Now that summer finally seems to be sticking around, Downtown Milwaukee's looking pretty great – thanks in large part to the work of Sculpture Milwaukee, coloring in the sidewalks of Wisconsin Avenue with creative and one-of-a-kind artwork for the third straight year.
This year's collection features almost two dozen brand new works to Wisconsin Avenue – from the very serious to the silly, from the photorealistic to the preposterous and surreal, from small to big to REALLY big in the case of Carlos Rolón's vibrant piece gracing the entire glass cube in front of Chase Tower. The one thing they all share in common: They make any trot down Wisconsin Avenue that much more interesting and surprising. (Bet you never expected to say, "Hey, is that a giant angry rabbit in a magician's hat?" while walking around Downtown.)
The outdoor public art exhibition officially opens on Friday, June 7, but with most of the pieces already in place – Sean Scully's "Black Stacked Frames" is still in the process of installation – we wanted to get a head start on the art. And we figured you might too, so help you on your hunt, here's what all the works look like and where you'll be able to find each new Downtown decoration – on display through Oct. 27.
1. "A Greater Perspective"
Artist: Elmgreen & Dragset
Where: O'Donnell Park, to the left of the walking bridge to the Milwaukee Art Museum
2. "Holiday Home (Milwaukee)"
Artist: Richard Woods
Where: O'Donnell Park
3. "Kitchen Trees"
Artist: B. Wurtz
Where: 931 E. Wisconsin Ave. in front of Coast
4. "Cleft" from the series "Dendroids"
Artist: Roxy Paine
Where: The eastern side of the park in front of the Northwestern Mutual Tower
5. "Penguin"
Artist: John Baldessari
Where: The western side of the park in front of the Northwestern Mutual Tower
6. "Hot Dog Vendor"
Artist: Red Grooms
Where: 875 E. Wisconsin Ave., in front of the small alley just west of the building
7. "Hera (half)"
Artist: Tony Matelli
Where: US Bank building at 777 E. Wisconsin Ave.
8. "Large Boxing Hare on Anvil"
Artist: Barry Flanagan
Where: The west side of the plaza deck at 777 E. Wisconsin Ave.
9. "Séraphine-chérubin" from the series "Big Brother: Teaching Staff for a School of Murderers"
Artist: Max Ernst
Where: 611 E. Wisconsin Ave. (Foxconn building)
10-11. "Handy Warhol and Handy Darling"
Artist: Haas Brothers
Where: 600 E. Wisconsin Ave. (600 East Cafe)
12. "Pensive"
Artist: Radcliffe Bailey
Where: A planter in front of the Wisconsin Club, 500 E. Wisconsin Ave.
13. "Magical Thinking"
Artist: Actual Size Artworks (Gail Simpson and Aris Georgiades)
Where: The Pfister pocket park at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave.
14. "Heavy Metal Stack of Six: Trichrome Blue"
Artist: Angela Bulloch
Where: 411 E. Wisconsin Ave.
15. "Tilted Channel" from "Full Steam Ahead"
Artist: Arlene Shechet
Where: Two-Fifty at 250 E. Wisconsin Ave.
16. "Gild the Lily (Caribbean Hybrid I, II, III)"
Artist: Carlos Rolón
Where: The entrance to Chase Tower at 111 E. Wisconsin Ave.
17-18. "We Are The Ones We've Been Waiting For" and "Empathy for Everyone"
Artist: Sam Durant
Where: 275 W. Wisconsin Ave, in the windows of the Shops at Grand Avenue
19. "Sun & Moon Protector"
Artist: William J. O'Brien
Where: 211 W. Wisconsin Ave.
20. "Tango Dancers"
Artist: Red Grooms
Where: 310 W. Wisconsin Ave., in the courtyard
21. "Curvae in Curvae"
Artist: Beverly Pepper
Where: 450 W. Wisconsin Ave., off to the side of the Wisconsin Center
22. "Black Stacked Frames"
(PHOTO: Sculpture Milwaukee)
Artist: Sean Scully
Where: Not yet installed, but when completed next week, it can be found at 4th and Wisconsin by the Wisconsin Center
For a full map and more information on each individual piece, visit Sculpture Milwaukee's website.
As much as it is a gigantic cliché to say that one has always had a passion for film, Matt Mueller has always had a passion for film. Whether it was bringing in the latest movie reviews for his first grade show-and-tell or writing film reviews for the St. Norbert College Times as a high school student, Matt is way too obsessed with movies for his own good.
When he's not writing about the latest blockbuster or talking much too glowingly about "Piranha 3D," Matt can probably be found watching literally any sport (minus cricket) or working at - get this - a local movie theater. Or watching a movie. Yeah, he's probably watching a movie.