What do you get when you cross a groundbreaking Milwaukee Art Museum exhibit with the mad genius of Milwaukee's creative wealth?
Elephino.
No, seriously. It's a cross between an elephant and a rhino, and it's the clever metaphor for Cedar Block's latest endeavor, "What You Get When You Cross..."
Cedar Block has collaborated with MAM five times over the last two years and has brought you one-of-a-kind, uniquely Milwaukee experiences such as "The Ramirez Box," "Three Degrees of Francis Bacon" and "Bruce Nauman 101." But if you're still in the dark as to what Cedar Block is all about, it's probably best described as an innovative event-planning think tank for the art world.
This Friday, Aug. 15, Cedar Block takes over the Milwaukee Art Museum with a one-night-only exhibit of local artists paying tribute to Gilbert & George, the legendary duo which has been collaborating artistically for so long they consider themselves to be not two artists, but one.
Each Cedar Block participant was asked to chose a collaborator and the pair was then assigned a joke -- mostly simple one-liners, as the event's name suggests -- from which to draw inspiration.
"When I checked out the (Gilbert & George) exhibition, people were actually LOL-ing, especially when they read the titles of certain works, pointing them out to friends," says Cedar Block's founder / director Brent Gohde.
"So with this event, we wanted to pay tribute to that important aspect of (their) work. We especially looked for 'punny' jokes, or those which played with language, which is key to Gilbert & George's humor. That said, the jokes are a trigger for a new piece of art. Some will be laugh-out-loud funny, some will be very serious or straightforward. It should be a great mix."
Gohde also takes on the role of artist for this event and Milwaukee filmmakers Travis Huss and Ryan Lang directed a "mockumentary" of his creative process with teammate Milan Zori. Watch the three-part Webisodes here.
Look for projects from the following teams:
Katherine Biehl and Jenny Bohr
Luke Chappelle and Tom Stack
Monica Drake and Kelly Hillard
Max Estes and Ann-Sofi S Emilsen
Emily Gormican and Kevin Soens
Todd Graveline and Jan Graveline
Karin Haas and Katie Kraft
Sonji Hunt and Cassandra Leopold
Paul Kjelland and Joe Quinn
Little Friends of Printmaking
Luckystar Studio
Kristopher Pollard and Kat Berger
Mary Beth Ribarchek and Kristin Nelson
Cassandra Smith and Jessica Steeber
Soar Studios
Jenipher Sob and Allison Vallerga
Steve Somers and Adam McKee
Damian Strigens and Mark Waldoch
Eric Von Munz and Harvey Opgenorth
Mark Winter with Beth Bojarski
What else? If you've ever been Baconized or Ramirezoned, you'll know what to expect with Mike Neuman's Gilbert & George-inspired "photo booth."
Also, members of Comedy Sportz's The Midnight Show will answer, once and for all, "What happens after the joke?"
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.”
