Inspiration at the Lakefront

You may be familiar with the names Van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Seurat and Picasso, but do you know Honeysett, Sullivan, Keefe, Plummer and Holwerda? You should. These five are just some of the many artists featured at the Lakefront Festival of Arts worth knowing. 

As a freelance artist, M.C. Escher wannabe, and art history junkie, I couldn’t wait to visit the Lakefront Festival for my first time. I’ve been anxious to see many of the world’s most talented and creative artists come to Milwaukee.
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Background Info
Beginning as a county fair in the mid-50s where local artists came to showcase their work, the Lakefront Festival of Arts has since flourished into a renowned annual festival where thousands of patrons gather to view masterful exhibits by world-class artists. 

Beyond artwork, the festival offers many additional attractions, so I advice you to allow yourself a full day to take in its entirety. The Wine Garden on the shore of Lake Michigan, Children’s Area where kids can make free crafts or Father’s Day gifts, and silent auctions to bid on your favorite art and help raise money for the Milwaukee Art Museum; these are a couple things you shouldn’t ignore.

   
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My Experience
While my mom and neighbor met painter, Gordan France, at the Artist Demo Stage, 14- year-old Rachael crafted a jellyfish sculpture from Styrofoam bowls, cups, and pink ribbon to match her bedroom. Also in the Children’s Area was a performance stage featuring “Chicken Pond.” During this mini-performance, the trained ballerinas from the Ballet Center Performance Company chasséd in circles to bluegrass music and made me wish that I still danced and wore a pink tutu as well.

Meanwhile, my boyfriend, Eric, and I wandered through the large tents lined with rows of exhibit booths ranging from black and white photography to modern impressionism. I was overwhelmed by the massive crowd that kept traffic at a slow pace, and at times, at a standstill as guests stopped to take snapshots of artwork.              

Some of my favorite artists included print maker, Chris Plummer, who works in woodcut  prints, and Bruce Holwerda, who (in my opinion) paints figures that represent Cirque du Soleil performers, which is great because who doesn’t love the circus? Still, I was most fascinated by Stephen Sebastian, a modern impressionist who captures life sailing on the rough seas, in jazz clubs, or behind the scenes of a dance recital.  If only I didn’t spend my last paycheck on rent, steak, and Tool tickets…

After steering around patrons and booths, Eric and I merged into the Art Museum courtyard where Stas Venglevsky Trio was playing on the Main Stage balcony. As we ate pita bread smothered in hummus and baba ghanouj from a vendor in the food court, we discussed the exhibits and listened to the Russian folk and classical Gypsy music.

“This festival is a great way to start learning about art,” Eric expressed. He’s a graduate student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, so this isn’t really his forte, yet it’s something he always finds intriguing. I was pleased with his excitement as he talked about the pieces he found most appealing like the Cirque du Soleil painter, who Eric thought was painting Japanese Samurai, not clowns. See, that’s the beauty of art; everyone tends to have a different reaction or interpretation of the same piece. 

Since I had so many favorite artists, I wanted to remember them for the festival next June. I recommend grabbing the business cards of your favorite artists like I did. Many exhibitors have websites where you can view more of their work, learn their style, and remember them for next year’s visit. Since the show, Eric and I have been viewing several artists’ sites like Bruce Holwerda and Shelby Keefe. Maybe I’ll be able to showcase their work in my home someday when I’m not so poor. 

My ten dollar visit to the art festival not only provided me with inspiration and a suntan, but free admission to the Milwaukee Art Museum. As expected, the Lakefront Festival of Arts was well worth the time and money. This is definitely and event not to miss! I’m glad I finally went and now will have to find free time to work on my own paintings.

Comments

[dan]

I was a little confused by the Lakefront Festival of the Arts. I had never attended before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I was under the impression that it was an art sale. And it was! So I was a bit troubled by the fact that I had to pay $10 to get in. I had never been charged to go look at stuff that somebody is trying to sell me before. Like, the blue-shirts at Best Buy never charge me to go look at the TVs I might want to buy. So that was head-scratcher #1.

Head-scratcher #2 was that there was only one entrance/exit to the place and it was about as inconveniently located as possible. So here I am, with a wad of cash and an empty wall in my apartment, and it was like they were trying to do everything they could to prevent me from buying some crap to hang on my walls.

Maybe I'm just not "sophisticated" enough for the LFFOTA. I did get some killer falafel though.

[Char]

This is a juried and invitation only art display and many of the pieces are worth more money than the average person can afford. The one entrance/exit was probably more for security reasons. The fee to get in I am presuming was to help the set up cost, security, and maybe to help the art museum in some way. It is definitely worth experiencing. The details in the art, and different styles and mediums was outstanding. I can't afford most of the artwork, but it was nice to be able to view it and talk to the artists.

[Dan]

Yeah Char, I'm sure you're right. Like I said, I'm a totally unsophisticated rube. I'm sure those people that use the right side of their brains would love the place. I was just a little confused by the whole process. I just wanted a painting or something.