peach season: playing outside for the summer
The droning of cicadas and the staggered chorus of lawn work marks the occasion of every busy weekend while daredevil children ride full-tilt down the hill in a caravan of bikes, roller skates, and scooters. We’re feasting on the season’s jewels: glorious cherries, watermelon, and peaches. It’s summer in Harambee, but the scent of fall is coming in soft. I’m still working on a bunch of things, but am going to try to squeeze some more juice out of this summer while it lasts. Here’s what’s happening, and what to look forward to.
work and shows
I spent the better part of July leading workshops with high school apprentices for Adams Park through Artists Working in Education. Thanks for having me. We created materials for a neighborhood project, learning new techniques each session. It was good to be working outdoors in my grandma’s old neighborhood. We were always outside over there, and I didn’t realize how much I missed that. Through challenges and creative solutions, I think we made some beautiful stuff., and that beautiful stuff will result in an amazing finished project.
Big thanks to Calabar Gallery for inviting me to have a solo virtual Artsy viewing room. “Art Narratives and Quilt Stories with Rosy Petri,” was a smash hit, and we even sold some work! Calabar Gallery is a Black-woman owned art gallery in Harlem, NYC with an engaging roster of programming for artists and collectors alike, including workshops on building an art collection, artist talks, and residency opportunities. If you haven’t already, get on the gallery’s mailing list to keep up with the offerings and to buy work.
“American Altars” and the rest of the Nohl show closed at the end of July. The exhibition was wonderful and it felt good to reach the end of something once so uncertain. I enjoyed the works very much, and was grateful for a mini-tour of the Haggerty’s collection with the Association of Midwest Museums. I’m looking forward to returning to the Haggerty for “J.R.R. Tolkien: The Art of the Manuscript” later this month. I’m a huge literary fantasy fan, and this text is an illuminated manuscript of nerddom.
The TMA Contemporary closes on August 14th. If you find yourself near the Appleton area, check out the Trout Museum of Art to get a feel for some of Wisconsin’s contemporary artists. “En Pointe” is on view with a lot of cool works, if you go let me know who else’s work you love.
makespace + studio update
In spite of announcing the makespace project in February, I don't have much to share. We’ve been in building limbo for months waiting on the permits from the city. On top of that, materials are still out of this world, and overall cost tripled from our original estimate. The permit delays and unexpected material expense have forced us to extend the timeline. If everything from here goes smoothly, we’re looking at 2023 opening. I’m starting to think about programming, and what the residency and retreat environment can offer to artists.
I’m considering some private workshop options to help cover the unexpected project costs, and will let folks know if/when I decide to go this route. In the meantime, you can support the project by buying some art. Commissions are still closed, but I plan to share some new works soon including small originals, prints, and mixed media illustrations. I’ve got some quilts that are almost ready to share too, and hope to have these up sometime in September. I do offer payment plans for works in-studio for up to three months, and have works priced to accommodate a variety of budgets. There’s a free pick-up option for Milwaukee-based folks interested in purchasing originals, with shipping options available for folks anywhere else.
summer to do list
carpe those diems, folks!
More farmers market: I've been enjoying early Saturday mornings at Fondy Farmers Market, and want to check out their new entrepreneurs market on Thursday evenings.
Bronzeville week: a whole calendar of things, in full swing. Too many things to list, but pick a few and check them out. Art Walk is usually the thing to do, this year they’ve added a ton of options and really filled up the week. Schedule is here.
Milwaukee Black Theater Festival: August 10-14th:a selection of local Black theater productions. The Festival events are free to the public with registration, and there are lots of options. Check out Black Arts MKE for more info.
I’m going to continue hitting up the local parks, libraries, and museums for classes and programming with a mix of virtual options and small, outdoor in-person options to keep it interesting. That’s the long and short of the situation. I’m going to spend much of August resting and preparing for fall. I need to spend some time soaking in the fullness of Milwaukee summer: going to neighborhood festival and farmers markets, seeing some live music out in a park, and getting to the beach while the getting is still good.