The beginning of the new year brings with it both a cautious optimism regarding the country's change in political administrations and concern about the global economy. Several leaders of Milwaukee's creative community express their thoughts on the state of art in light of these momentous events. Racine Art Museum (RAM) Executive Director Bruce Pepich has more than 30 years of experience in Wisconsin art management. Under his direction RAM has become one of the top Fine Craft museums in America. So we asked him about...

Katie Musolff, a 2004 graduate of Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, stakes her name on her award-winning oils. Her near-life-size portraits capture the unique persona and soul of her subject in masterful strokes, but a recent personal experience led her to redirecting the focus of her art and her life. This reevaluation of her subject matter and primary medium infuses her upcoming exhibition "Drawn from Life," which opens on Gallery Night at the Elaine Erickson Gallery, located on the first floor of the Third Ward's Marshall Building.