CricketToes

It's Art vs. Craft Today!

Come witness the shopping event of the year as creators of art and makers of craft vie for your attention and dollars at the 8th Annual Art vs. Craft Fair today, Saturday November 29. Organizers Faythe Levine and Kim Kisiolek, who also happen to be co-owners of Paper Boat Boutique & Gallery, presided over the jurying of a copious number of artists who applied to the event and whittled them down to the best 55.

Artists and crafters from Milwaukee and around the country will be on hand to hawk their wares, offering a dizzying array of beautiful, original, handmade stuff you can actually afford--what a concept! Most work reflects the good practices of reclaiming, reusing and recycling so you can get the warm fuzzies while buying and giving your X-Mas gifts this year.

Stop on by the stunning Humphrey Scottish Rite Masonic Center, 790 N Van Buren, from 10AM to 7PM today. This being Miltown, there will of course be a cash bar and food to nibble on when you inevitably feel a bit weak in knees. Grab a piece of cheese and two round crackers and, look, you've got a wagon wheel!

Link (via WMSE 91.7FM eNewsletter)

Give Thanks for with Your Help Broad Vocabulary May Live On!

Regular readers of Artsy Schmartsy already know this, but we're gonna chime in on this Day o' Thanks to make sure the word gets out. A new co-operative has formed to try and save the Milwaukee independent feminist bookstore known as Broad Vocabulary on S. Kinnickinnic Avenue. Well huzzah for us all!

Jennifer Morales had emailed us some five days ago with this intel, but we failed to inform you of it as the holiday week has been a bit crazy. To pay for this oversight, we're blogging on Thanksgiving to achieve absolution.

Anyhoo, the group is called A Broader Vocabulary Co-operative and they're hosting a fundraiser at the store this Sunday, November 30, from 11AM to 5PM. The event then moves over to Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Avenue, for what's being dubbed as "an open mic 'adult story time'"--ooh, sounds spicy!--with an appearance by Tool Shed owner and Shepherd Express SEXpress columnist Laura Anne Stuart.

Complete details can be found at Artsy's post. Don't forget to bring your wallets, kids!

Related:
RIP Broad Vocabulary

Show Your Stuff at Riverwest Co-Op Cafe

In case you hadn't heard, Milwaukee's Riverwest Co-Op Cafe at 733 E. Clarke Street still has a few spots left on the 2009 calendar for artists to show their work in a rotating monthly show. Board member Clare Lewis told me that the Co-Op may also consider scheduling shows into 2010 if submissions are high.

Here are the details:
1. A one (1) month commitment to show at the Co-Op is required.
2. Hangable 2D and 3D art is acceptable, but the 3D work can't project out from the wall by more than 6 inches.
3. All work must be finished and ready to hang--i.e. provide and attach your own wire--and you must hang and take down your own work.
4. There are two walls available--one at 18 foot and the other at 4 foot wide.
5. Any sales are handled by the artist and, in a very generous move, the Co-Op takes no commission.

This a nonsmoking, vegetarian cafe attached to the Riverwest Co-Op Grocery, so your work will only get a light vegan oil misting that's bound to be present in the air of any eatery, but, hey, a little sheen may make your masterpiece look even better!

Interested? Contact Clare at clarelewis00 at gmail dot com

(Thanks, Clare!)

Winsome Waxes Profound on the Cultural Alliance

Rex Winsome, co-founder of Insurgent Theatre--the spooky, eyeless guy at left--has penned an enormously thought provoking post over at his blog about the Cultural Alliance of Greater Milwaukee. He begins the piece by stating, "I think the Milwaukee Cultural Alliance is a prime example of why Milwaukee will fail to become a genuine 'Art City'," leaving you with no doubt as to where he's headed.

Part cultural analysis and part organizational critique, the post manages to give actual form and rationale to the amorphous feelings of unease and suspicion that many artists have been experiencing but have been largely unsuccessful in articulating up to this point. Instead, the arguments have mostly fallen into the usual lame, high schoolish reasoning: We don't like the CA. Why? Because they're The Man, that's why. And if you can't get that, I'm not gonna buy beer for you with my fake ID this weekend.

