Sculpture Milwaukee 2020 works on view downtown
Sculpture Milwaukee has installed its 2020 collection of outdoor public art, including a “Blob Monster,” a giant crushed red beverage cup and a woman who never stops walking.
Most works are installed downtown along Wisconsin Avenue from O’Donnell Park at the lakefront to North Sixth Street, but for the first time some works have been placed in the Historic Third Ward along North Broadway.
Memorable new works on Wisconsin Avenue include Julian Opie’s “Natalie Walking” (2016), a double-sided animated lightbox that depicts a woman in a jacket and short skirt in purposeful stride; Thomas J. Price’s “Within the Folds (Dialogue I)” (2020), a bronze statue 9 feet tall of a young Black man in sportswear, including a hoodie, striking the kind of heroic pose common in ancient Greek statuary; and Tony Tasset’s “Blob Monster” (2010), a multicolored creature that appears to be in perpetual melt.
In the Historic Third Ward, Sculpture Milwaukee has placed Paula Crown’s “JOKESTER” (2018), an enormous knockoff of a red plastic SOLO cup, as though it were discarded in the middle of that entertainment district. This piece may acquire an extra layer of associations in the middle of a pandemic, when maskless public partying is seen as a spreader of COVID-19.
The 2020 exhibit also features Milwaukee artist Maggie Sasso’s “Too Much Sea for Amateurs — Marooned” (2016), a re-creation of the Coast Guard station along the Milwaukee lakefront.
Four works continue from the 2019 edition of Sculpture Milwaukee, including Carlos Rolón’s “Gild the Lily (Caribbean Hybrid I, II, III)” (2019), which fills the cube of the Chase Bank lobby at Water and Wisconsin with floral imagery.
Organizers have also brought back Milwaukee artist Paul Druecke’s “Shoreline Repast,” which looks like a historical marker partly sunk into the earth. It was part of Sculpture Milwaukee
Tony Tasset’s “Blob Monster” (2010) is part of Sculpture Milwaukee 2020 on E. Wisconsin Ave.
2017.
Due to the pandemic, no group tours will be offered, but Sculpture Milwaukee has posted an audio tour at www.sculpturemilwaukee.com/
audio. Sculpture Milwaukee encourages
visitors to wear masks and practice safe social distancing.
A route map can be found at www.sculpturemilwaukee.com/2020.
This free outdoor exhibit is supported by Northwestern Mutual, The Black Box Fund, Irgens and other donors. All artworks are available for purchase. For more information, visit sculpture milwaukee.com. Contact Jim Higgins at jim.higgins@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jhiggy.