Care of: MKE

Guys! I'm so excited to present to you a GUEST POST!! by the wonderful, adorable, rep-the-homestate blogger Lisa at c/oMKE who came up with the brilliant idea to exchange 'care of' posts. I've followed her blog since I started blogging myself last spring and MKE (airport code for Milwaukee, in case you're interested, is what all the cool kids call it. Obvie!) is only a couple hours from where I grew up so it has a special place in my heart. It's also this love of place that really shines through in Lisa's writing and photography about her home. Enjoy! :D

Cheers,
Kate xx

*****

Hello Artsy Abroad readers! I'm Lisa from c/oMKE and I'm beyond excited to be guest posting in Kate's wonderful space because 1) We're both raised Wisconsinites and 2) Her blog is just the best, right?! I love her passion for exploring, photography, and travel. Kindred spirits I'd say.

I'm just a silly lass living in and blogging about my favorite city in the world, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I was born and raised here and have so much passion and enthusiasm for being proud of where you come from or where you live. My blog is a lifestyle blog about my life in Milwaukee. I share personal stories and tidbits about myself, but my main focus is showing the world what Milwaukee has to offer. I feel like many people think of Wisconsin as this northern state with not much more than cows, cheese, and beer. Don't get me wrong, we love our cheese and beer, but Milwaukee has so much more that people don't know about. On my c/oMKE I show the world Milwaukee's great restaurants, bars, and events so that maybe they can see the world in a different light.



Here are some of my favorite posts about MKE among other subjects that I write and share. 

Milwaukee is bursting with great brunch spots. There are tons of different options to choose from. Honeypie Café is one of those perfect restaurants for a country-cooking-homestyle meal.



There are greasy spoon restaurants scattered all over the city if you would be looking for something a little more sinful - one of the most popular being Comet Café. 



One of my new favorite brunch spots is Café Corazón for when you are feeling a little more Latin. Delicious.



Sticking with the restaurant feel - I love all of the unique places we have as well with a pretty big range.
There is Afternoon Tea at the Pfister Hotel which can make you feel all posh and fancy schmancy. Then there are places like our Underground Ramen joint which is a stealthy late night restaurant that only serves 60 bowls per night.



MKE also has some really cool events for people with a variety of interests.
I post about a variety of them like this Repeal the Prohibition Party or this Urban Garage Sale.



Apart from focusing on MKE and all that it offers I share pieces of my life like my style, recipes, and the occasional DIY.




I hope that you all can stop over and check out c/oMKE sometime, I'd love to have you! And please take a peek at Kate's wonderful c/oEdinburgh guest post.

Thanks for having me, Kate!

Lisa
c/oMKE

Back to KC&T

You'll have to excuse yet another coffee shop musing/sentiment. This one is close to home, literally. It's Kaukauna Coffee and Tea. It's my sister's coffee shop in our hometown, one that has been open since we were teenagers. She's owned it for about five years, having taken it over from the original owner. When we were just lil' youngsters, we used to have friend-dates at the coffee shop all the time. Coffee shops were still kind of novel then; I think we mayyybe had one Starbucks in town, and that has multiplied to at least half a dozen in the area now. We're not a big town, but Kaukauna Coffee & Tea, now simply called kc&t, is certainly a home base for me.

Since, back in the day, I even lived in the 1960s apartment above the shop, it was kind of like a really awesome living room for me, complete with Alterra (now Colectivo) coffee and a pastry case featuring local bakery. The other day I took my laptop up there in the afternoon when it would be quiet (a huge relief after having to deal with crowds all of the time in every Edinburgh coffee shop). It's a funky, eclectic sort of place, and Ali has put a sort of lighthearted retro spin on the place. My mom's yarn and fiber supplies shop, Make.Do is still built in and every other Thursday there is a well-attended knit night, my dad's paintings hang on the wall and his art gallery and studio are still upstairs. It's a real family business.

