This week on The Disclaimer, WMSE's weekly half hour of culture chat with Ryan Schleicher, Milwaukee Record's Matt Wild and I, once again we're discussing public art—specifically the public's general hatred of it. This month a Milwaukee artist proposed a novel solution for sprucing up Bay View's terribly unpopular Art Stop (the high-concept bus stop at the intersection of Howell and Kinnickinnic Avenues): painting a mural on it. Matt thinks that's a perfectly fine idea, while I'm completely and utterly disgusted by the suggestion. Doesn't it seem horrifically distasteful for an artist to suggest painting a piece of art over another piece of art? Do artists have any respect for each other's work? Do they abide by any kind of code? This feeds a larger discussion: We all know public art is massively unpopular in Milwaukee, but the ironic thing is it often seems most unpopular with artists themselves. They're frequently the first and loudest to disparage any attempt at public art in this city.
If that sounds like a bitter conversation, it often is, but we muster some uplifting takeaways, too. While discussing Matt's lovely appreciation for The Calling (AKA that big orange sun-looking thing on the lake) and that sculpture's relationship to the Calatrava, we find an example of a world-famous artist showing basic respect for another piece. How about that?
You can stream the episode below. As always, feel free to weigh in on our Facebook page, and to subscribe to The Disclaimer on iTunes.