What is particularly striking and cogent about Winsome's piece is its conveyance of a clear connection between the homogeneous and conservative methodology inherent to the CA and other ginormous players in the arts and the real negative impact their actions and/or inactions have on the whole arts community. And not just in terms of obtaining and spreading out the little funding that is available, but in a sense of true and genuine loss to the community--artists take less chances, thereby creating unchallenging work, or leave the city altogether because donors believe that big organizations like the CA are the legitimate dictators--the "deciders" if you will--of what constitutes art.

Now I don't want to give the impression that the post is all doom and gloom, making it something you'll wanna run away from at top speed. In fact, not too far into it Winsome writes what I think should have been the ending paragraph of this otherwise well crafted piece:

I need to point out that I'm not whining here. I know that the responsibility for fixing this problem is mine, Mike [Brenner]'s and everyone else's in the art community. We need to do a better job of inspiring people to look through the smoky alchoholic [sic] haze of the bars, past the Cultural Alliance's deadly offerings, and focus on the talented artists who are producing worthwhile challenging work. I'm not asking the Cultural Alliance to do better, or even for the bourgeois donors to get real. I'm encouraging the people who are real, who are genuinely interested in supporting art to not let their donations be lumped in with all the frauds and fakers who support the Cultural Alliance, UPAF and similar groups.

Well said, sir.

Link

Related:
News Flash: The Arts Are in Deep Doo-Doo!
Delayed Analysis Leaves Door Open to the Infamous and Incorrigible
UPDATE: Join Artsy Schmartsy in a Public Grilling of Cultural Alliance
The Art Blogger vs The Art Org

Hey Tech Geeks: DIY Crap Coffee!

Ah, technology--it's a wondrous, often irrational thing that just keeps getting more mind-blowingly pointless by the minute. To wit, a Finnish designer named Reko Mäenpää has created an experimental coffee machine with all the high-tech bells n’ whistles you could ever hope for but it makes what I can only imagine would be the most expensive craptasic java ever.

Mäenpää integrated a 500MHz Intel Pentium III processor with GeForce MX440 graphics and Windows XP into the coffee maker, giving the user the ability to order a 23 second cup o' joe though a touchscreen or via a WAP phone or remote web browser. So what's wrong with that? Nothing, except the machine has no capabilities to grind fresh beans so the coffee is of a powdered variety. Well, good golly, Martha, we gotta get ourselves one of those ASAP 'cause I just can't get enough the stuff from the vending machine down at the plant!

Now, to be fair, I would bet the farm and all the critters on it that the powdered coffee in Finland is way better than the freeze-dried compost filler we have here in the US, but really, powdered coffee? Let's hook that baby up to a Baratza Virtuoso Grinder and really get brewin', man!

As my java guru used to say, all the technology in the world still can't get you a decent cup of coffee.

Link (in Finnish; via CoffeeTalk & Slash Gear)

A Valuable Lesson Learned OR How Being Lazy Can Come Back to Bite You on the Ass

Way back in August we blogged about the Milwaukee idea incubator called Spreenkler, informing you oh so loyal readers that its September 10 meeting would feature Mayor Tom Barrett. So guess what? That was totally wrong! Haha!

Founder Steve Glynn was kind enough to send us an email and leave a comment on that post last week:

"UPDATE: Mayor Barrett will actually speak at our January meeting (1/7/2008). Also, we're moving that meeting to the Palomar at 520 W. McKinley Ave. (http://www.milwaukeepalomar.com) to showcase what they are planning for retail, hotel, restaurant and condo development. Anyone is more than welcome to attend. There will be complimentary food and drinks!"

So how could Cricky, the all knowing insect of correctitude on The Internets™, make such a critical error? Easy--by relying on OnMilwaukee.com as a sole source. And to that Cricky says, "Never again!"

The happy news is that you haven't missed the Honorable Mayor's speech, which you can enjoy while ingesting your favorite free beverage along with some snacks. Good things sometimes come in strange disguises, no?

(Thanks, Steve!)

