Wilson Center’s Hidden River Art Festival
celebrates Wisconsin artists

WITH ITS FOCUS on Wisconsin artists, the Hidden River Art Festival is a favorite event for both local art lovers and visitors to the Milwaukee metro area.

This year, the festival features returning favorites as well as a number of new exhibitors. Presented by the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, the event will be held Sept. 17-19 on the Center’s grounds. The Center is located in Brookfield’s Mitchell Park at 19805 W. Capitol Dr., just south of Capitol Dr. between Brookfield and Barker Roads.

The festival features the work of 80 Wisconsin fine artists specializing in a variety of media, including painting, photography, clay, glass and metal. Hidden River also gives visitors a chance to tour the interior of the Center, where emerging artists and the Milwaukee area’s leading private art galleries will be represented.

The Gallery Showcase, located in the Wilson Center’s Grand Hall, features River’s End Gallery, Griffin Gallery and Lyle Husar Designs. The Hidden River Emerging Artists Gallery inside the Dawes Studio Theater focuses on emerging local artists, art collectives and studios. This display also provides a platform for young Wisconsin artists to share their art with the public.

The Center’s Ploch Art Gallery features an exhibition by Emily Belknap, who uses large stone sculpture to create a sense of time and describe its impact on nature. She graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) in 2007 and has shown her work throughout the Milwaukee area, including at the Museum of Wisconsin Art and the Mitchell Park Domes. Belknap also participated in three Hidden River Art Festivals. The exhibit runs Sept. 11-Oct. 29.

This year, an exciting public sculpture project under the direction of Brock Rumohr will invite those attending the festival to participate. This artwork, developed in multiple sections and assembled at the close of the festival, incorporates woven wood lathe and natural organic materials and is intended to decompose over time. Its location outside of the Wilson Center’s art studio assures that both youth and adult students have an opportunity to observe and document the process of decay over the coming months.

When asked about the inspiration for the project, Rumohr explains, “The grounds of the Wilson Center with the art festival backdrop are perfect for a public collaboration on a large scale sculpture. The combination of natural materials used in the piece and the idyllic landscape of Mitchell Park will really work wonderfully together. I love the energy and sense of ownership that people bring to a collective experience like this. “

Outside the Center, tents shelter the booths of the featured artists. The artists were selected by a panel of jurors from 125 applicants. A centrally located demonstration area provides a gathering place for short demonstrations, discussions and some hands-on opportunities throughout the three-day festival. In addition, hands-on art activities exploring a wide variety of art media are available for kids of all ages.

A large picnic area features food and beverage concessions provided by local restaurants.

The festival is supported by presenting sponsor Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other companies, corporations and individuals. Festival hours are 1-7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $7 at the door and $5 in advance. Children under 12 are free. Advance tickets and information is available by calling 262-781-9520. Or visit www.hiddenriverartfestival.com

Directions to the festival are I-94 to Barker Rd. exit, north on Barker Rd., east on Capitol Dr., then right on Mitchell Park Dr.

Program diversity emphasized at Wilson Center for the Arts

UPCOMING events at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts illustrate the diversity of the programming. Now in its eighth year, the Center is a non-profit cultural arts center that offers performances by regional and touring groups, arts education and an art gallery with changing exhibitions.

See the current KeyMilwaukee.com arts and entertainment listings for all September events. Following are some of the fall highlights. Phone 262-781-9520 or visit www.wilson-center.com for tickets or information.

September 25, Dee Dee Bridgewater focuses her talents on material immortalized by the enigmatic Billie Holiday.

September 30, Chamber Music Milwaukee is an intimate evening with members of the UWM Peck School of the Arts world-renowned faculty and invited guests.

October 1 & 2, In CHANSON, Amanda McBroom sings repertoire by Jacques Brel, the most famous singer/songwriter in France during the 60s golden age of popular song.

October 13, Steve March Tormé, the first-born son of legendary jazz singer Mel Tormé, presents a magical afternoon of music and memories.

October 22, The Seasons Project features Robert McDuffie, violin soloist, with The Venice Baroque Orchestra. The orchestra plays Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons on period instruments then switches to contemporary instruments for The American Seasons by Academy Award-nominated American composer Philip Glass.

November 5 & 6, Kurt Ollmann and Jack Forbes Wilson present RODGERS &/OR HAMMERSTEIN – songs from the great Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals along with beloved, but lesser-known songs by Rodgers & Hart and Kern & Hammerstein.

November 20, Lead singer and chief songwriter for The Mavericks, Raul Malo has released his first album of original material in seven years. Although completely contemporary, Lucky One recalls the great tunes of the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, made famous by Malo’s musical heroes: Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens.