The Calling – A Point of Debate

The Calling by sculptor Jeff di Suvero

‘The Calling’ by sculptor Jeff di Suvero © 2008

Another one of my visits to Milwaukee produced some photos of one of the cities’ main and oldest streets, Wisconsin Avenue. This huge sculpture is at the top of the street near Lake Michigan, and across the street from the Milwaukee Art Museum.  When it was erected by American sculptor Mark di Suvero in 1982, it overlooked the street and set off a nearby blue building , and of course, complemented the blue/green shadings of Lake Michigan.

Since the addition of the Santiago Calatrava’s addition to the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2001, opponents have occasionally requested that the steel orange sculpture be re-located. Critics claim ‘The Calling’  – which most Milwaukeeans refer to as ‘The Sunburst’ – blocks the view of Calatrava’s movable winged ‘architectural sculpture.’  Some suggest that the industrial sculpture be moved to a sculpture garden on the museum’s site. Others even recommend its movement further east – about 500 feet further east – which would drop it square under the surface of Lake Michigan! Still others advocate leaving it as it is. Here is a view of the entire sculpture and a panoramic view of the sculpture and the downtown buildings overlooking the lake.

Such is the life of a piece of public street art – always up for a strongly contested and opinionated debate. And that is good. People are looking, evaluating, thinking about the art they see in their environment. They are making an effort to decide if they like individual pieces, choosing if what they see they consider art – which is entirely within their rights.

People debating art.Seems like a good thing to me.

Milwaukee Art Museum – Caught in Flight

Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum © 2008

Yes, this is Milwaukee. Isn’t she lovely?

This is the Quadracci Pavillion of the Milwaukee Art Museum, which hugs the shores of Lake Michigan in Milwaukee’s downtown, and has easily become a symbol for the revitalization of the city. The design, built in 2001, features a movable winged structure which stretches a magnificent 217 feet when it is open during the day. It closes, folding on itself, at night or during inclement weather.

The architect, Santiago Calatrava, is world-famous for his playfulness and the use of kinetic features. Some of his work, including both the Art Museum and the renowned Turning Torso in Sweden, is featured in this video. If you like buildings, but not your plain-old-ordinary rectilinear buildings, this guy does some amazing work that is art – in and of itself.

Lake Michigan through the Eyes of the Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum on the shores of Lake Michigan

Milwaukee Art Museum © 2008 Bo Mackison

Milwaukee Art Museum on the shores of Lake Michigan

Say Milwaukee and what do people think of? Beer? Bowling? Laverne and Shirley? Actually when I think of visiting Milwaukee, it is usually in anticipation of attending Summerfest, the biggest music festival in the world – draws over a million people every year – or visiting the Milwaukee Art Museum.

The Museum is an amazing place. The newer addition is a “moving winged affair” designed by internationally acclaimed architect, Santiago Calatrava. It’s a great museum, and it has a large collection of paintings by one of my favorites, Georgia O’Keeffe. And the museum is on Lake Michigan’s shores, so spending a summer day there is usually delightful.