Meteorologists are predicting a wet and gloomy Gallery Night Friday, but as usual there are plenty of amazing exhibitions worth braving the storm for.
Here are a handful of stops worth braving the weather for, and a complete listing of official Gallery Night events can be found here.
So throw on your rain slicker, grab your umbrella and take a peek at our much sunnier OnMilwaukee.com Gallery Night forecast.
Coalition of Photographic Arts 2011 Members' Exhibition:
"As We See It"
Where: Mayer Building, 342 N. Water St.
When: Opening reception Friday, 4-10 p.m., exhibition up through May 21.
The sixth annual CoPA members' exhibition titled "As We See It" features roughly 400 images from the group's 101 members filling up about 6,000 square feet with a diverse group of multi-format photography. One of the more intriguing exhibitors is 13-year-old Allison Conrad, whose work displays an understanding of color and composition well beyond her years. Work from recent OnMilwaukee.com subjects Erik Ljung and Brandy Lawrence is included, too.
Murmurs in the Trees by Joan Backes
Where: Dean Jensen Gallery, 759 N. Water St.
When: Artist reception Friday, 6-9 p.m., exhibition up through May 28.
Born and raised in Wisconsin, Backes has often used trees as metaphors in her art, and they serve as the central focus of this show which explores a variety of mediums. From her sparse and elegant papier mache tree sculptures to her beautifully rendered acrylic tree bark paintings, Backes' work will leave you with an appreciation for nature's beauty and make you think about where you may be overlooking it in your daily life.
Carlos Cortez and Allied Artists
Where: Walker's Point Center for the Arts, 839 S. 5th St.
When: 5-9 p.m., exhibition up through May 14.
The Cortez exhibit that opened there April 1 is still up and is a must see. Friday sees it getting a second opening reception of sorts. The exhibit includes prints made and inspired by Carlos Cortéz, a Milwaukee-born artist who later moved to Chicago and produced prints that focused on human and workers' rights as well as poetry and celebration. Work from the WWIII and Just Seeds art cooperatives will also be on display.
MAM After Dark: Tax MAM
Where: Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N. Art Museum Dr.
When: Friday 5 p.m. until midnight
As usual MAM After Dark will feature a grab bag of art and entertainment. Students from UW-Milwaukee's Peck School of the Arts and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design join forces to create work reacting to the contemporary craft exhibit "The New Materiality" in a one-night-only exhibition. Other highlights include music from former Violent Femmes drummer Victor DeLorenzo's Nineteen Thirteen, and tours from artists featured in "The New Materiality"including Donald Fortescue, Lawrence LaBianca, Christy Matson and Tim Tate.
Milwaukee Mills: A Visual History
Where: Grohmann Museum, 1000 N. Broadway
When: Opens Friday at 7 p.m., exhibition up through Aug. 21
Paintings, photographs, prints and objects related to the local iron industry of the late 19th and early 20th century are sure to offer a glimpse of the area's once booming iron production. John H. Kopmeier Jr., the museum's director, will kick off the evening with a talk about the exhibition.
Mark Mulhern opening reception at the Tory Folliard Gallery
Where: Tory Folliard Gallery, 233 N. Milwaukee St.
When: Artist's reception from 5-9 p.m., exhibition is up through May 14.
Milwaukee artist Mark Mulhern exhibits new work colorful depictions of every day life, from the buzz of a crowded day on the beach to the pageantry of a dog show. His simple and abstract figurative works create worlds of unbound shape and color that delight the imagination.
