Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel has named Katie Musolff as its 2010 Artist-in-Residence. Musolff will be given full use of the Pfister’s art studio and gallery, a monthly stipend, and the opportunity to work in an open setting for hotel guests and visitors to enjoy. Musolff was chosen to fill this prestigious role over a number of other highly qualified candidates based on several criteria, including her artistic process, her interactive personality and a public vote.
“Katie’s intense passion for art shines through in her personality and the pieces she creates,” said Joe Kurth, general manager of The Pfister. “She has a highly interactive style, and we feel she will deeply involve hotel guests and members of the community into her process.”
The Artist-in-Residence program, which began last year, features a working art studio and gallery on the Lobby Level of The Pfister Hotel. As the Resident Artist, Musolff will spend significant time creating new art and interacting with visitors and hotel guests. Musolff will replace Reginald Baylor, who held the position for the first year of the program.
“I’m looking forward to all of the new experiences and challenges of this role,” said Musolff. “My head is still spinning and filling up with new ideas and possibilities. The folks at The Pfister make up a well-oiled machine, and now I get to dig in, spend a year learning from them and add in my own voice to the whole structure.”
The Pfister began the search for the 2010 Artist-in-Residence last fall and received applications from around the country. An initial selection committee reviewed the applications and chose six final candidates to exhibit samples of their work at a Gallery Night show in InterContinental Milwaukee’s Gallerie M. The Pfister enabled the public to vote for it’s favorite candidate online and via text message both at the Gallerie M exhibition and on The Pfister website. Last week, a selection committee consisting of representatives from the Milwaukee Art Museum, MIAD, Northwestern Mutual Life, Third Coast Digest, Marcus Hotels and Resorts, the InterContinental Milwaukee and The Pfister Hotel, reviewed criteria heavily weighted by the public’s popular vote and chose Musolff. “For decades, The Pfister has hosted its much acclaimed Victorian Art Collection, the largest of its kind in any hotel in the world,” said Kurth. “We started the Artist-in-Residence program last year to expand our reputation as a destination hotel for art connoisseurs. We think Katie’s art will make a stunning complement to our Victorian collection and that she will further expand the program by offering a glimpse into the world of art as it is being created.”
Baylor, the former Pfister Artist in Residence will move his residency program to Open Book, the North Shore’s independent bookstore in Shorewood. His residency will run for three months, during which time Baylor plans to focus on Milwaukee’s Fresh Water Initiative.
