Kev and I attended RedLine Milwaukee's Open House this past Saturday and were infinitely pleased to see a good number of others had the very same idea. Arriving a wee bit later than we'd hoped, we were convinced that the scheduled introductory speeches had already taken place. Thankfully artists in general have no real sense of time, so we hadn't missed a thing.
Both co-founders Steve Vande Zande and Lori Bauman spoke to the crowd of approximately 50 or so gathered on the main floor, outlining their vision for the new art incubator as a center for creative cross-pollination and an artistic resource for the larger community. They were followed by program manager Julie Anderson, who talked briefly about the Artists in Residence Program, and architect Bruce Wydeven, who laid out the details of the reconstruction planned for the building.
Work on the property at 1422 N. 4th Street, to be handled by Waukesha-based ASI General, Inc., has an ambitious deadline of July of this year. They've got plenty of hard labor before them, but the structure itself is a very nice example of the city's traditional brick architecture, providing a huge amount of potential.
Some of the reconstruction efforts include changes to the front entrance, adding more widows to send a welcoming signal to the community, and the creation of artist, musician and writer studio spaces on the top floor. The basement will house a digital image/video lounge and workspace, a kiln and a fully functional print shop, which is the heart of RedLine. A one room apartment for visiting established artists is perhaps the best space in the building right now, with ample light and a kitchen just adjacent.
Wisconsin Arts Lab, LLC, a real estate holding company, generously donated the lease of the entire building to RedLine, making the financial burden a little easier, but they are encouraging and accepting donations of all kinds, so don't be afraid to offer whatever help you can.
Emerging and mid-career visual and performing artists, musicians and writers can apply for a spot at RedLine by going here. Applications are due May 1, 2009.
Related:
Come On Over to RedLine's Crib
Creativity to Flow Freely at RedLine
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