Perhaps what I miss most about it, due in large part to it being so much a part of my family, is that on any given day I can stop in and see someone I know, or who is a regular there, and knows my name. And a small-town perk! It's a joy to walk in, in the morning, and the daily 'coffee klatch' is sitting up by the front window giving a chorus of hellos to everyone who walks in. Some of the customers have definitely moved beyond 'regular' status to 'fixture' status. The local librarian, teachers, students, moms, you name it. It's a place for everybody, and it's one of a kind. It's one of the things I truly miss when I'm away from home.

And they make a damn good latte!

Cheers,
Kate xx

The polar vortex vs. Wisconsin

That's what they're calling it, a 'polar vortex' has hit the Midwest. Right now it's -14F (-26F), but at least the sun is out. Usually, of course, the sun is out when the temperature drops this low. Wind chills were expected to reach 50 to 60 degrees below zero today. A group of white-tailed deer are huddled down in the ravine behind my parents' house, trying to stay warm. Almost all schools were cancelled today. Although I'll be out and about a little bit today, I'm happy to spend a lot of time snuggled up in warm sweaters and thick socks, hanging out with a kitty or two, and sipping coffee and tea. It should gradually start to warm up over the week, but I have to say, if I wanted to experience northern winter at its most wintry, I think I've come at the right time.

Stay warm!

Cheers,
Kate xx

4 months and counting

As of Tuesday, my stay in Edinburgh will be 1/3 finished. Ironically, I'm sitting in my parents' living room in freezing, snow-covered northeast Wisconsin while I write this, but it's amazing how fast time has flown. Everything seems the same here and yet there are small differences, other than the obvious fact that it was summer when I left and it's really, truly winter now. Houses that were being built when I left are now complete with cars in the driveways and lights in the windows. A business has closed down here, another one opened there. My pregnant sister actually looks pregnant (she's due in a week!)... and my parents installed French doors in their living room. Four months can seem like a really long time, and no time at all. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, it feels like a couple of weeks.

But I also already know that I've settled in Edinburgh and will enjoy going back in a week or so. Classes will begin again and I'll be busy-busy-busy. There's still a lot to look forward to, not least being visits from one sister and my parents in the spring.

But in the meantime, it sure feels good to be home. Even if it is a million degrees below zero! Gotta love Wisconsin. The Green Bay Packers (woohoo!) are playing the San Francisco 49ers in the first NFL Playoff game this afternoon, so my dad's in the process of baking a gametime pumpkin pie, and we'll be ordering in pizza and drinking Coronas while watching it on a gigantic screen. Last night we went out for hibachi at a local much-loved place and a table full of 49ers sat next to us. We didn't get any pictures (I felt that was a betrayal of my Packers love), but we did manage a mutual shrimp-tail fling from table to table, thanks to our cheeky chefs. It got the weekend off to a good start.

So, on that note, GO PACK GO!!

Cheers,
Kate xx

Mile of Music

I spent my entire Saturday afternoon wandering around Appleton, stopping into bars, coffee houses, back patios and public squares to see what music was playing. There was a lot of music, because it was the third day of the inaugural Mile of Music Festival, that ran from the 8th through yesterday, the 11th.

The brainchild of local musical darling Cory Chisel, of Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons, who is currently touring as part of the Wild Rovers Tour with The Candles and others, Mile of Music was a slightly different type of festival. More like a gallery walk with performers in bars instead of pieces in art galleries, visitors were able pop in and out of wherever the music was playing. The turnout was pretty huge, too, especially for it being the first time the festival was on, and also being Appleton, which is not huge at 70,000 people -- but not small either. There was an official lineup and schedule for the entire weekend, so visitors knew where and when everything was happening, but unlike a big festival in a park somewhere, one could be downtown and enjoy lunch at a favorite cafe, that may or may not have been playing music, but then walk outside and join in on a performance somewhere else.

