Milwaukee Art Museum: 'It's Alive!!'

Milwaukee Art Museum
"Art Lives Here"

The website's designed, the Lemming suspects, to encourage folks to come see the Milwaukee Art Museum. Which, living in Minnesota, I'm not likely to do any time soon. It's not that roads don't go this far: I like it here, and that's another topic.

Where was the Lemming? Milwaukee. Art. Tables.

Tables?

Right. Tables:

• "Milwaukee Art Museum Launches First-Ever Art of the Table Weekend"
  Milwaukee Art Museum News (November 1, 2010)

You may think that a table is just something that keeps your plate from hitting the floor, or a place to park one's elbows. But the MAM avers that there's more to tables than mere functionality:

"The Milwaukee Art Museum is premiering Art of the Table, a four-day event that presents the unique tabletop installations of twenty-two area artists and designers, inspired by the art in the Museum's galleries. A lecture by design impresario and vibrant personality Alberto Alessi is among the slate of program offerings. The event runs Thursday, November 18, through Sunday, November 21, and is included with Museum admission.

"Art of the Table is a tribute to art and installation design, and the perfect complement to the feature exhibition European Design Since 1985: Shaping the New Century, which is on view through January 9, 2011. Twenty-two area artists and designers were each challenged to create a non-traditional tabletop installation for specific galleries throughout the Museum. Participants include Anthropologie, Williams Sonoma, Design Within Reach, and Crate & Barrel...."

Like many well-behaved websites, they've got an 'about' page.

The call it "Museum Info:"

"The Milwaukee Art Museum collects and preserves art, presenting it to the community as a vital source of inspiration and education.

"20,000 works of art. 300,000+ visitors a year. 120 years of collecting art. From its roots in Milwaukee's first art gallery in 1888, the Museum has grown today to be an icon for Milwaukee and a resource for the entire state...."

The Lemming found the idea of four floors and 40-plus galleries a little easier to visualize than "20,000 works of art." Either way, that's a lot of exhibition space.

They've got a fair number of photos, giving visitors a sample of what to expect at the museum. It's not just paintings: sculpture, furniture, bowls and photos are on display.

There's a wide range of style: from Frank Lloyd right to pre-1900s furniture and 'modern' art. Which is more than paint spatters sold to gullible sophisticates. And that's yet another topic.