After modern, what's next? That question began to trouble architects, philosophers and artists well before the 20th century slipped into the new millennium. As Judith Gura stresses in Design After Modernism, 21st-century designers embrace the eclecticism...

One of Downtown Milwaukee's great charms is its dense stock of historic buildings, many of...

  Perhaps the most interesting architects are the ones reluctant to define themselves as such. It’s seems those who straddle the fringes of the profession are in the best position to vault most spryly over its boundaries. Such certainly appears to be the case with Liz Diller, from Diller Scofidio + Renfro - a recent speaker at UWM’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning who wi...

Milwaukee's not a city that immediately conjures up a riot of colors in the mind's eye. That said, a number of architects and developers seem intent on challenging that outlook. Colorful new developments are popping up in different corners of the city. For a start there's that uncompromisingly yellow building next to Alterra in the Fifth Ward (with the pastel-colored cluster of apartments behind ...

It's that time of year again. The Department of City Development (DCD) is accepting your nominations for the best new buildings and spaces in your neighborhood. Some past winners have proven the categories - and the very definition of "good design" - to be very generous indeed. Others have proven there are a fair few Milwaukeeans out there with discerning tastes. So if you want to ensure some dese...

According to German expressionist artist Ernst Kirchner you could tell a lot about an artist from their prints. That’s certainly true of Richard Haas. Though best known for his large trompe l’oeil murals grafting the unsightly wounds of post war expansion in cities like New York and Chicago, it’s his prints that serve as a bedrock for his soaring romanticism. A new exhibition at Villa Ter...

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog, though unequalled in verity and wit, are entirely my own. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Shepherd Express, nor are they written for the enjoyment of peevish public relations managers.You’ve heard of a Barfly, but how about a Hotel Hopper – or better still a Lounge Layabout. While researching a recent story about Mil...

Why do you feel you were chosen for this project? One of the reasons I think [Discovery World] was interested in our work was because our firm is interested in research and work which has its root in the geomorphology of lands—the shaping and geographic considerations of land formation—and with questions like: Why does a hill look like a hill? Why does land settle that way? How does wate...

In 2006 Harley-Davidson delivered the kind of strapping spectacle only Milwaukee’s motor company could muster: It broke ground on the site of its new museum using a sportster motor bike mounted by a track-racing champion. That knack for flair culminates on July 12, when the finished museum opens its doors to the public in time for Harley’s 105th anniversary bash in August.