Bayshore Towne Center With RAA

Our scheduled artists are starting at 10am this Saturday, the 22nd.

P.S. Exhibit

Come see the show...

Slideshow for COA Skyline

Have you seen it? Well here it is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riverwestartistsassoc/sets/72157621009901379/show/

George Ray McCormick Sr.

In loving memory of our friend and fellow artist, George Ray McCormick Sr.

The RAA will be holding a special showing for George's work on Saturday August 22, 2009, on the final day of our current show, 'The Permission To Paint Please! Tribute Exhibition'. Starting at 4:00 pm, you can purchase his small pieces, and help us celebrate his life.

The Jazz Gallery will be open 12-8p on August 22.

Our Pick of Pics (President's Edition) - TPTPPTE

Thanks to John Richards, our prez, for sharing these very interesting and cool shots of the opening of 'The Permission to Paint, Please! Tribute Exhibition'. The show premiered this last Friday, on Gallery Night in Milwaukee.

here's some mingling and some art...

a view of some of the great art we have at this exhibit...

this piece (and the photo) is very sanctuary-esque...

That's it. John has simply outdone himself with this photo...

a behind the scenes look...

Come see this fantastic show, it's open until August 22, 2009.

and if you don't, John will make this face at you...

('tongue' made from an orange pepper piece...you've gotta love his inherently grumpy creativity!)

Sneak Peak

of The Permission to Paint, Please! Tribute Exhibition
Join us, for the opening Reception at 5:00 pm on Gallery Night!

What could be in all of these wrapped up packages!?!?

Come see the show to find out. July 24-August 22, 2009.

A Great Review

The Jazz Gallery is featured in this season's Gallery Night and Day brochure...




You will, of course, be stopping in to see us now...right?
The RAA's new show, curated by Evelyn Terry, premiers on Gallery Night!

The 'Permission to Paint, Please!' Tribute Exhibition

Coming right up on Gallery Night!

Photostream for COA Skyline Music

The RAA was there! And we will continue to be there for the next five weeks. Tuesdays at Kadish Park from 5-8p! Don't miss all of the free art-making activities for children and families that are coming up...

Here is the flickr photostream/slideshow.

Our Pick of Pics - (re)cycle (re)visit

Welcome to (re)cycle (re)visit, an exhibition of found objects and ephemera...




some of these objects even hung on the wall...




our RAA Dialogue Series, first interviewee, Jamie Lee Ohland was in attendance...




some of Jamie's current work is up at the gallery...




this is woven with human hair...




fishies made by Fratney School's 2nd grade class...




you've always gotta check things out more closely...




Sharon gets some lessons with this home-made instrument...




it was all fun and games (really)...




we had some nice jazz, with Dave Glassner playing for us...




nothing better than smooth jazz on a sizzling hot night...



There is only one more week for this exhibit...come see it before it closes Saturday the 11th. The Jazz Gallery is open Thursdays 5-8p and Saturdays 12-5p, and is located at 926 East Center St. in Riverwest.

p.s. don't you dare miss seeing this cool elephant...

Slideshow for RAA's (re)cycle (re)visit

Get it here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/riverwestartistsassoc/sets/72157620153264701/show/

RAA DIALOGUE SERIES - Jamie Lee Ohland

Artist Interviews Artist
Highlighting RAA member JAMIE LEE OHLAND
as interviewed by Board Member Shana R. Goetsch

Front to Back, Jamie Lee Ohland

Jamie, could you tell us briefly how you got involved with the Riverwest Artists Association?

Long story short: I’ve known Mark Lawson for about half a decade and worked in the MIAD gallery for many years, as well as, helping out with other art events throughout the Milwaukee area. I very much enjoy hanging art shows, getting to know all the artists and those in attendance, installing the work so every piece looks its best, basically any activity involving making a gallery run interests me! So, when the opportunity came to help start the RAA inaugural show I offered my services.


Could you give us a statement about or an explanation of your current work?

