“Spirit of the Place: Early Woodland Mound Builders of Cedarburg” ties together art, anthropology and local prehistory. The show, opening Saturday, May 21 at the Cedarburg Cultural Center, examines a conical burial mound built in Cedarburg circa 480 B.C.E., one of Wisconsin’s oldest. To put its antiquity in perspective, remember that in 480 B.C.E., Socrates—the pug-nosed daddy of Western philosophy—would not be born for another decade.
The exhibition will feature recently discovered photographs from the mound’s first excavation in 1968 along with a selection of artifacts unearthed by the meticulous archaeologists. “Spirit of the Place” includes educational materials that help viewers contextualize the construction and use of the burial mound and, on Thursday, May 26 at 6:30 p.m., Kurt Sampson, president of the Wisconsin Archeological Society, will deliver a lecture on the Hilgen Spring Mounds Site. “Spirit of the Place” is on display until June 12.
“Go for Baroque: Opulence and Excess in Contemporary Art”
Racine Art Museum
441 Main St., Racine
The term “baroque” means different things to different people. To art historians, it signifies the distinctive style of architecture, music and visual arts in Europe of the 17th and 18th centuries. In common parlance, “baroque” connotes florid superabundance and over-refined ornamentation. “Go for Baroque: Opulence and Excess in Contemporary Art” (May 22-Sept. 4 at the Racine Art Museum) finds more than 30 artists interpreting the theme in an eye-catching variety of manners. Kate Cusack, for instance, has wrought “Marie-Antoinette” style wigs from household plastic wrap. Other artists “go for baroque” with ceramics, metals and U.S. currency.
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MCP Staff Art Show
Clive Promhows Live Artists Studio
228 S. First St. #302
“Every child is an artist,” noted Pablo Picasso, “The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.” One possible solution, suggested by Milwaukee College Prep, is to surround children with examples of grownups who have remained artists despite growing up. On Friday, May 20, from 7-9 p.m., staff and board members from across the four campuses of the K-8 public charter schools will exhibit works of art, play instruments and perform songs.