Related:
Spreenkler Scores Mayor as Guest Speaker

How the Hip and the Hungry Celebrated "Wisconsin Foodie"

Kev and I attended the launch party for the new season of "Wisconsin Foodie" this past Saturday and we're pleased to report that it was quite the shindig indeed. The show's crew, sponsors and fans packed Design Within Reach in the Third Ward to toast the little TV production that could with free beer, wine and appetizers, all the while taking fleeting yet meaningful glances at each other to make sure they'd hit the mark for the latest in foodie fashion. It's always tricky to know exactly what a local culinary lover should don at such important events, but the general consensus appeared to be a combination of high-end consignment shop clothing and exclusive boutique accessories. Très chic, Miltowners!

Creator/executive producer Arthur Ircink, host Kyle Cherek, wine expert Jessica Bell, codirector Mark Escribano, chef Brian Moran, and business development/communications director Nada Stojadinovic stood before the cheering crowd early on in the evening, giving ye old Queen's wave--elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist, wrist--and generously thanking all who had brought them to that joyous moment.

Besides being picked up for another season, "Wisconsin Foodie" plans to add more features to its web site, including a wine club so viewers can experience the vino being critiqued by Jessica Bell during the show, a video restaurant guide and a blog.

The first episode of the new season airs this Saturday, November 29, at 11:30AM on WISN-TV Channel 12.

"Wisconsin Foodie" Celebrates New Season with Free Booze!

Sorry about the late notice on this, kids, but I was waiting for a confirmation and only received it this morning. "Wisconsin Foodie", a locally produced TV show, will be hosting a launch party on Saturday, November 22, from 6-9PM at Design Within Reach, 167 N Broadway, in Milwaukee's Third Ward.

As some of you may recall, I wrote a dilly of a review when it premiered on WISN-TV Channel 12 in May of this year, back when I was writing with my buddy Mike at Milwaukee Specialty Food and Coffee. Creator/Executive Producer Arthur Ircink thought it offered up some handy constructive criticism as well as serving up a bit o' sass, so I emailed him when it appeared that the airing of the new season had been pushed back.

Anyhoo, long and tedious story short, the launch party will celebrate a new round of episodes, the first of which will air on November 29 at 11:30AM on Channel 12. There's gonna be complimentary beer, food and wine, so even if ya don't think yourself fancy enough to be called a Foodie, a desire for free snacks and booze is universal.

Link (via Arthur Ircink & Mark Escribano. Thanks!)

Air Guitar Geek Stars to Shine on Friday

So the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) is putting on its second After Dark event tomorrow night, November 21, and guess what else they got goin' on besides the usual high art demos and performances? An air guitar competition!! Haha! Man, it's gonna be some kinda crazy geekfest over there.

The competition is presented by Milwaukee Air Guitar Showdown, featuring the professional--you heard me--Shredders of the Wind. To be fair, thousands, perhaps even millions--shudder--of people around the globe get into this miming o' the shred, which was made hilariously clear in the documentary Air Guitar Nation, so we're not trying to dis the whole thing, but... Oh, whatever, you get the idea.

Entrance is totally free for members. For nonmembers, it's a mere $8 online and $10 at the door, so this MAM-sanctioned, ridiculously ludicrous extravaganza may be the perfect way to spend your Friday evening. Get yourself a cocktail and await the uncontrollable laughter that's sure to come--careful you don't have a mouthful when it does.

Fun Group Therapy for the AV Crowd

As filmmakers and videographers know well, there lives a dichotomy in the creation process of their art. Scriptwriting is often a solitary and lonely task that includes varying levels of personal joy and agony, while shooting is almost always a collaborative group effort involving scores of people with their own ideas and personalities. And after those two elements are complete, it's into the editing and post-production room, which frequently means a trip back into the realm of isolation.

In an effort to ease the extremes of this process, there exists a local, informal, ongoing event called the Tuesday Film Social. Originally started by Milwaukee area writer/director Karen Lindholm-Rynkiewicz (The Magnificent Donut, The Grocery), the social gives screenwriters, filmmakers, videographers and others interested in making pictures that move an opportunity to come together, thereby lessening the inherent manic-depressive nature of their chosen art form.

For those interested in hanging out and exchanging ideas, the next social will be held on November 25 from 6:30-8:30PM at Cafe Brücke. Go there or go nutty--or more nutty, as the case may be.

(via Melissa on MARN. Thanks, Melissa!)