Thank heavens for some good news.
Just when it seems the pandemic is taking aim at nearly every bit of summer fun, the organizers of Sculpture Milwaukee have announced that the annual Downtown outdoor art exhibition IS ON for the fourth straight year.
Installation of this year's works is expected to begin on June 8 and will run until mid-July and to make up for this phased-in approach, many of the sculptures will remain in place through next winter.
Last year's "Holiday Home" – by Richard Woods – will remain on view but with a new color scheme for 2020.
This is also the first year in which sculptures will be installed in the Third Ward, thanks to a partnership with the Black Box Fund.
Because of coronavirus, there will no related in-person events tied to Sculpture Milwaukee this year. Online resources will help folks explore the sculptures alone.
These include live-streamed and pre-recorded conversations with artists, virtual art lectures and other events.
In addition, there will be ground markings around the works to help viewers maintain social distance.
"The sculptures will be a visible and vibrant reminder of our city’s unwavering resilience, an invitation to reimagine our surroundings, take-in new perspectives, and get inspired," said Beth Weirick of Milwaukee Downtown.
"We want everyone to feel safe coming downtown; Sculpture Milwaukee’s plans fit right in with the larger effort to create a safe, inviting locale for our community."
Sculpture Milwaukee’s Executive Director Brian Schupper added, "We love Milwaukee, and, we want our exhibition to inspire people to get out and experience our beautiful city once again."
I can't wait to see this year's works and to try and guess which ones will stay in the city forever, like this one and this one and numerous others.
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.
