison, Anne Kingsbury, JoAnna Poehlmann, Evelyn Patricia Terry and Della Wells.<br /><br />UW-Milwaukee art professor Kay Knight has participated since the show's inception. Knight's large-scale painting <em>Child's Play </em>invites youthful reflection. UW-Madison professor emeritus Carol Pylant, another longtime contributor, has sent a self-portrait from her residency in Florence, Italy.<br /><br />Creatively, Peltz rarely relies on maintaining the status quo. Two new women appear in this 22nd edition of "Remarkable Women." Self-taught artist Anne Marie Grgich presents the contemporary, fairy-tale-like figurative works <em>Victorine #5 </em>and <em>The Masquerade #6. </em>Grgich recently exhibited at the Milwaukee Art Museum in "Accidental Genius." Pennsylvania artist Lenore Thomas, whose technique combines acrylics, graphite, screen printing, stencil and wax, is also debuting at Peltz Gallery. Her soft, sublime mixed media <em>Passive-Aggressive Marshmallow</em> features a non-literal image with a lustrous finish.<br /><br />Peltz celebrates the gallery's 23rd birthday and Gallery Night's 25th anniversary with a 6-9:30 p.m. reception on Friday, July 27. On Saturday, July 28, a free "French Breakfast" runs 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Also on Saturday, the "Collectors Symposium: Four Views" begins at 1 p.m. Later that day, 4-9 p.m., Peltz will host a free party with a birthday cake to celebrate the anniversary.<br /><br /><strong>Art Happenings</strong><br />"Sugar Is Combustible: BCC MKE Photo Diary 1989-2012"<br />Milwaukee Gay Arts Center<br />703 S. Second St. <br /><br />After living in New York, photographer Thomas Hellstrom returns to Milwaukee with a retrospective of 20-plus years of artwork. The exhibition is currently on view. An artist's reception takes place 5-10 p.m. on Gallery Night, July 27.<br /><br />"Patrick Farrell&mdash;New Oil Paintings: Looking Back"<br />Tory Folliard Gallery<br />233 N. Milwaukee St.<br /><br />Renowned Milwaukee artist Patrick Farrell offers a new exhibition of exquisite still-life images at a 5-8 p.m. reception on Thursday, July 19.</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p>