Let's get ready for those warmer afternoons and make your own sidewalk chalk! I enjoy the plaster of Paris recipe best because I can keep the chalk I don’t use for next time, but this chalk paint recipe is pretty neat too! Haga clic aquí para encontrar esta información en español. Translated by Angélica Sánchez Mora.

I got started volunteering at the Urban Ecology Center through small mammal monitoring in the summer of 2012 and have been fortunate enough to help with that project at least a few times every summer since, alongside numerous other projects. These opportunities and the UEC have helped me get to where I am professionally, granted me steady friendships, taught me so very much, and, most importantly, welcomed me, enthusiastic quirks and all, with open arms.

As our art exhibits enter their tenth year, Sally Duback, one of the founding members of our arts committee offers this reflection about the beginning and growth of the program.

Ten years ago, UEC board member Danni Gendelman convinced the board that it would be a good idea to host nature-related art exhibitions in the community room. In order to make this happen, she pulled together a small committee of Milwaukee area artists/arts professionals Barbara Manger, Sally Duback and Leon Travanti; and discussions began among them about how this could work.

Denisse Hernandez

Oct 6 - Dec 1, 2023 

Opening Reception: Oct 6^th, 5-7 p.m.

(SPA) Destellos: emociones y pensamientos inconclusos. (ENG) Gleams: boundless emotions and thoughts.  An exhibit exploring human experience and the essence of what it means to be complete.

Jessica Laub and Daniel Fleming

Exhibition Title: Natural Remedy

Winter 2023, December - February

Opening Reception: Friday, Dec 15th 5-7pm

There's just something appealing about letting the natural world show off. Whether it's natural history museums, cabinets of curiosities of old, illustrated encyclopedias, botanical gardens or just walking through a park, experiencing nature leaves its mark no matter how that experience happens. 

Natural Remedy seeks to bring that into the home and into a gallery space. Utilizing a style inspired by illustrated guides and the practice of pressing and drying plants, Natural Remedy is meant to evoke a sense of wonder and place icons of nature onto their deserved pedestal, similar to religious icons, personal artifacts, and mementos.

The simplicity of the marks and lack of refinement bring a sense of playfulness, while the flat rendering and somewhat static layout are meant to evoke both an academic aura and elevate the objects to a place of reverence. On a grand scale, the paintings become enveloping; overwhelming in a wholly different sense; that impression of a vast universe with secrets and intricacies just waiting for discovery. 

“Peaceful Parenting”, Jessica Laub

Jessica Laub is a visual artist currently focused on creating mosaics that are characterized by a bold use of color and a strong sense of line. Her work celebrates the beauty and wonder she encounters in the world around her. Her art is influenced by time spent living in Central America and her appreciation of nature. Common themes include communication, relationships, meditation, plants, animals, magical creatures, and celestial bodies. In addition to smaller-scale interior mosaics, Jessica creates larger works intended for yards and gardens. Jessica also works with community groups to create mosaic murals and sculptures for schools, parks, and community centers. She was an artist in residence at RedlLine Milwaukee from 2010 through 2013 and has maintained her studio at the Toy Factory in Riverwest ever since. One of her favorite things about her studio is the five big windows which allow in lots of natural light and fresh air. She is an avid gardener and daily dog walker and enjoys spending as much time outside as possible.

Jessica begins her work by sketching her ideas, and then sizing the selected sketch to the actual size of the piece she intends to create. She creates a substrate for her mosaic by cutting cement boards to her desired size and adding a hanging system to the back of the board. Then she makes handmade tiles out of clay that she glazes and fires in her kiln at her studio. Each tile is cut from a slab, painted with at least three layers of underglaze and then bisque fired for at least 8 hours. The tiles are then washed with water, glazed with a clear overglaze, and fired again for another 6 to 8 hours. Jessica then adheres her tiles to her substrate with thin set mortar and fills in with other tesserae including hand-cut mirror pieces and dishware, glass and ceramic tile, crystals, smalti, and other sundry objects, She then grouts the mosaic and sometimes goes back in and paints areas of the grout to achieve her desired result. Most of her artwork is constructed in a way so that it can be hung outdoors.

“Art making for me is largely an intuitive and emotional process, through which I aspire to bring healing and positivity into the world. It is a kinesthetic, playful, free flow. I enjoy the mosaic process because it’s bright and shiny and allows me to reuse materials that might otherwise end up in landfills.”

