Snap Shots: A successful first-time benefit for the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Photography Council was held at Pieper Properties’ beautiful, nearly completed 234 W. Florida St. building in the Fifth Ward. Proudly showing off the trendy digs were its owners, CEO Dick Pieper, his daughter, Ann Pieper Eisenbrown, president of Pieper Properties, and her husband, Bob Eisenbrown, Rockwell Automation veep.

Kim Elias from Grill on the Go supplied the eats, while the well-mustachioed Mike Brenner provided samples of his latest brews.

The party attracted a Who’s Who of Milwaukee art photographers, plus a contingent of Chicago shooters, including Aron Gent, Jason Reblando and Anna Shteynshleyger. Making the scene were Kevin Miyazaki, there with Marilu Knode, now a curator of contemporary global art living in St. Louis; husband-wife Bob Smith and Sarah McEneany; plus Jim Seder and his wife, Marie.

Manning the door were Dan Saal, who designed the event’s attractive promo graphics, and Brooke Mulvaney, MAM’s collections manager of works on paper. Kate Elsner, outgoing Photo Council president, reviewed the group’s hectic past year’s activities, followed by a look ahead by successor Mel Trittin, along with remarks by Lisa Hostetler, the talented MAM photo curator.

The party was organized by Photo Council board members Lindsay Lochman, photographer Sonja Thomsen and Kristen Carter, the event’s “marketing architect.” Other board members circulating were the stylish Julie Solochek and Christine Symchych, with her gifted young nephew Colby King.

Photo historians John Angelos and Marilyn Johnson donated a vintage periodical collection to the silent auction, perused by Lee Ann Garrison, chair of the Peck’s Department of Art & Design, Sande Robinson, Kathy and David Yuille, and Peggy Russo.

Garden Frolic: Cream City Foundation’s “My Best Friend Is Straight” summer fund-raiser was held at the Lynden Sculpture Garden. The mix-and-mingle was marvelous, despite the hungry mosquitoes feasting on guests, who in turn dined on Kathy Papineau’s local organic food from Localicious. Volunteer Maryann Gorski helped serve. Lakefront Brewery beverages flowed, along with an ample supply of vintages, thanks to Tim Clark, owner of Waterford Wine and a former Cream City board member. Tours of the garden’s art collection were offered, while guests admired the interior art, including a beautiful ceramic installation by artist Linda Vitamvas. 

Checking in guests were Valerie Johnson from Kolb Co Financial Advisors and her husband, Dennis Robison. Maria Cadenas, Cream City Foundation exec, greeted guests as board president Stacey Herzing circulated and Henry Sanders, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, worked the crowd.

Sporting a stylish fedora, artist Patrick Farrell said his work is now being shown at the Carol Craven Gallery in Martha’s Vineyard. He and Jim Schroeder chatted with Patrick Dougherty, who had cycled to River Hills from the East Side.

Admiring the admirably manicured grounds were Realtor Jim Ollrogge and artist and teacher Cory Haywood, Bon-Ton Stores’ Wayne Klebe, Paul Masterson, Jerry Janus, Kurt Schummer from Prudential Finance, Marion Araujo and Chuck Grosz, Tom Wilson, UBS Financial’s Christina Plum, Paul Stenzel, UWM’s film historian Carl Bogner, Dr. Robert Starshak, plus a contingent from the Wisconsin Gazette: publisher Louis Weisberg with Bobby Wright, co-founder Leonard Sobczak, and Will Elwood.

Wedding Splendor: Artist Rory Burke and Marquette engineering professor Chris Foley celebrated a spectacular-plus wedding at the lakefront home of her parents, John and Murph Burke. The Rev. Steven Teague officiated at the nuptials in the lush gardens, enhanced with music by Joe Ketchum and his chamber ensemble. Barrie Yuspeh, now living in San Francisco, was maid of honor and the couple’s matchmaker, Mathew Weglarz, was best man.

After the ceremony, champagne flowed and the nearly 400 guests then headed to a Ringling-sized tent, complete with a dance floor and dueling music of Bill Sargent’s big band, from Chicago, and Milwaukee’s popular 5 Card Studs. Caterer Scott Shully and his wife, Beth, headed their A-team of chefs and servers, while well-coiffed photographer Paul Newman digitally captured the frivolities.

The grounds burst with Burkes, including Rory’s siblings: sisters Wendy Slocum, with her husband, Peter, and Molly and husband John Sloan, plus brothers John (JB) and his wife, Tisha, and Patrick with Kristin Lance. 

Rory’s uncle Gerry Burke and his wife, Mary, aunts Sheila Vollman, now living in New Orleans, and Realtor Meg Noyes, her husband, Hack, and their daughters Lindsey Touzios and her husband, John, and Stefanie Dugan with her husband, David, were among the late-night crowd. 

Other revelers were Steve Kuhnmuench and his wife, Cheryl Gehl, Abby Christofferson and Andrew Stoll, Luke and Amalia Todryk, Lindy Kusik, Donna and Terry Wakefield, Tom and Katie Sonnenberg, builder Leif Backus, whose Woodstock Inn in Vermont is nearing completion, and his brother Sepp, a Milwaukee rehabber, and Lamonte Cranston Cook and Mark Van Ess, the creators and owners of Cranston.

The Foleys are headed off for an extended honeymoon, including a trip on the Oriental Orient-Express.

Too Many Pabsts: It was an admirably six-packed Joe Pabst, not Nick Pabst, who posed in his birthday suit for the Portrait Society’s “Real Photo Postcard Survey.”

If you have any tips for Boris and Doris, contact them at borisanddorisott@aol.com. Their next column will appear in the Aug. 26 issue of the Shepherd.