It’s the second week of spring semester classes at Marquette University, which means that the student body and the Haggerty Museum of Art are just awakening from their winter-break hibernation. On Thursday, Jan. 22, the Haggerty unveils three new exhibitions, all of which explore the interrelation between bodies, borders and identities.
“Promising Waters” comes to us from Mila Teshaieva, who for more than four years trained her camera’s lens on the transformations of three bodies politic situated on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Teshaieva’s well-chosen moments capture three former Soviet republics—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan—in the process of discovering their sovereign identities. At 6 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 29, Teshaieva will present a lecture on the works in Straz Hall, Room 105, 915 West Wisconsin Ave.
“States of Uncertainty” consists of sculpture, video and sound-based installations from three contemporary artists united in their reflections on national and personal identity. For instance, Shilpa Gupta’s flap board, reminiscent of those found in European train stations, is poetically programmed to unveil a meditation on transitions, traditions and travel.
“The Body, The Self” culls creations from the Haggerty’s permanent collection, which thematize the body as site of numerous conflicts relating to gender, race and sexuality. The works span four centuries and include pieces by dynamos such as Salvador Dali.
“Distressed Structures—The Weathering of Ecologies”
The Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts
926 E. Center St.
“Distressed Structures” collects the works of five influential Wisconsin artists whose work facilitates a dialogue between viewer and the environments that they call home. Melanie Ariens, Eddee Daniel, Matthew Warren Lee, Nathaniel Stern and Corbett Toomsen depict and document the “weathering of ecologies” through photographs, paintings and three-dimensional works. In keeping with the socially conscious theme, three community events will accompany the exhibition: a presentation by the Milwaukee Riverkeepers (6:30 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 29), an artist panel discussion (6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5) and a presentation by Milwaukee Water Commons (6:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 12).
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“Urban Wood Encounters: From Tree To Table”
Lynden Sculpture Garden
2145 W. Brown Deer Road
Why should trees be denied the dignified afterlife of organ donation? Like the Lorax, Dwayne Sperber speaks for the trees, albeit as an advocate for the use of urban wood that typically winds up decomposing in landfills. “From Tree To Table” is a hands-on demonstration of the possibilities of this major urban resource. On Saturday, Jan. 24, from 1-2 p.m., participants will be led on a walk through the Lynden grounds and through the process of transforming urban wood into valuable products. From 2-3:15 p.m., artist Joseph La Macchia will lead a woodworking workshop in which participants will make their own four-legged foot stool from urban wood. Advance registration is required, costs $30 ($25 for members) and includes all the necessary materials and instruction.
