submitted
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Monica Baer, (414) 881-5053
Wisconsin Craft Presents Largest-ever Tour to
Support Independent Artists
Milwaukee, Wisconsin – On Sat., Sept. 30 and Sun., Oct. 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., explore 22 different artist studios during the fifth annual MKE Studio Tour, hosted by Wisconsin Craft. The free, self-guided tour is an opportunity to meet nearly 60 different artists at studio locations that stretch from River Hills, Glendale and Shorewood to Milwaukee, Wauwatosa, Bay View, Cudahy and South Milwaukee.
“We’re now in our fifth year and are extremely excited to have 57 participating artists,” says Jean Wells, president of Wisconsin Craft. “Since we have a full slate of artists, you could take two days to visit the studios and see where our local artists create their pieces.”
Wisconsin Craft is a statewide organization that enhances the cultural life of Wisconsin by encouraging, developing and supporting traditional and contemporary craft and its makers.
As part of its focus on supporting artists, each year Wisconsin Craft presents two signature events – Morning Glory Art Fair and MKE Studio Tour. The organization also offers an online directory so buyers can easily purchase signature items from more than 75 artists.
“Art is something that enriches our lives and adds vibrancy and energy to communities throughout Wisconsin and beyond,” adds Wells. “It’s an important ingredient of life that sparks joy and happiness in so many people.”
Following is a sampling of Wisconsin Craft members who are part of the 2023 MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour.
Rosy Petri, Milwaukee
Petri is a self-taught fiber artist who fuses printmaking, photography and multimedia storytelling to create contemporary iconography seasoned with Black history, music and culture. Part autobiography, part documentary, her work is about self-discovery, history and radical Black Joy. It is important for her to acknowledge that her ancestors are the descendants of the survivors of the Middle Passage. Petri’s work is intended to honor the ancestors (known and forgotten) by carrying on cultural traditions as they have manifested in her life. The work is an offering of rhythm, color and celebration for them.
Janelle Gramling, Milwaukee
Gramling is a self-taught fiber and ceramic artist and entrepreneur. Every season, she pulls work from her experiments in fiber, found objects and ceramics to curate a collection of home decor and wearable adornments revolving around a theme. Inspired by raw natural materials and traditional techniques, Gramling’s work touches on themes of personal symbolism and sacred geometry with a minimal yet playful aesthetic.
Philip Ankney, Milwaukee
Ankney grew up on a farm in Pennsylvania where making things work with what a person had was the norm. After high school, he joined the Marine Corps and, after serving two tours that took him to six countries, ended up in Southern California. Ankney is a craftsman with more than 15 years in the construction industry and a builder of all things. His business, With the Trees Design Build, focuses on sustainable and intentional design build remodeling and furniture. He shares a studio with Christian Franczyk, another artist working in wood and various mediums.
For more information on the MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour, visit mkestudiotour.com.
About Wisconsin Craft
Wisconsin Craft traces its roots to 1916 when the Wisconsin Society of Applied Arts was established. In fact, Wisconsin Craft is the second oldest craft organization in the country after the Boston-based Society of Arts and Crafts. Over the years, the organization evolved and in 2021 formally changed its name to Wisconsin Craft after nearly 40 years as the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council. A new broader educational focus and name change allowed Wisconsin Craft to apply for and secure its 501c3 status.
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