Community Weaving Press Release
UWM Peck School of the Arts artist-in-residence Liz Bachhuber invites participation in the creation of a new public art work, Community Weaving. Part of a series of site-specific works undertaken by Bachhuber since 2003, the sculpture is located in the Peck School’s Mainstage Theatre lobby, a public space in the heart of the UWM campus that serves as a gateway to music, dance, and theatre performances.
Phase 1 of the Community Weaving project was completed during the month of September. Spheres of fresh birch, maple and poplar saplings were hand-woven around and through the 24.5’mobile steel scaffolding support structure and secured with cable fasteners.
In phase 2, Bachhuber will work with students from the Department of Visual Art to incorporate locally-produced materials into the sculpture. The students will research Milwaukee’s industrial heritage and its contemporary commercial production, developing an understanding of what the city produces and the ways in which individuals, industry, commerce and education interact.
Local manufacturers and interested individuals are invited to contribute materials to the project. Donated material should be suitable for weaving—flexible, sturdy, clean and, ideally, colorful. The sculpture will also include Milwaukee-made high tech light and sound products.
The Community Weaving project has several goals. In weaving the contributions into the wooden grid the team will create a multi-faceted texture that mirrors the complexity of Milwaukee's multi-ethnic community. The students’ research and the integration of local products in the sculpture will strengthen ties between the university, Milwaukee artists, and local manufacturers. Finally, the large, mobile sculpture will activate a space used by members of the university community and by the many patrons who attend performances at UWM.
Community Weaving and Bachhuber’s semester-long residency are part of the UWM Peck School of the Arts Continuum Project, an ongoing campaign to build community among students and alumni. This project is supported, in part, by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl and Mary Tingley funds.
Bachhuber, who has been based in Germany for nearly thirty years, has a personal interest in learning how her home town has changed and developed. She received her BFA in ceramics and painting in 1976 and a Masters degree in painting in 1979 at UWM and went on to study at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf on a Fulbright/DAAD grant. She is currently professor of installation and sculpture at the Bauhaus-University in Weimar, Germany where she directs a “Public Art and New Artistic Strategies” program.
Phase 1 of the Community Weaving project was completed during the month of September. Spheres of fresh birch, maple and poplar saplings were hand-woven around and through the 24.5’mobile steel scaffolding support structure and secured with cable fasteners. In phase 2, Bachhuber will work with students from the Department of Visual Art to incorporate locally-produced materials into the sculpture. The students will research Milwaukee’s industrial heritage and its contemporary commercial production, developing an understanding of what the city produces and the ways in which individuals, industry, commerce and education interact.
Local manufacturers and interested individuals are invited to contribute materials to the project. Donated material should be suitable for weaving—flexible, sturdy, clean and, ideally, colorful. The sculpture will also include Milwaukee-made high tech light and sound products.
The Community Weaving project has several goals. In weaving the contributions into the wooden grid the team will create a multi-faceted texture that mirrors the complexity of Milwaukee's multi-ethnic community. The students’ research and the integration of local products in the sculpture will strengthen ties between the university, Milwaukee artists, and local manufacturers. Finally, the large, mobile sculpture will activate a space used by members of the university community and by the many patrons who attend performances at UWM.
Community Weaving and Bachhuber’s semester-long residency are part of the UWM Peck School of the Arts Continuum Project, an ongoing campaign to build community among students and alumni. This project is supported, in part, by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s Mary L. Nohl and Mary Tingley funds.
Bachhuber, who has been based in Germany for nearly thirty years, has a personal interest in learning how her home town has changed and developed. She received her BFA in ceramics and painting in 1976 and a Masters degree in painting in 1979 at UWM and went on to study at the Art Academy in Düsseldorf on a Fulbright/DAAD grant. She is currently professor of installation and sculpture at the Bauhaus-University in Weimar, Germany where she directs a “Public Art and New Artistic Strategies” program.
posted by Jesus Ali | Thursday, October 19, 2006
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