Play in the City

Milwaukee Art Museum

Last night, Dave and I planned on going into the Bistro (Lake Park Bistro, where I worked up until a month ago for all you newcomers) to have a delicious dinner and to visit all my ex-coworkers since I haven't seen most of them in a month and I miss them.

I psyched myself up all day for a big martini, some escargot, trout, and creme brulee. We didn't make a reservation because we were just going to sit at the bar (it's easier to socialize with lots of people that way). We pulled into the parking lot only to find that the restaurant was closed for a private event. I was so disappointed! Shut-down Saturday night weddings are pretty rare, and of course, they were having one the night I wanted to visit.

We drove around in the pouring rain and lightning for a few minutes before deciding on Sol Fire on Farwell Ave. We waited only about ten minutes for a table and then were shown into the dining room where we proceeded to have a yummy dinner of chips and guacamole, tortilla soup, and fish tacos for him and Jamaican Jerk Chicken for me. Oh yeah, and a huge pitcher of margaritas. We hadn't been out to dinner in probably months since we're pretty broke, and it was a good time.

This morning the weather was still crappy - cold, windy and rainy. This sort of weather is definitely not conducive to an outdoor blog activity, so I decided we'd visit the Milwaukee Art Museum and see the exhibit, Rembrandt and His Time. (though by the time we left, the weather had done a complete about-face and was beautiful.)

I haven't been to the art museum in three years, which I think is pretty shameful since I live right here. At the end of our visit I said to Dave, you know, there are thousands and thousands of people who live in the Milwaukee area who have never set foot inside this museum and probably never will. I know art isn't everyone's thing, but even so, everyone should see the inside of this jewel of our city at least once.

We parked under the museum and took note that even the parking structure was "aesthetically pleasing" - to use Dave's terms. We walked inside and got our tickets to the Rembrandt exhibit - $14 per person for adults, which includes admission into the rest of the museum, too.



According to the MAM's website, "Visitors have the unprecedented opportunity to see 26 of Rembrandt's drawings and prints - the largest number of Rembrandt works ever lent by the Albertina. The exhibition is organized in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt's birth in 2006; Milwaukee is the only venue."

We walked into the exhibit and spent probably 15 or 20 minutes viewing Rembrandt's works, as well as many of the works of his students. There were a lot of drawings and a handful of oil paintings. The exhibit was quite crowded, and a good portion of the visitors were walking around with headsets, listening to the audio tour, which costs $4 extra.

The exhibit was very impressive. It's so amazing to think that these works right in front of you are the actual works that Rembrandt and others sat in front of and toiled over almost four centuries ago. I kept wanting to touch them, but I contained myself.

Once we left the exhibit, we toured some other parts of the museum for another hour or so. Some pieces we remembered from our visit three years ago, and others we hadn't seen before. There was probably a lot of the museum that we didn't get to again this time, but we really want to go back again - sooner than three years this time.



I really enjoyed our trip. I'm not one who can sit in front of a painting or sculpture for a half an hour, contemplating its brushstrokes or design, but I can definitely still appreciate art. I can really appreciate the museum that holds the art, too. I see the outside of it - a marvel all on its own - on a very regular basis, but very rarely do I stop to consider what's inside. We're so lucky to have this right in our city.

The architecture is as breathtaking inside as it is out, and the art inside is incredible. And being in a museum is an experience unlike any other. I love the way it's quiet except for people's soft murmurs and slow footsteps clicking against the wood floors. I love the way the lines of the walls are so precise and the colors of the walls are so bold. I love that there are windows everywhere and you can see the blue of Lake Michigan from almost all of them. I love the feeling of history, and of greatness, that comes over you as you walk through it all.

I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be taking pictures in the museum, but I snuck them when I could. I didn't take any in the Rembrandt exhibit, of course, because it was so crowded and there were a lot of museum staff milling about. Some of them are a bit blurry because I was trying to be quick, but I think I got some good shots!

Sold on Milwaukee!

This just in.

VISIT Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra League are teaming up under the sponsorship of Assurant Health for a charity auction called Sold on Milwaukee! on eBay’s Giving Works site. Beginning this Saturday, November 5, almost 200 experiences and items unique to the city of Milwaukee will be up for bid on eBay. The money raised will support the youth music education programs run by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and also a new VISIT Milwaukee image marketing campaign that will highlight the area as a major center for the visual and performing arts and cultural offerings.
I’ve seen the complete list of items up for bid and I must say – it’s impressive. Here are a few that stood out to me:

- Flying to L.A. to meet Milwaukee native Jane Kaczmarek on the set of Malcolm in the Middle
- Taking a private tour of the Milwaukee Art Museum and getting to operate the Calatrava wings
- A flight for 2 on a B-17 Bomber at the EAA Air Show in OshKosh
- Singing with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra
- Beer and pizza for 30 at the Miller Brewing Company
- A night in the Grand Suite at Grand Geneva plus golf for 2 and a trip on the mail boat on Lake Geneva
- A skating lesson with Olympic Gold Medalist Bonnie Blair
- Hats and shirts worn by Henry Winkler
- A private lunch with the mayor
- Hollywood Hot Dish with Reitman, Mueller and Amy Taylor too on 94.5 WKTI

The list goes on and on. Many of these are once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and bidding on them benefits a great cause – it’s a win-win situation! I think it’s awesome Milwaukee is doing this, and I hope it’s a very successful venture.

I’m broke as a joke so I doubt I’ll be bidding on anything – although I may have to pull out the old credit card for the flight on the B-17.

Seriously, though, I will definitely be watching the bidding go up and up and up on eBay in the coming weeks!