This could be a very long answer... I usually work on multiple projects all at once. Some projects could take a couple years to complete certain thoughts while I finish several smaller, albeit just as important ideas, within that time frame. I rarely set personal goals with time lines in mind because I feel that hinders my creative process and the natural pace of things. With that stated, the work I am currently showing at the RAA is a very recent series of drawings, drawn out of the pure need to draw. The selected works out of the series of 120 took place within a pivotal week for me in early June. At this time, my garden started sprouting and while I attended to these tiny shoots of green I was able to recognize just how much I needed to tend to within myself, those darker corners I had purposely forgot about in order to pursue/maintain a failing relationship. With that realization in mind I wanted to capture those small moments of joy within my garden and celebrate them! I also needed to address the darker corners, which are represented by blind contours I drew while watching the black and white version of 'The Three Penny Opera' in German, a story I feel is quite timeless especially when applied to our current situation in the United States.

Room, Jamie Lee Ohland

Speaking of ‘timelessness’, how does your work differ, if at all, from the art you have created in the past?

My art has always been a representation of my thoughts, feelings, and observations of the time in which I created the work. If you can imagine all the thoughts one can accumulate over a lifetime there is an exciting palette to work with. I am just now allowing myself the right and pleasure to speak the truth even with my seemingly smaller observations. For a long time I was afraid I would be judged in reaction to my work, but then what benefit would it bring anyone to keep anything relatable behind closed doors? How can anyone learn without sticking to your convictions or making leaps of faith? I try to keep this in mind with everything I do.

Sam, Jamie Lee Ohland

What is your background in art? When did you get your start/inspiration?

My mother started me out by putting a pencil in my hand and guiding my hand over pieces of typing paper. Eventually, after many scribbled ramblings I started telling my mother what I was drawing. My mother kept my first drawings from when I was two years old. One drawing was of my grandpa’s hummingbird feeder which I drew the house in the background and the other was of a turtle. I still have a deep affinity for birds and turtles, and I never stopped drawing.

Mother, Jamie Lee Ohland

What is a typical day in the studio for you? How do you work? Where do you work?

I don’t really have a studio and I rarely have a whole ‘day’ to work in it. My work usually comes with me in the form of sketchbooks, small crocheted lace forms, smaller wood panels, or performances throughout the city. I create art on my way to work in the morning or while waiting for the bus, while drinking a beer by myself at one of numerous local establishments, while walking by the lake or in my garden, while making breakfast on Saturday mornings, anywhere and everywhere! Someday when I make the big bucks I would like to have a studio but I probably will just use it for storage.

Sam, (work in progress) Jamie Lee Ohland

Your proudest artistic moment...What has happened (moment/event) that made you finally think, “Yes, I am an artist!”?

As a kid I never questioned if I was an artist or not, I just knew I loved the art of making and presenting work. In middle school I didn’t have an art program so I worked vigorously on drawings and designs all the time just to keep sane. In high school when all depressive hell broke loose, I needed art to keep me alive. It never occurred to me that making art could also be a college focus or career, so when my teacher Mrs. Frederick told me they have higher education for people like me I couldn’t believe it. I nervously applied to several schools and was accepted. The reality that I was going to school for something I really wanted to do didn’t set in until my senior art show in high school when I witnessed a few people I never met before cry in front of my work. It was at that very moment in which my core was shaken and I realized that I directly had an effect on people using my primary language, visual art. I have felt blessed ever since.

Narcissus and Gold Man, Jamie Lee Ohland

What is one question that you always wished someone had asked you about your work? (and then give us that answer please)

Good question! I don’t I have a general answer, perhaps I have questions for specific pieces. I have been adding to a body of work called, Deep Sleep While Flowers Creep, since 2006 and most if not all the work is heavily steeped in symbolism. I took great care into researching the symbolic significance of specific animals, plant folklore, and the use of medicinal herbs, all of which I used to create ‘portraits’ of those whom I feel closest to. There often were times when I wished people would ask me what that flower meant or why I chose to represent such person as this animal and so on because everything even down to the colors (sometimes size of the work) would characterize the people I was portraying. I wanted to tell them all these stories I shared with the people I was painting, drawing, and crocheting. I wanted to tell them why my mother was represented as a single, bent over honeysuckle on a field of pale yellow. I am still delightfully surprised that even when people don’t know exactly why I chose what I did they are still able to feel for what I was going for. This occurrence is always deeply satisfying.

