Free Admission for Racine County Residents on August 18

Milwaukee Art Museum free for Racine County residents on August 18
Art and family fun on the docket, thanks to SC Johnson

Milwaukee, Wis. – Thanks to a grant from SC Johnson, the Milwaukee Art Museum will be free for all Racine County residents (with ID) on Sunday, August 18. Admission includes access to the Museum’s feature exhibition, permanent collection, and Kohl’s Education Center, including three interactive family areas.

Featured this summer is 30 Americans, an exhibition of thirty-one contemporary African American artists who tackle issues around race, religion, gender, and cultural identity.

“The art in 30 Americans is provocative and challenging, and will explore how our identities and histories are varied, yet we are all still Americans,” said Milwaukee Art Museum Director Daniel Keegan. “The exhibition is colorful, powerful, and unlike anything the Museum has done in recent years.”

In conjunction with the 30 Americans exhibition, the Museum is presenting thirty works by thirty Wisconsin African American artists in Schroeder Galleria, entitled “Wisconsin 30.” The installation includes artists such as Marlon Banks, Reginald Baylor, Tyanna Buie, Evelyn Patricia Terry, and Della Wells.

Also on view is The Veterans Book Project: Objects for Deployment, a deeply meaningful collection of stories from war veterans, compiled into books by artist Monica Haller. Among the local artists included is Racine native and Iraq war veteran Mike Jackson.

“It is a privilege to present this exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum,” said Keegan. “The books in the Veterans Book Project are designed so they can be read quickly; for the exhibition, the Museum’s Pieper Education Gallery was transformed into an interactive reading room, where visitors are invited to sit and read.”

While at the Museum, families can visit the Kohl’s Education Center, and interactive area for kids and families to create, play, and explore. The Kohl’s Art Generation Studio includes make-and-take hands-on art projects for kids of all ages, and the Kohl’s Education Gallery is an interactive space where kids can learn how Disney and Pixar animators were inspired by art. Families can sketch, play, and even learn to make a movie. In the Kohl’s Art Generation Lab, visitors can cast their vote for their favorite works of art, or design an exhibition of their very own.

For more information, and a complete line-up of events for August 18, please visit www.mam.org. The Museum has a full-service café on-site, including a children’s menu, as well as a coffee shop, Museum Store, and ample parking options.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION
30 Americans is organized by the Rubell Family Collection, Miami, and is presented at the Milwaukee Art Museum by Helen Bader Foundation, Northwestern Mutual and SC Johnson. Additional support is generously provided by Milwaukee Art Museum’s Friends of Art, Argosy Foundation, Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Wisconsin Energy Foundation, Milwaukee Art Museum’s Contemporary Art Society, Brewers Community Foundation, Angela and Virgis Colbert, Johnson Controls Foundation, Stanley Black & Decker, and Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan LLP.

HOURS AND ADMISSION
The Museum is open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays until 8 p.m. Admission is $15 for adults; $12 for students, seniors, and active military; and free for Members and for children age 12 and under.

The first Thursday of each month is Target Free First Thursday and admission is free for individuals (does not apply to groups).

Active Military and their families receive free admission, thanks to a partnership with Blue Star Museums. Purple Heart recipients receive free admission thanks to a partnership with Milwaukee County. Veterans receive free admission in conjunction with the Veterans Book Project: Objects for Deployment.

ABOUT MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2013, the Milwaukee Art Museum houses a rich collection of over 30,000 works, with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, American decorative arts, and folk and self-taught art. The Museum campus is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and spans three buildings, including the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion and the Eero Saarinen-designed Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. For more information, please visit www.mam.org.