Those in search of quality, hand-made art to purchase or admire in Milwaukee will now be forced to look a little further. Two doors down, to be exact.
On July 1, Bay View's Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery, showcasing dexterous, independent artists and "crafters" since June 2005, will shut its location at 2367 S. Howell Ave. and move to a much larger space at the corner of Howell and Smith, 2375 S. Howell Ave., a block south of Lincoln Avenue.
Co-owners Faythe Levine and Kim Kisiolek have a fair bit of gravel to haul between now and then. The current incarnation of Paper Boat will not shut its doors until June 24, when the fourth biannual Art vs. Craft begins. This year's new-wave craft fair is being held at its new location, the Michael J. Cudahy Student Center at 1025 N. Broadway between Highland and State State.
Levine is the founder/organizer of Art vs. Craft and Kisiolek joined as co-coordinator in November, so there is effectively no spare time for either of them. In addition, both work full-time jobs: Kisiolek in the Stone Creek Coffee warehouse and Levine as a freelance artist with Flying Fish Design.
"The store is a labor of love for sure," Levine says.
Art vs. Craft, a veritable art bonanza with 100 vendors (it will be held this summer in the student center at the Milwaukee School of Engineering), spawned Paper Boat.
"We decided there needed to be a permanent fixture with the cream of the crop," Levine says.
So Paper Boat was born and artists from around the world were given a venue to display and sell their hand-made crafts and oddities -- the fruit of their minds.
There is jewelry, household goods, silk-screened clothing, bottle-cap magnets, glass pins and belt buckles and a great deal more. Levine places high value on a customer's opportunity to handle or wear things that he or she has never seen, or has viewed solely online.
The current gallery show -- Paper Boat changes its display, usually featuring one artist, every 6-8 weeks -- "The Forward March - The Little Small Clothespin People Brigade," consists of bizarre, intricately outfitted and individualized figurines made from clothespins by North Carolina-based artist Sarah Neuburger. Neuburger has an ardent following and Paper Boat has already sold a fair number of her little people online to out-of-state buyers.
Around 140 artists, on average, have work in Paper Boat at any given time and, while several are local, regional art is not the emphasis.
"I'm more looking at type and quality of work," says Levine, who displays, or has displayed, the work of artists from Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Spain and Japan.
One might make the mistake of assuming that Paper Boat is geared entirely toward the female species. Levine says that men make up at least half of her consumer base. Of course, they may be there buying gifts for females -- "Seriously, it's the best place to buy stuff for your girlfriend," she says -- but there are also T-shirts, art books and household items that may appeal to the male sensibility.
"I think it's a good place to come with whoever because there's so much to take in visually," Levine says. "Not like sitting on the bench at Victoria's Secret."
The new location is three times the size of the original, which Levine describes as "cozy." She and Kisiolek began thinking of a re-encampment in December.
"This space was a really good stepping stone for a start-up," she says. "But we've been overwhelmed with how well things have been going and, since we had the opportunity two doors down, we took it."
Changes will occur, but not many. Rather than a drastic increase in the number of artists, the owners prefer, says Levine, to "spread out a little more and settle in."
For one thing, Paper Boat will now be able to offer public openings for its gallery shows: "With the breathing room will come fun parties," Levine says.
Larger bodies of work by single artists will be shown and given the space they require; more clothing will be offered, along with a sitting area. The gallery is already booked through the middle of 2007.
But do not fear the curse of the thriving business that expands and thereby loses its atmosphere and its clientele. Paper Boat will remain the unique bastion of independent art and craft that it has been since its inception, Levine promises.
"It'll take a while to get settled, but we'll settle in well," Levine says. "We're keeping the energy the same. We're not going upscale."
Paper Boat's Web site is paperboatboutique.com. The phone number is (414) 483-8462.
