Sculpture Milwaukee brings back free, outdoor public art display for fourth year

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Even though we're in the middle of a pandemic, you can still enjoy some fun events happening in the Milwaukee area.

One big event is the 2020 Sculpture Milwaukee Exhibition.

All of the sculptures are in place along Wisconsin Avenue and North Broadway.

“Art is always a reflection of the time in which it was created," Meg Strobel, director of marketing at Sculpture Milwaukee, said.

The nine-foot tall, bronze statue of a black man in contemporary clothing, is an example of that.

Thomas Price’s Within the Folds (Dialogue I) is making its world debut in Milwaukee.

It’s on display in front of the U.S. Bank building, and one of 19 pieces in this year’s exhibition.

“And of course, it’s not our job to tell people what the meaning of the work is. We want people to come and interpret it for themselves," Strobel said.

And each piece is completely different.

“You know, a piece like the Blob Monster some people might find just really funny or question whether or not it’s art," Milwaukee-artist Maggie Sasso said.

Sasso believes that art should inspire conversation.

She’s one of two Milwaukee creators in the exhibit, and her fabric sculpture of the Breakwater Lighthouse is on display.

It's called, Too Much Sea for Amateurs; Marooned.

“You see the Breakwater Lighthouse from the Hoan Bridge and it’s so tiny but when you get up close to it it’s just such a different experience," she 

There’s no end date right now, so visitors can experience the public art through the rest of the year.

There will be no in-person events this year, but online resources like an audio tour will help people explore the sculptures from the comfort of their own homes. 

And if you do want to see them in person, there are markings on the ground to help with social distancing. 

Claire Koenig, from Visit Milwaukee, joined the CBS 58 morning show to explain some of the more unique sculptures.

"It's definitely exciting because Sculpture Milwaukee is mainly a volunteer-run event. They got a new slate of world-class sculptures. Tony Tasset's Blob Monster is making particular waves. You cannot miss it. It is a multi-colored literal blob monster just outside the federal building on Wisconsin Avenue. And then right now just going up outside the convention center is Nari Ward's Apollo Poll. It is a flashing sign that is meant to look like the Apollo Theater in Harlem, and it flashes poll as a sort of political statement on political theater."

To learn more about Sculpture Milwaukee, click here.

For information on more events in and around Milwaukee, click here

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