There were headline and feature shows every night as well, which were the only performances where a ticket was required. Cory Chisel was one of these, and the rumor mill was churning well before the event with speculation that Norah Jones would appear during the concert. She did, in fact, appear, and hung out in Appleton during the weekend. She's involved in the Wild Rovers Tour and has been making unannounced appearances during shows along the way. I'm sure that was a nice little treat for those at the show, and not too shabby of a thing to have a Grammy award-winning artist appear in a small-town music festival in its first year. Somebody knows what they're doing... ;)

I went over in the afternoon as things were starting to get going, to see Charlie Parr, a well-known Minnesotan folk-country-blues performer. I had a great seat in the makeshift setup in the atrium of the downtown mall, and then afterward went down the street to a coffee shop where I ordered some much needed caffeine and waited for another Charlie Parr set. I caught the tail-end of an artist named J.E. Sunde, who hails from Eau Claire, WI and is part of a group I've heard of called The Daredevil Christopher Wright. I liked what I heard enough from J.E. Sunde that I later followed him down to another bar (a sports bar I never would find myself in otherwise) to sip an Angry Orchard cider and listen to his unique voice.

Among other groups, I also heard quite a bit of the band PHOX, out of Madison, who were on their way very shortly to the UK to play their first shows overseas. I was extremely impressed with them; the lead vocalist's voice was haunting and gorgeous, and the various instrumentation and rhythms were unique. I could describe them only as "indie" for lack of a better term. I think they're on their way to something awesome.

Some performers who I have seen previously, from our area, played small shows as well. I was really impressed with everyone I saw, and having seen a variety in the five-or-so hours I hung around, all were well worth the trip in and of themselves. I probably won't be around to make it to next year's, so I wanted to be sure to see it now. They have a good thing going!

Art at the Park

My entire day yesterday was spent sitting in a park pavilion, checking in volunteers for The Trout Museum of Art's Art at the Park festival (53rd!). Art shows are interesting events to be a part of, and I've seen them now from all three perspectives: a visitor, an employee, and a vendor. One thing that doesn't change, whether you're selling your work/edible delicacies or working in some other capacity, you arrive as the sun comes up.

  

Art fairs, for me, are nostalgic things. I enjoy being a part of them in some capacity, even more than I like to simply visit them. My experience comes from travels to such art fairs with my dad, who has been a painter for almost my whole life. When I was a teenager, many of his summer weekends would be booked in various locales, both regionally and in places such as Florida, Oklahoma, California, and so on. He still does shows occasionally (like this one, because it's local and therefore very easy to do), but I would argue that the 90s, pre-economy nosedive, was the zenith where art festivals were concerned. At least when it came to people actually purchasing art. Things have changed, but people still visit them, so they keep on keeping on.

However, turnout to these sorts of events is always buoyed by the amazing food and snacks. Like last year, Art at the Park had a sparnferkel (pig roast), along with the requisite egg rolls, lemonade, and kettle corn. This year we finally had funnel cakes back, and I hope they stick around from now on.




The show is located around the square block of Appleton, Wisconsin's City Park, while all the food vendors, kids' activities, community projects and music are hosted inside the park. The artists used to be inside the park, too, following the walkways, but one year it rained so badly that the grass was soup, so they moved it to the street and it stuck. Everyone seems a lot happier this way, and it makes crowd control a breeze.

Not to mention that visitors to the event can hang out inside the park where there is plenty of room to sit and chill, and spread out. One of my favorite things is the large tree that was struck by lightning a couple of years ago, is dead, but hasn't been removed. Instead, there's just a gigantic gash in the middle and a line of stripped bark. And, of course, an Appleton native would recognize the City Park fountain immediately.





As the volunteer coordinator, I was essentially stationed at a table all day long, however I managed to function as information booth, lost and found, and lost-kid-mom-finder too.




It felt like lunch to me, but at around 10am my mom stopped by (she was volunteering!) and brought some cajun cookin' for sustenance, from local Jambalayas. Sausage and rice, and alligator bratwurst. !! I know, right? It was excellent.

It started raining a bit in the middle of the day, and things calmed down for a little while. Happily, it lightened back up and the crowds picked up a bit more in the afternoon. I kept myself amused with people's choice in umbrellas.



