Courtesy of Wustum
Each winter our wallets sustain the one-two punch of holiday gift giving and inflated heating bills. One can feel trapped between the Scylla of cabin fever and the Charybdis of penury. Fortunately, the latest of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s “Gifts to the Community” has arrived in the form of a free weekend of events and activities at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
The programming revolves around MAM’s new exhibition, “Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair,” to which visitors will have unlimited access. “Inspiring Beauty” is a retrospective of 80 stunning ensembles from 60 of the world’s most famous designers, each of which sauntered in the spotlight of Ebony magazine’s celebrated Fashion Fair. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet Camille Morgan, the exhibition’s guest organizing curator, as well as to contextualize the exhibition with screenings of Fashion Fairs past and other fashion-focused films. In keeping with the sartorial theme, there will also be fashion crafts and a runway for the DIY designers. Special activities for kids and a showcase of student art from the Scholastic Art Awards-Wisconsin round out the special weekend.
MAM is open and free to all from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, February 21-22.
“Wonders of Watercolor”
Wustum Museum
2519 Northwestern Ave., Racine
This week there is certainly no shortage of art experiences for the cost conscious. From 3:30-5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 19, Racine Art Museum’s Wustum Museum is offering a free art experience for children ages 4 and older. “Wonders of Watercolor” is the timely theme of the workshop. Participants are welcome to visit Wustum’s ongoing exhibition—the annual, statewide competition “Watercolor Wisconsin”—for purposes of education and inspiration. The ability of watercolor to body forth emotionally charged atmospheres as well as distinct objects is sure to make the medium a hit with kids of all ages and stages of motor skill development.
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“The Science and Art of Paper Engineering”
Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
273 E. Erie St.
Parents and connoisseurs of pop-up books will already be familiar with Robert Sabuda, whose three-dimensional retellings of classic narratives have topped the New York Times Children’s Bestseller List. Less familiar will be Sabuda’s work as a paper engineer, which will be the theme of “The Science and Art of Paper Engineering,” a talk given by Sabuda at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25. After a Q&A session moderated by WUWM “Lake Effect” Producer and Co-host Bonnie North, there will be a reception and book signing.
