In case you missed it, Dan left a comment on my original post Stealth Public Sculpture In Milwaukee County’s Lake Park! (I am guessing Dan Randa from what I gather from the website) His comment: ” The artist is a local Milwaukee resident who goes by the name of “McMo”. You can find everything you need to know at his website: http://www.mcmo.is”
McMo from his website
Well yes, the website identifies the sculptor as McMo but that is an alias and we aren’t really much closer to who McMo is. But here is some of the information from the landing page on his site:
Who Is McMo? McMo is an Earthworks Artist who creates and displays Earthworks Art on Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Displayed just down the road from the Milwaukee Art Museum are his Milwaukee Lakefront Art Installations built from materials found off the Shores of Lake Michigan. They have been described by his colleagues as “Brutal Elegance“, and have garnered local critical acclaim from the Milwaukee artist community.
McMo: NEOLITHIC FAMILY 2022
And from his ABOUT page, a little more detail:
THE MCMO VISION McMo has been hand crafting beautiful installations, creating stunning designs, and making clients happy for years. With his remarkable eye for Earthworks and Land Art, combined with an everlasting thirst for pop-up installations, McMo has propelled himself onto a new artistic plateau as a Milwaukeean. McMo describes his art as “BRUTAL ELEGANCE“, due to the rigorous and tiresome process of moving massive pieces of newly discovered stone, metal, and mortar to his art space, where he bends, modify’s, constructs, designs, and builds his BRUTALLY ELEGANT art installations.
McMo: RUSTY JONES. 2022
Please visit his site because he has a gallery of his work going back some years and they are quite beautiful as are the public sculptures that he has installed along Lincoln Memorial Drive over the years. The photos that I am using to illustrate this article were taken from his site. I wanted to show different pieces than those I photographed in situ. And he briefly describes his process for assembling raw materials, assembling his pieces, and then installing and distributing them. He also has pieces that are available for sale.
One fun bit of whimsy is the physical address shown on the ABOUT page: 2400 N Lincoln Memorial Dr Milwaukee, WI 53211. That just happens to be the art deco bath house building at Bradford Beach!!
So there you have it, part of the mystery is solved. And I for one will keep an eye out for other pieces as they may appear!! Thank you for your art, McMo!
McMo: ATHENA’S NECKLACE. 2023. This piece is currently on view just south of Colectivo Coffee on the east side of Lincoln Memorial Drive in Milwaukee.
The Emile Mathis Gallery at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee opens the 2024/2025 season with a celebration of a generous gift of 20th Century Art from Henry and Blanche Rosenberg. The show is curated by gallery director Leigh M. W. Mahlik and encompasses the entire span of the Rosenberg’s collection. Primarily anchored in prints or other works on paper, Mahlik has also included a number of paintings and small table top scaled sculptures.
Visiting this show is incredibly rewarding. Most of the major European artists of the period are represented. And the work is certainly museum quality but the scale is a more personal size and invites you to spend some time getting familiar with it. Something that isn’t always available when viewing work of epic proportion. When I visited a second time, part of my intent was to take photos of work that spoke to me that I wanted to post with the article and hoped that they would speak to you. Unfortunately I got carried away and will have to make choices now so that I don’t overwhelm you with visuals. After all, I do want you to visit the gallery.
But the Rosenberg’s clearly had an eye for design. Although these works aren’t necessarily well known they are clean and crisp in design, and exhibit the exquisite draftsmanship that these artists are known for. And color is also a focus of many of these works. But there are some abstract pieces here that stand out too. This is a captivating show. And the best part it is easily accessible and free to the public.
My initial intention here was to quote a bit from Leigh Mahlik’s wall text about the show. But rather than try to edit it and retype it, I am just going to post a photo of the introductory text here. As it mentions, the collection has been instrumental in the educational mission of UWM and the Art History Department (which I understand is celebrating its 60th Anniversary this year). And with that in mind, Mahlik has also included short histories on the various ‘isms’ exhibited here…the show and the collection is certainly a delight!
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I urge you to take the time to visit the Emile Mathis Gallery and enjoy this marvelous show. The Mathis Gallery is on the ground floor of Mitchell Hall which is on the corner of Downer Avenue and Kenwood Boulevard. The gallery is in the southwest corner of Mitchell but there is clear signage on the first floor at the entrances pointing you in the right direction. The Gallery is open Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 4 PM and admission is free.
