“People say, ‘what’s that?’ So I say ‘that’s furniture, not sculpture,’ and see what they do next.” -Gord Peteran

Milwaukee, WI, October 2006— Function is often thought to drive furniture design, but what if someone creates a table that doesn’t hold objects, or chairs not made for sitting? The Milwaukee Art Museum recently opened an exhibition on one of the most innovative artists working in North America today-and he happens to be a woodworker. Currents 32-Gord Peteran: Furniture Meets Its Maker , through January 7, 2007, is a thought-provoking exhibition of 34 psychologically compelling pieces of furniture.

Toronto’s Gord Peteran has launched a boundary-crossing career, opening up the category of furniture to an unprecedented range of psychological and conceptual content. Sometimes his means are disarmingly simple: his work A Table Made of Wood was cobbled together from scraps on his workshop floor. At other times he utilizes craftsmanship of the highest order, as in 100 , a precisely machined table that disassembles into a carrying case like that used for a rifle. Other objects capture the playfulness that is obvious in many of his works, like A Little Table , a single joint that is, as Peteran puts it, “just approaching” being a table. In all cases, Peteran’s work addresses the traditional role of furniture while at the same time subverting it.

Featured Program:

The Black Art of Furniture Making: An Evening with Gord Peteran and Glenn Adamson

Thursday, October 26, 6:15 p.m.

Join us in Lubar Auditorium for a conversation with one of North America’s most innovative artists and the curator who is bringing this new work into the spotlight. Listen to the engaging conversation between artist Gord Peteran and guest curator Glenn Adamson, head of graduate studies at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and former decorative arts curator at the Milwaukee Art Museum and Chipstone Foundation. Free with general admission. The program is made possible by Collectors of Wood Art, University of Wisconsin-Madison Art Department, and the Chipstone Foundation.

This exhibition is organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Chipstone Foundation with generous support from The Windgate Charitable Foundation. It includes a national tour and is guest curated by Glenn Adamson, Head of Graduate Studies, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and coordinated at the Museum by Sarah Fayen, assistant curator, Chipstone Foundation.

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Milwaukee, WI, October 2006— During the 1950s, painter Francis Bacon began to formulate the iconography of his dark and troubled world in paint. The exhibition, Francis Bacon in the 1950s , opening at the Milwaukee Art Museum, January 27-April 15, 2007, features nearly fifty paintings from the period in which Bacon was at the height of his creative powers. … A Major Exhibition of Paintings by Francis Bacon at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity, September 16, 2006-January 1, 2007

Milwaukee, WI, August 2006— In conjunction with its upcoming feature exhibition, Biedermeier: The Invention of Simplicity , the Milwaukee Art Museum will have a specialized exhibition store featuring textiles, furniture, and accessories among other items inspired by the Biedermeier style. … Biedermeier-Inspired Products at the Milwaukee Art Museum Store

Milwaukee, WI, July 19, 2006— The Milwaukee Art Museum is collaborating with a coalition of fifteen Milwaukee-based artist organizations for the Second Annual Milwaukee Artist Marketplace in conjunction with Gallery Night and Day. More than sixty emerging and established Milwaukee artists will display and sell their creative work on the grounds of the Museum in a relaxed and informal setting. … Second Annual Milwaukee Artist Marketplace

Milwaukee, WI, June 20, 2006— In Living Color: Photographs by Saul Leiter, on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum September 28, 2006-January 7, 2007, is a visceral blend of innovative street photography of 1950s New York and pioneering color compositions. … The Milwaukee Art Museum Features Color Street Photography by Saul Leiter

Milwaukee, WI, June 5, 2006— The first major exhibition in North America of furniture, decorative objects and fine art from the Biedermeier period (1815 – 1830) will be presented by the Milwaukee Art Museum from September 16, 2006 through January 1, 2007.

… Milwaukee Art Museum to Present Biedermeier: The Invention Of Simplicity

Milwaukee, WI, May 5, 2006— The Milwaukee Art Museum announced last night at a Harvard Business School dinner honoring Sheldon B. Lubar, chairman of the Museum’s Board of Trustees, as Businessman of the Year, that Lubar’s goal of retiring the debt from the Museum will be achieved by the end of 2006. … Milwaukee Art Museum Erases Building Expansion and Operating Debt

MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
EXHIBITION SCHEDULE AS OF MAY 2006

All exhibitions and dates are subject to change; please call to verify before publication. Images available upon request. … Milwaukee Art Museum announces 2006-07 Exhibition Schedule

The Milwaukee Art Museum and the Milwaukee Brewers work together for Masters of American Comics

Milwaukee, WI, April 25, 2006— The Milwaukee Art Museum is teaming up with the Milwaukee Brewers to kick off a summer partnership for Masters of American Comics, on view April 29 – August 13. … Charlie Brown, Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Milwaukee, WI, April 6, 2006— This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of Mrs. Harry Lynde Bradley’s gift of modern art to the Milwaukee Art Museum for the city to enjoy. In honor of the gift Mrs. Bradley’s collection is being comprehensively reinstalled and presented to Milwaukee as the enduring jewel of the Art Museum. The galleries are open to the public beginning Thursday, April 6, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. … Grand Reopening of the Bradley Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee, WI, February 20, 2006— The Milwaukee Art Museum has acquired four major photographs from the Gilman Paper Company Collection and one from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. With these acquisitions the Milwaukee Art Museum’s collection of photographs has risen to the top of the national field for museums of its size. … Milwaukee Art Museum Acquires Major Photographs from the Gilman Paper Company and the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Milwaukee, WI, January 12, 2006— The history of one of America’s great popular art forms is traced in the landmark exhibition Masters of American Comics , on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum April 29 – August 13, 2006. It is the first major museum exhibition to examine the development of comic strips and books from their genesis at the beginning of the 20th century to the present through in-depth presentations of 15 influential artists. … First Major Comics Exhibition on view at Milwaukee Art Museum