Cabinets of curiosities were all the rage among wealthy aristocrats in Renaissance Europe. These collections of tchotchkes, antiquities and Mother Nature’s oddities filled entire rooms and served as paeans to their owners’ immense wealth. Cabinets of curiosities also reinforced repressive power structures insofar as they classified foreign cultures as peculiar and quaint.
A new installation by Chicago-based artist Fo Wilson subverts the traditional cabinet of curiosities by imagining what objects a 19th-century woman of African descent might have collected and catalogued. What among the material culture of her European captors would strike her as curious and worthy of display? The full-scale structure of Eliza’s Peculiar Cabinet of Curiosities combines a cabinet of curiosity with a slave cabin that includes more than 100 found objects.
Concurrently with Eliza’s Peculiar Cabinet of Curiosities, Wilson will be exhibiting work from her ongoing series, “P.S. I Love You,” which applies collage and mixed media to early 20th-century postcards that sentimentalize stereotypes of the “happy servant.” The works restore dignity to their subjects. The exhibitions open at the Lynden Sculpture Garden on Sunday, June 26, with a reception from 3-5 p.m.
31st Annual Cedarburg Strawberry Festival
Downtown Cedarburg
Strawberries are in season, which means it is time for a free, family friendly weekend of fruit and art. The delights of Cedarburg’s annual Strawberry Festival are many and varied. For gourmands and gluttons, locally made strawberry pie, strawberry crepes, strawberry slushies, chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry wine, strawberry brats and other delicacies will be available for sampling and purchase. All along Washington Avenue, the Strawberry Festival features more than 250 artists from across the Midwest. With pony rides, a petting zoo and inflatable bounce houses, there’s plenty to keep the kids occupied. The Strawberry Festival is Saturday, June 25 (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and Sunday, June 26 (10 a.m. to 5 p.m.).
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Occasional Artist Series Featuring Julia Taylor
North Point Lighthouse
2650 N. Wahl Ave.
The spirit of the leading landscape architect of the second half of the 19th century, Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903), is alive and well thanks to Lake Park Friends, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the enjoyment of Lake Park. A Friday, June 24 fundraiser features watercolors and photos by Julia Taylor. “Her work is so lovely and evocative of all the things people love about Lake Park,” says Lenore Lee of Lake Park Friends. “We’ll be selling her work, about 40 paintings, and a book that includes reflections from 13 individuals who are leaders of the various committees of Lake Park.” All proceeds benefit Lake Park Friends and the North Point Lighthouse Museum. “This is a park for everybody,” says Lee with a palpable passion. “I hope people will come celebrate this Milwaukee treasure.” Admission is $10 per person. To register, email lakeparkfriends@sbcglobal.net or call 414-962-1680.