Overall it was a really long, exhausting day (not to mention I had been there for a couple of hours the night before -- after working at the bookstore! -- to set up) but it was a great success. Artists were happy, volunteers were happy, and most of all, visitors seemed to be happy. So we event-putter-onners were happy. :) So much planning goes into something like this, and my little piece of the pie was very little indeed. So I have to give credit where credit is due: the Trout Museum of Art staff and all of their board members and affiliations did an amaaaaazing job.

Okay. End blubbery.

I hope everyone enjoyed a lovely weekend!




Days to Edinburgh move-in: 40

A painter is a kind of poet

I've been wanting to do this post for some time because I find this artist and his work pretty exciting. The artist would be Tobias Keene, and the work would be monumental! Generations, on display through July 21, 2013, is something a little bit different for this area. It's an exploration into the work of three generations of English artists, Arthur Keene, Sr., Arthur Keene, Jr., and Tobias Keene. Tobias's work is generally more exciting and appealing to me personally, but seeing all three generations' work up in one place makes for a really interesting exhibition.

The show is at The Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, WI, a small museum established in 2010 from what was previously the Appleton Art Center. It is now housed under the umbrella of The Fox Cities Building for the Arts, consisting mainly of the museum, but also now an official home and gathering places for other arts organizations in the area. 

Tobias Keene's work is what I want to focus on, largely because it's much different than what one typically finds in this part of Wisconsin. And that's because he's not from Wisconsin! Well, I never. ;)

Tobias Keene is currently based in Los Angeles, where he has lived and worked for several years. It might be an understatement to say that his work marks a departure from that of his father and grandfather. Tobias's work has an immediacy about it, a sort of run-stop quality, exemplified by the bright colors, thick textures, and juxtaposition of still-standing figures in environments that are innocently empty, abstracted, and sometimes harsh. He clearly recalls painter Francis Bacon in works such as The Orange Pope (below, top of frame), and in his use of diptych and triptych compositions.

The reason I like these works so much comes down to three things: color, scale, and expressions. The colors, for one, are vivid and explosive, and they draw you in immediately. The scale approaches architectonic, with canvases such as Black is the Beauty of the Brightest Day (Winged Victory) that span entire lengths of wall and reach from floor to ceiling. Some of the paintings clearly indicate some sort of open room, such as in The Girl in the Golden Chair #4, or Standing Red Man (not pictured). And lastly, the expressions on the faces of the subjects are just wonderful: to look into the eyes of the slouching girl in the golden chair, or the small, solemn face of the Forgotten Saint, we are drawn into their worlds, wherever they may be, past the bright colors and uneasy terrain or space they find themselves in -- we're drawn to their humanity. Even The Queen with Umbrella has a thousand words written upon her face.

And not only do you have Tobias Keene's large-scale pieces hanging around the gallery, but you get to see them in the context of his previous generations' work. His father and grandfather both subscribed to a method best described as academic--more interested in the studies of figure and movement with numerous sketches to back up that pursuit. Tobias claims he's mostly interested in painting on canvas, frankly skipping the academic drawing aspect, and it's clear that he takes a more visceral approach to his paintings. Therein lies the immediate strength, which comes through in the thickness of the paint and the expressions on his subjects' faces, or the positions of their bodies.

A few walls of the gallery are focused exclusively on Arthur Keene Jr. and Sr., and their more academic sketches and drawings. Also featured are numerous sketchbooks that visitors can page through with cotton gloves.

I strongly urge everyone interested in contemporary art, as well as drawing, to check out this show. Information on museum opening hours can be found at troutmuseum.org. Tobias has shown in numerous solo and group shows in New York and Los Angeles, including "Fresh" at MOCA Los Angeles and Earl McGrath Gallery. For more information on his exhibition history and other cool items of note, please check out Tobias Keene's website at tobiaskeene.com, where you can also find lovely images of his work.

All images taken by me; all original work by Tobias Keene, Arthur Keene, Jr. and Arthur Keene, Sr.