Get to know Daniel Fleming:

"For many, art is a passion and a profession. For me, art is a compulsion. Whether I have a show planned, interested buyers, proposals being prepped, or nothing on the calendar at all, you'll find me in the studio working on the latest idea to breeze through my brain. I started painting at a young age back in Rochester MN and quickly knew I would live my life through art. After high school, I attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design where I tapped into my compulsion to create through a major in graphic design and a concentration in painting. Since then I have created over 1,000 paintings, countless drawings, and dozens of sketchbooks, and have taken part in countless shows throughout the nation and have sold artwork around the world to both public and private collections. I currently work out of my home studio in northern Milwaukee and am represented by Scout Gallery."

 Field Notes - 26x44" Acrylic and alcohol ink on canvas, Daniel Fleming.

Madelynn Austin

Exhibition Title: Biohazards, Cosmetics out of Context

Spring 2024, March - May

Opening Reception: Friday, March 8th 5-7pm

Biohazards: Cosmetics out of Context is an exhibition of new paintings and sculptures by Madelynn Austin. Using her signature atypical materials of expired cosmetics and nail lacquer alongside traditional art mediums, Austin examines themes of natural and manufactured beauty, environment, consumption, and emotionality while investigating the relationship between art, social responsibility, and the history that entwines them both.
Biohazards contain materials that were both intended for the human body and classified as Household Hazardous Waste or microplastic pollutants in their disposal.

Madelynn Austin (b. 1991)  is a visual artist who examines the use and limits of beauty as well as the complexity of human resilience through the lens of legacy, disability, and emotional intelligence. She incorporates the real and remembered in abstract forms of painting and sculpture, making use of the mediums she knows best- cosmetics and florals.
Austin holds a BS in Psychology from Illinois State University and an MA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago as a Dean’s Scholar and Ox-Bow New Grellner Scholar. She lives and works in the in-between of Chicago and Milwaukee

Lindsey Mathewson and Jodi Brzezinski

Exhibition Title: Nature-Inspired, Artist-Imagined

Summer 2024, June - August

Opening Reception: Friday, June 14th 4-6pm

Lindsey Mathewson is a Milwaukee artist making art inspired by climbing, hiking, and other adventures. Climbing has become a huge part of her life and has given her an appreciation for the beautiful imperfections of rock formations. The way they form, crack, and break allows us to scale cliffs and take in views we may otherwise not see. This exhibit is a reimagining of those formations, from grand mountains out west to our very own Devil’s Lake State Park. No matter how you enjoy spending time outdoors, you can find beauty in the natural world around you. 

Jodi Brzezinski is a Milwaukee artist and art teacher at St. Thomas More High School. She believes that creating art in the same space her students do creates an environment where both students and teacher can be inspired by each other. The colors and rhythms found in nature inspire her work. Bees, flowers, and koi have been popping up in her work for years. Flowers are everywhere, even in the city. The readily available subjects in her garden and friends’ gardens inspire a lot of her work. 

Kimberly Burnett

Exhibition Title: Scandinavian Landscapes

Fall 2024, September - November

Opening Reception: Friday, Sept 13th 5-7pmm

Kimberly is a self taught Milwaukee artist, primarily working in oils and charcoals. Her landscapes are mostly of Wisconsin and Scandinavia. This exhibition will feature her paintings and drawings of Iceland and Norway, sharing the beauty of these countries. She grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian mountains, and feels most at home among mountains and nature.

Vessels

June - October 2023

Vessels is a project from Studio Seiche that explores a reciprocal relationship with Lake Michigan through design. We experiment with environment-driven fabrication methods by crafting cups and pitchers using local, hand-harvested wild clay and forms shaped by Lake Michigan’s shores. Community members are invited to a free public opening and workshop where participants will work with wild clay to make their own vessel, learn about threats to our local watershed, and take action to protect it. Our hope is this is an opportunity for all of us to build a stronger relationship with the land and commit to its care. We’ll offer connections to the fight to Stop Line 5 and the evening will end with an optional ride to Bradford Beach for a beach clean up. 

Abundance and Minimalism in Nature - Urban Ecology Center Photography Club

Artists’ Statement for Abundance & Minimalism in Nature Exhibit:

