By Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer Published Sep 15, 2006 at 7:46 AM
The next time you think that Milwaukee doesn't owe a debt of gratitude to the Milwaukee Art Museum and Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, consider these words, which ran in last Sunday's New York Times.

Ted Loos interviewed MAM curator Laurie Winters for an article about the new Biedermeier show and the way it illustrates how regional art museums like our own is having to seek out new partnerships and new ways to mount shows.

Noting Winters' scrappy approach to partnering with Vienna's Albertina Museum and its director Klaus Albrecht Schröder, Loos wrote:

"During her Vienna meeting, Ms. Winters learned that she got in the door largely because Mr. Schröder had heard of the Milwaukee Art Museum, but not because of its substantial collections. 'It was really the Calatrava addition that put us on the map in Europe,' she said, referring to the architect Santiago Calatrava’s soaring structure, completed in 2001, which is topped by louvers that open and close. 'Klaus said, "I know the building and I think it’s fabulous." He knew that the wings flapped.'"

Later in the story, Loos describes a partnership between the Louvre and Atlanta's High Museum and points out that the Louvre will also host Winters' Biedermeier exhibit -- which includes works from the Albertina, where the show procedes after closing in Milwaukee.

"'Ten years ago, it was impossible for us to work with a city like Milwaukee,' (Louvre president and director Henri) Loyrette said, adding that the Calatrava addition helped him see the Milwaukee Art Museum in a new light."
Bobby Tanzilo Senior Editor/Writer

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.

He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.

With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.

He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.

In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.

He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.