Settling into my seat in the Todd Wehr Theater and seeing the inviting set, wildly painted stage floor, and the spot lights all ready to perform, you can’t help but feel a bit of excitement and anticipation for the new First Stage season. And you could feel it in the crowd as well as the sound of youthful voices eventually drown out the pre-show soundtrack. The young audience was ready for a show, and First Stage delivered.
Are you ready to rock?
This isn’t the first time (and probably not the last time) that this grandfather wasn’t familiar with the character or backstory being enacted on stage. But from experience, I knew that wouldn’t prevent me from getting into the story and enjoying the show. But Pete The Cat is a rock and rollin’ street cat with a little combo behind him consisting of a toad and a platypus. And they love to jam in backyards well into the night, until the cat catcher finally catches up with Pete and sentences him to a week of being a ‘house cat’. And of course neither Pete nor the family who adopts him knows quite what to expect…and that’s where the story and the adventures begin!
Cool Cast: Photos courtesy of First Stage Theater. Photographer: Paul Ruffolo.
Did I forgot to mention that this is a musical. It is a boisterous rollicking musical from beginning to end with song and choreography that absolutely appeals to the 3 to 12 age group that Pete The Cat is recommended for. The youngsters in the audience paid rapt attention to the action and happily bounced up and down in their seats to the music. And even those of an older timbre will find themselves laughing and tapping their toes at the merriment in front of them.
First Stage musicals are usually anchored by an adult actor or two and there are three adult actors in Pete The Cat. A very agile and engaging Ethan Smith plays Pete. He has all of the rock star moves needed to be a jammin’ cat and all of the other cool nuances you’d expect from a loving and devoted cat…well once he gets past the point that he’s now a house cat!
Todd Denning and Ethan Smith as Pete: Photos courtesy of First Stage Theater. Photographer: Paul Ruffolo.
Tori Watson is poetry in motion as she moves from the mother in the Biddle household, to the second grade teacher in Jimmy Biddle’s class, and a roadie!! Watson has a great voice on top of a fluid feel for the choreography that enhances the story and music. And then Todd Denning, a very popular actor at First Stage, plays opposite Watson as the dad, the cat catcher, a roadie, AND a shark! Denning too has a native feel for the choreography and is a smooth and mellow presence as dad!
left to right, back row: Tori Watson and Todd Dening, front row: Jillian Vogedes and Juan Ramon Andrade Escobedo. Photos courtesy of First Stage Theater. Photographer: Paul Ruffolo.
And if you have been following my comments on First Stage over the past few years, you will remember that there are two youth casts for these bigger productions at the Todd Wehr. And Pete The Cat is no different…the casts are the Cool Cast and the Groovy Cast. I saw the Groovy Cast at the Sunday matinee.
Juan Ramon Andrade Escobedo is Jimmy Biddle, a very clean and neat freak and of course a cat in the house violates all of his personal rules. But Escobedo and Watson bond in this work as their characters become best friends…by overcoming some obstacles that Pete has essentially caused. Escobedo really brings home the feeling of frustration when his plans originally go awry but moving to a quick acceptance when he realizes that everyone else has got his back. Well that and the magic sunglasses. His foil here tends to be his sister, Olive Biddle, played by Jillian Vogedes. Vogedes is just full of energy and excitement and for me is just the perfect Olive!
left to right: Ethan Smith, Elliot Lippman, Jillian Vogedes, Juan Ramon Andrade Escobedo, and on drums! Cole Sison. Photos courtesy of First Stage Theater. Photographer: Paul Ruffolo.
Two other characters that help open the story and then solve Jimmy’s little crisis are Grumpy Toad, the drummer in Pete’s combo and played by Cole Sison…and then last but not least, Elliot Lippman as Gus the Playpus, the hard rocking bass player. But again, depending on which day you attend you may experience a different set of youth cast members. But from my experience, you won’t be disappointed!
left to right: Tori Watson, Ethan Smith, Ryan Stepanski, Allyson Lindberg, and Todd Denning. Photos courtesy of First Stage Theater. Photographer: Paul Ruffolo.
This play is recommended for young people from age 3 to 12 and of course everyone older who loves theater. It runs about 55 minutes with no intermission and the music, dancing, action, and story will keep 3 year olds engaged for the whole time…guaranteed! And how director/choreographer Bree Beelow managed to fill all of those shoes and put together such a smooth and fulfilling show is a marvel!