The Urban Ecology Center Photography Club, is made up of beginning, intermediate, and professional photographers who share a love of capturing the world around us. Our intention with this exhibit is to present nature’s beauty and resilience. Some of us have focused on capturing images of nature with an abundance of detail, the sweeping panoramas of dramatic sky and landscapes. Others have taken a minimalist approach with the lens trained on a single image revealing its essence with only the minimum detail necessary. Have an interest in photography? We invite you to join us. Meetings, at 6:30- 8:00 pm, the first Thursday of every month, are a great mix of learning, sharing and the celebration of the art of photography. There are opportunities to learn from seasoned and professional photographers who present programs and, on occasion, critiques of members’ photos. Club activities include participating in exhibits, monthly photo challenges, field trips, and connections with other statewide photography clubs and associations. There is a sense of camaraderie and fun among the members, a kind of abundance in itself! We are proud and grateful to be the Urban Ecology Center’s official Photography Club and we appreciate its welcoming support and opportunities to exhibit our members’ photographs. The Urban Ecology Center hums along on the incredible diversity of skills, talents, passions and gifts of hundreds of volunteers and its talented and dedicated staff. This is abundance, too! * The Urban Ecology Centers, Riverside Park, Washington Park, and Menomonee Valley, are global models of community-based environmental education with a mission to connect people in cities to nature and each other. Consider volunteering. Learn more about how you can share your skills and passions at the Urban Ecology Center’s website - urbanecologycenter.org *Edited excerpt from Urban Ecology: A Natural Way to Transform Kids, Parks, Cities and the World by Ken Leinbach, UEC Executive Director.

Four The First Time

Miriam Sushman, Adria Rose, Bev Richey and Jonathan Ellis.

May-July 2022

Opening Reception: Wednesday, May 18^th, 5-7 pm at Riverside Park

Four artists are showing their work together for the first time. Each has their own distinct style. Their unifying theme is nature displayed through stained glass, paintings, mosaics, and more.

These four artists have gotten to know each other through their involvement in the Jewish community. Our work has two main themes –nature-based representationalism and abstract expressionism.

Miriam Sushman:
Miriam Sushman will be showing a series of stained glass mosaic stepping stones of Wisconsin birds and abstract designs. She will also be showing mosaics for the wall inspired by her house plants, local flowers and flowers that she has encountered on her travels.

“I have always been in love with the natural world. My early years were spent playing in the woods surrounding my suburban Baltimore neighborhood. I tried to save baby birds and played with tadpoles in the nearby creeks. By age ten I had convinced my father to dig up our backyard so I could have an organic garden. I saved stones, leaves and fossilized wood and used some of these materials in my artwork. From an early age I have also been a collector of objects that I would find while playing. As an adult I still collect discarded objects either bought or found and incorporate them into my work.  As a mosaic artist most of my work is inspired by nature. Many of my ideas have come to me during daily walks in nearby Kadish Park in Milwaukee. Not only is nature a source of inspiration but it also has been a healing presence for me during stressful times. While looking at the prairie that overlooks the Milwaukee River I meditate on the flowers, birds, and insects and feel a sense of calm. My childhood love of gardening continues as I grow annual and perennial flowers. These flowers often appear in my work. I am always looking forward to the next flower that I will render in stained glass.”

mosaicmirm.com

Adria Rose:

My artwork is inspired by nature and the natural world. I find daily inspiration which greatly influences my work. Throughout the years, I have enjoyed working in many mediums including watercolor, oil, acrylic, and textile. 

"Since my childhood, I have had a deep appreciation for nature which has served as a constant theme throughout my artwork. As I live on a partially wooded lot within walking distance of Lake Michigan, I find daily inspiration which greatly influences my work. Throughout the years, I have enjoyed working in many mediums including printmaking, acrylic, textile and currently watercolor. I grew up in a multi-cultural home and have been surrounded by artwork from many different backgrounds particularly that of a great uncle, a Chilean printmaker. The vibrant colors, attention to detail, and stories behind each painting have had a huge impact on my artwork. Another theme reflected in my artwork deals with diversity. Given the diverse landscape we live in, I see nature as a unifying theme because nature is something that everyone can appreciate and like art can be a unifying force in people's lives."

http://adriarosedesigns.com/

Bev Richey
Richey will be showing a sampling of her project "The First Hundred Paintings"; her process of becoming a painter. 

New to Milwaukee, in 2014 Beverly Richey became a member of the Midwest Jewish Artists Laboratory. This unique program provided and required a fairly demanding commitment to studying with other artists and creating new work for regularly scheduled annual exhibitions. Richey thrived in this structured environment and remained a part of this regional program from 2014-2021. She used this project to develop herself as a painter. After decades of working in a range of materials best known for the feminist medium CAKE, Richey used the laboratory project to reinvent herself as a painter. In 2016 she launched the “First Hundred Paintings” series (FHPS). 

“For The First Time”, Richey will exhibit a sampling of works that when shown together represent the development of her new practice. She accepts the need to continue to make changes, begin again and commit to the awkwardness required for doing new things. “Four the First Time” takes you on a small piece of the journey Richey has taken to be able to recognize and identify herself as an artist who now engages with paint, brushes, and flat surfaces.