Leemer Cat Howls at the Moon at Night, Jamie Lee Ohland

Artists Jamie Lee Ohland and Shana R. Goetsch both attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and received their bachelor degrees, in May of 2008.



Jamie's current work can be seen at The Jazz Gallery, along with our NEW show, (re)cycle (re)visit.

(re)cycle (re)visit Milwaukee!

Opening night is this Saturday the 20th!
The Jazz Gallery is located at 926 East Center St. in Riverwest
Come see this excellent exhibit
Reception at 6PM on 06/20/09
Don't miss it!

stop by the gallery this Thursday for a sneak peek of us hanging the show!

LAST CHANCE CALL

Call for Artists!
Submit your recycled fine art to us, starting this Wednesday 5-8p. We will continue to take submissions on Thursday 5-8p and Saturday 12-5p. There is no fee for your entry.

Need further details on submissions? Just scroll down and click on the Call for Artists...(call originally posted on May 1st)

This show will be up starting on June 20, 2009!

Our Pick of Pics, Memorias del Olvido

The show started off strong. We had many art patrons show up right away!





People always looked closer at the weavings, I will simulate this for you...





Ximena and Cristian talk to our VP...





Art patrons discuss art. This is a lovely photo...





There is an installation piece on the floor...





A close-up, to show you the details...





If you haven't seen enough, please consider coming down to see this show...



Memorias del Olvido is showing through June 13th, 2009!
The Jazz Gallery is located at 926 E Center St. in Riverwest.
We are open Thursdays, 5-8p and Saturdays, 12-5p.


These photos, AND MUCH MORE can all be found in our Flickr slideshow.

p.s. John crafted this delightful fruit bowl...

A Sneak Peek...

Don't ya just love my sneak peeks? They are always appropriately blurry and far away...for enticement purposes. Does it work?

Come see this show on Saturday May 16th at 6pm for the opening reception.

Cristian Muñoz y Ximena Soza at the Jazz Gallery

926 E Center St in Riverwest.

Check Out This Event!

click the pic for a larger view....and come see this show, starting on Saturday May 16th!

Cristian Muñoz y Ximena Soza

May 16th - June 13th at The Jazz Gallery

Memorias del Olvido
Memories of the Forgotten

(please enjoy the artist bios we have, for the two artists appearing in our next show)

Cristian Muñoz ‘s artistic career started when he was still a teenager. During the years of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in his native country Chile, Cristian supported the student movement and the political struggle of that time. His political murals are now a part of several compilations on mural art. As a student Cristian used his art for making videos and documentaries, and has participated successfully in several short film festivals. One of his videos is in the collection of The Historical National Museum in Chile. During his years at Universidad Arcis in Santiago, Cristian was a teaching assistant in several subjects and participated in many collective exhibits. Since his arrival in Milwaukee in 2007, Cristian has been part of the show Emergent Latinos in Milwaukee at WPCA and many installations for Day of the Dead at UWM, WPCA, Latino Arts and The Milwaukee Art Museum. He also assisted Raol Deal in the multicultural exhibit Implosion in UWM, 2008.

Ximena Soza was born in Chile in 1975, a country that was deeply troubled by the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet at the time. The experience has marked her as a person; she is now a teacher, writer and artist, whose work is always committed to social justice. Ximena has participated in several collective exhibits, showing her work in different medias, such as stone carving, metal work and weaving. In Milwaukee she has installed many Ofrendas for Day of the Dead at WPCA, UWM and Latino Arts. She also participated in the show Emergent Latinos in Milwaukee and In Borders, an exhibit about immigration into the United States, held at UW Oshkosh. Ximena has worked as a performing artist with different theater companies, and has also been awarded with several international literary prizes for her fiction and poetry. She has received scholarships and fellowships for her studies in education as well. Ximena is currently a teacher in MPS and a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

Call For ARTISTS!

(please click on the call to view it at a larger size)