Sculpture Milwaukee, the annual outdoor urban sculpture exhibition along Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Milwaukee, will return with 22 artworks this summer.
This year’s display will include works from Atlanta artist Radcliffe Bailey, California artist John Baldessari, Berlin-based Elmgreen & Dragset, New York artist Roxy Paine, American artist and resident of Italy, Beverly Pepper, and London-based Richard Woods.
The sculptures will be on display along Wisconsin Avenue from 5th Street to O’Donnell Park, from June 7 to Oct. 27.
As presenting sponsor, Northwestern Mutual will host John Baldessari’s self-portrait Penguin (2018) and Roxy Paine’s Cleft (2018) on its downtown campus.
“Northwestern Mutual is excited to support an event that has become so much fun for Milwaukee art lovers and families alike who enjoy taking in a wide variety of artwork,” said Eric Christophersen, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation and vice president of campus operations.”There’s so much to enjoy and be inspired by – both on the serious and playful side – and it’s wonderful seeing the vibrancy of our downtown cultural scene.”
Other works will include Radcliffe Bailey’s Pensive (2013); Elmgreen & Dragset’s A Greater Perspective (2015); Beverly Pepper’s Curvae in Curvae (2012); and Richard Woods’ colorful house, Untitled (Milwaukee) (2019). The installation of the exhibit will begin in May.
“We are thrilled to bring these spectacular works by remarkable artists to downtown Milwaukee,” said Marilu Knode, co-curator and director of exhibitions and programs for Sculpture Milwaukee. “Every piece has a story to tell. There’s John Baldessari, one of the most important American artists of the post-war period, and Beverly Pepper, the first artist to use Cor-Ten steel, who is still actively creating at 96 years young. Looking at the exhibition as a whole, the works use different combinations of abstraction and figuration to express the ideas of the artists.”
The collection is curated by Knode, former director of Laumeier Sculpture Park in St. Louis, and Russell Bowman, art advisor and former director of the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Sculpture Milwaukee recently incorporated as its own nonprofit organization and named Brian Schupper as executive director.
“Now in its third year, Sculpture Milwaukee has truly transformed downtown in the summertime with its lively, urban art exhibition, accessible to all,” said Stephen Marcus, Sculpture Milwaukee board chair and founder. “As a result of recent events, the eyes of the nation and the world are on Milwaukee, and thanks to the support of our donors and Milwaukee businesses, Sculpture Milwaukee helps propel our image as a world-class and visionary city onto a global stage.”
