For nearly eight years, Milwaukee's Flux Design custom design / build firm has been defined by innovation, creativity and distinct, sophisticated style.
And now, for the second year in a row, it's being associated with something even bigger: steamrollers.
One year ago, 20 artists -- most of which were Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design alumni or faculty -- gathered at Flux Design, 811 E. Vienna St., for a benefit event called Art in Flux.
Artists, including MIAD alumn Steve Sorrentino, Flux's project/office manager, took to the streets to create 4x8-ft. steamroller prints, as well as on-site sculpture from steel, wood and plastic time-based media pieces and comprised video and animation works, which screened repeatedly throughout the evening.
The event raised $31,000 for MIAD, in large part thanks to the creative results of large machinery mixing with a myriad of inks. And so this year, of course, the streamroller is once again Art in Flux's guest of honor.
"This year, we've expanded the event in several ways," says Vivian Rothschild, MIAD communications director. "We've added steamroller prints in sizes to fit all artistic wants: 4x5-ft., 20x56-in. and 20x26-in. We've also invited parents of students to attend, among other groups, and added the art sale coordinated by the Alumni Association."
Art in Flux 2007 takes place Saturday, Sept. 15, from 5 to 10 p.m., and highlights the many creative forces here in Milwaukee, which MIAD plays a leadership role in educating and fostering.
"MIAD alumni at Flux Design exemplify MIAD graduates' acumen, leadership and civic engagement," says Rothschild. "MIAD educates its students for creative leadership careers that include serving the communities in which they live. As the only independent, four-year college of art and design in the state, MIAD is a community resource committed to engaging community members in the creative process and Art in Flux is one of the unique ways to do that."
In addition to this benefit for MIAD scholarships, Flux Design has hosted benefits for Second Harvest of Wisconsin, Camp Heartland, Next Act Theatre and ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.
"Our graduates are in a unique position to do all these things because 80 percent of them choose to live and work in Wisconsin, contributing a brain gain that shapes our region's economic and creative future."
The $20 advance admission ($25 at the door and $10 for students with ID) includes fine food by Water Buffalo (a Flux-designed restaurant) and music provided by WMSE's Brent Gohde. A cash bar and secured, free parking are available.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
