452 Contempo Issues: Field Trip - Milwaukee Art Museum

Milwaukee Art Museum - Herzfeld Study Center
Print Viewing -1 March 2017
Print selection thanks to Tina Schinabeck, Collections Manager of Works on Paper
Tour through Helen Levitt - In the Street by curator, Ariel Pate and scholar, Steffen

Raven Mrozek- I absolutely fell in love with the work of Helen Levitt. Her photo works is one of my favorite photo shows I have seen at the Milwaukee Art Museum before and I'm sad that I hadn't heard of Helen Levitt earlier. She managed to capture so many feelings through her images of the street life and the culture and energy provided by the ones who live there and spend their time there. My favorite part was the slide show. This made me feel nostalgic because once or twice a year my grandma brings out her old slide projector and all of her slides and we get to go through all of her pictures of her time living in Canada with my grandpa and I got to see images of my mom and her siblings growing up.

Rachel Semanski- In speaking of Helen Levitt, I extremely enjoyed her work. I am a film junkie, so her film photography was visually and nostalgically appealing to me. I loved her concept of documenting street life in the crazy city of New York City from the 1930's until her death. When grouping her photographs from different decades, a number of emotions race through my head when I view them. Seeing the differences and growth in the human anatomy is both rewarding and terrifying. Film gives these documents a nostalgic feel that this was a moment that happened at one point that is now passing by and soon to become unrecognizable.

Hayley Ishihara: This was probably one of my favorite trips to the Milwaukee Art Museum. I had never heard of Helen Levitt before so I was very intrigued by her street photography. Her work mixed with James Nars' slow motion video work was just amazing. Between Levitt's slide film with the clicking of the projector, to the James Ears' little intimate viewing rooms that are pitch black and very cozy, the whole nostalgic feel was overwhelming and it was wonderful. I also really enjoyed being able to view those images in the gallery in person without the glass. It really helps the viewer understand how three-dimensional photos have the possibility to be. All and all, this was a pretty solid trip to the MAM.

Mandy Litwin- I thought our trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum was informative and enjoyable. First and foremost, I was happy to finally see James Nares’ Street video in person – very mesmerizing. It was an interesting comparison from Helen Levitt’s In the Street exhibition. I found it very intriguing to be able to compare the more current-day New York City streets observed by Nares to those that came earlier from Levitt. I would have to agree that the colored images portrayed in the slide projector, just for the sake that it adds another element to the photos to look at. On another note, I was also grateful to be able to see the images put out by Tina Schinabeck in the study center. It was nice to see the work in person. Some of my original assumptions about the pieces were proven wrong once I was able to see it in person.

Robi: I had never heard of Helen Levitt before this assignment came up. Better late than never, eh?
Levitt's work is earthy and gritty. It looks and feels streetwise, regardless of who or what she is imaging. I hope that, with more practice, any street images I take will evoke similar emotions from viewers.
Barbara Kasten's piece in the study center was very stimulating - even more so than Erin O'Keefe's work because there is an otherworldly feel to her imagery that is not only a tease of dimensional perception but also a interdisciplinary nod that combines photography, Surrealism, and the irresistible pull of space and time.

Ryan Cindric: Going to the Milwaukee Art Museum is always a treat, although an experience like this is something I didn't even know was possible. Having the opportunity to see these works, not only in person but in an environment where the prints are so close and without glass, brought on the feeling of being a kid in a candy store. The detail you were able to see in images like John Holmgren's bellow brought a whole new life to the image and allowed us to view it on a whole other level. I am sorry to anyone viewing this on a screen because it doesn't even come close to doing it justice, and the feeling you get when you see the size is very powerful and i think really helps carry the artists message.

Morgan Ondrejka: The trip to the Milwaukee Art Museum was incredible. Not often does someone get the opportunity to see works so up close and personal. To be honest, being a somewhat of a short person, there have been times where I could barely see a piece because all I could see was a glare on the glass no matter where I moved around to. Having that obstacle taken right out of the way was immensely pleasurable. There was one piece I found my eyes wandering back to through-out our whole visit. Robert Heineken's piece consistently drew me in. Not only is there a perfect amount of whites and blacks to really make it pop, but the ghostly, lumen print look it gives off really interests me. I find it very dada-esque, and this print has become the inspiration behind another project I'm currently working on, so yay!

Deshawn Brown: One of the photos that I really enjoyed was the work from Roger Ballen. Something about it reminded me of my time in Materials and Process. In that course, we learned about different processes to use on our film and as Ballen I drew funny cartoons. I like the playful side it displays. One thing that I am inspired to do is one day, after going back and fixing old series that I have done, to create a book of my work. I think it would be a great way of allowing others to see my work instead of just in a gallery.