Address:
700 N Art Museum Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Website: https://mam.org
WHAT I LIKED: The labels! Well made labels make a museum experience much more valuable
WHAT I MISSED: Programs for VIP (visually impaired persons) and an app
Please click the IN SHORT button above for a summary.
After a true American 4th of July celebration in Sheboygen, Wisconsin with fireworks over Lake Michigan, we had to drive to Chicago to catch our flight back home. We had some time on our hands and decided to take a detour to the Milwaukee Art Museum. We were amazed at the first sight of the unique building overlooking Lake Michigan.
The Building
Approaching the museum is truly breathtaking. The Milwaukee Art Museum is an architectural landmark, comprised of buildings designed by the legendary architects Eero Saarinen and Santiago Calatrava. See architecture
The War Memorial Center, which houses the permanent collection and a veterans’ memorial, was designed in 1957 by the American-Finnish architect Eero Saarinen. This modernist building is shaped like a floating cross with wings cantilevered from a central base.
The graceful Quadrucci Pavilion, is a sculptural, postmodern addition, designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and was added to the museum in 2001. The highlights of the building are the magnificent cathedral-like space of Windhover Hall with its vaulted 90-foot-high glass ceiling and the Burke Brise Soleill, a moveable sunscreen with a 217-foot wingspan, which unfolds and folds twice daily, and the Reiman Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge, which connects the Museum to the city. The Cudahy Gardens were redesigned by landscape architect Dan Kiley to complement the new Pavilion.
The Museum
In the 125 years of its history, the museum was able to acquire over 30,000 pieces of art, including 15th to 20th century European Art, and 17th to 20th century American paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and decorative art, photographs, folk and self-taught art.
The museum hosts one of the largest collections of artworks by Georgia O`Keeffe, works by Nardo di Cione, Francisco de Zurbarán, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Winslow Homer, Auguste Rodin, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pablo Picasso, Jóan Miro, Mark Rothko, Robert Gober, Andy Warhol, and many more.
Above: Quadrucci Pavillion
Entrance and Galleries
Entering the magnificent Windhover Hall is a very unique experience. The massive space with the cathedral-like ceiling draws your gaze towards a huge window facing Lake Michigan. I loved the tranquil feeling in this space.
You will find the ticket counter and the café to your right, on the left side there is an information desk where you can also pick up the audio guide. An airy corridor connects the entrance hall with the permanent collection, leading also to the feature exhibition room and the shop. The generous and well-lit galleries allow easy navigation throughout the museum.
Above: View from the inside of the Quadrucci Pavillion on Lake Michigan
Labels, Audio Guide and App
We visited the current exhibition of Rashid Johnson Hail We Now Sing Joy. I was absolutely delighted to find labels that I could actually read! Johnson uses materials like white ceramic tile, red oak flooring, shea butter, black soap and wax. For the first time ever, I was happy to see, a white on black “Do not touch” banner on a label. It made it easy to find the label. The font was well chosen and the symbols on the audio guide were of a good size and visibility.
Above: Painting by Rashid Johnson with label
Below: Label
The labels in the permanent collection were also easy to read. Some are in different colors, but mostly black on white.
For some artworks information sheets are provided, with texts about the artist and the artwork to provide a better understanding of the work viewed.
Top: Painting with wall-label
Middle: Label
Bottom: Painting with information sheet
The Audio Guide was easy to handle and gave good explanations and information.
There is an app available (Kohl´s Art Generation) which targets kids and is fun to use, but it is naturally less informative for adults.
Top: Audio Guide
Middle: Painting by Georgia O´Keeffe
Bottom: Label with Audio Guide symbol
Last, but not Least
Our surprise visit to this museum was most rewarding. Great artworks, lots of gallery space, good light, and - best of all - really well-done labels made this visit a delightful experience for me.
I wish there were more opportunities for people with disabilities to visit this museum through Access Programs, touch objects, and an app.
Gallery
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