Harley-Davidson Foundation Initiates School Tour Program at Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee, WI, August 28, 2007-Made possible through the generous support of the Harley-Davidson Foundation, 2,500 children from predominantly Hispanic schools in Milwaukee and neighboring Waukesha will be able to see and learn from a legendary 20th century Mexican artist this fall through docent-guided tours at the Milwaukee Art Museum, Wisconsin’s largest and best-known visual arts resource.

Starting October 6, Students from thirty-four Milwaukee-area participating schools will take tours and participate in other educational activities related to a special exhibition of drawings by Martín Ramírez. Eighty drawings by Ramírez, whose art and inspiring personal achievement are especially valuable to Hispanic students, will be on display October 6, 2007-January 13, 2008 at the Museum.

Participating schools will receive up to two free round-trip bus trips to the Museum along with free admission to the exhibition for students, teachers and chaperones. The Museum is training 180 docents to provide Ramírez School Tours as part of this program. The tours are offered in English, with Spanish language tours available on request.

In addition, Education Gallery sessions will be optional tour components for all participating schools. The Museum will use its Education Gallery for workshops on creating art from found objects, just as Ramírez did.

Approximately 300,000 people enjoy the Milwaukee Art Museum’s exhibitions and educational programs each year, including 80,000 young people from the greater Milwaukee area.

The Harley-Davidson Foundation, Inc. was established in 1993 to support the communities in which Harley-Davidson has facilities and employees.  The majority of the Foundation’s investments are in the areas of education and community revitalization with funds also supporting programs in arts and culture, health, the environment and national veteran’s initiatives.

The Milwaukee Art Museum includes the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, completed in October 2001 and named by Time magazine “Best Design of 2001.” The Museum’s far-reaching holdings include more than 20,000 works spanning antiquity to the present day. The Museum is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Thursdays when the Museum stays open until 8 p.m. (supported by Greater Milwaukee Foundation). For more information, visit www.mam.org.