Jonathan Ellis

A devoted visual artist, educated at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Jonathan Ellis has a prolific body of work and unpredictable contemporary style rooted in emergent truth, love, humor, and theory. His drawings, paintings, and sculptures are reflective of a refined artist exploring identity, materials, and life itself as art. Self-portraits, landscapes, conceptual abstracts, and surreal floral pieces. The work is often transformed over many years, as stories evolve in the course of a lifetime. What is to be found in all is a vibrant confirmation of life and beauty, a joyousness that has been revealed out of profound struggle. Jonathan nurtures community building through exhibitions and painting events that are both healing and inspirational at Gallery 1033, on Historic Mitchell Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“I realized I truly wanted to study ecology – a seed that was planted during my time at [the Urban Ecology Center] but took a few years to sprout.”

This is the opening line of an email from a former High School Outdoor Leader, Robby Friedlen, to Riverside Park Branch Manager, Jamie Ferschinger. He was eager to share the reason behind his decision to shift his research studies to “the intersection of ecology – through the lens of permaculture – and the arts.” As a High School Outdoor Leader in 2009, Robby spent a portion of his summer working with internationally known artist Roy Staab.

Neighborhood and Nature: Inspired Art

Unfolding over the past several months, fourteen invited Plein Air artists painted outdoors in Three Bridges Park and at the Menomonee Valley Urban Ecology Center. Their works depict native plants and animals, the Menomonee River, activities at the Center and environs, and the neighborhood.

Join us as we host our first-ever art show in the Menomonee Valley! See the results of three seasons' worth of work on display at our Menomonee Valley branch now through December. And don't forget about our current show at Riverside Park!

Organized and led by artist Lynn Rix, participating artists include Tom Buchs, Audrey Dulmes, Kathleen Flaherty, Gail Franke, Barb Hayden, James Hempel, Sybil Klug, Carolyn Larkin, Les Lengwell, Gary Millard, Daniel Rizzi, Pam Ruschman, and Wendie Thompson. After the reception the exhibit will be on display at our Menomonee Valley branch through December.

What is "Plein Air" Painting?

The seasons each have unique inspirations: in Winter, the white snow and the clear blue sky produce a kaleidoscope of vibrant color; Spring and Summer with landscapes full of life and bloom; Autumn when oranges, reds and golds of the trees and golds vibrate against the cool blue sky.

Plein Air is a French term meaning "open air" and refers to the act of painting outdoors as opposed to the controlled conditions of a studio. Capturing what they see in natural light requires quick brush work and a limited palette, forcing an artist to work spontaneously. Paintings capture that particular moment in time; an impression of a beautiful effect of light. Paintings are usually worked on smaller canvases to be able to complete a painting in two to four hours capturing the sun before it moves on.

Painting by Lynn Rix

The Urban Ecology Center is a neighborhood-based, not-for-profit environmental, community center that educates and inspires people to understand and value nature as motivation for positive change, neighborhood by neighborhood. Our quarterly Art Shows support this mission through locally produced, nature-related artwork.

All Opening Receptions are 5 - 7 pm, with artists speaking informally at 6.
Refreshments provided. Urban Ecology Center - Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee

Water and Light
January through March 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, January 16th, 5 - 7 pm

Abstraction and intimacy, water and light connect Kurt Kleman’s dramatic large-scale acrylic paintings (“shimmer” series) and Thea Kovac’s vibrant watercolors (“Floating Light” series). You might become mesmerized by our rivers and Lake Michigan all over again. In delightful and engaging counterpoint are bird carvings by Tom Petri.

Sara Daleiden, director of MKE <-> LAX will be on hand to host the event as well as moderate the question & answer session with the artists.

“18”, Shimmer series Kurt Kleman 30”x60” acrylic painting	Floating Light series Thea Kovac Watercolor on paper	Black-capped Chickadee Tom Petri

Visual Reflections: Printmaker Collective
April through June 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, April 10th, 5 - 7 pm

By invitation, twelve fine art printmakers were linked with twelve ecologists, to engage in a conversation that inspired visual representations of each ecologist’s story. Bench Press Events organized this exhibit for the World Conference of the Society for Ecological Restoration to encourage further insight into the work of ecological restoration.

“Diversity in Small Parcels” Heather Buechler Letterpress on handmade paper	“Return, Take Over” Katie Garth Serigraph

Additional artists: Kim Hindman, Niki Johnson, Jay Wallace, Rhea Ewing, Yvette M. Pino, Douglas Bosely, Laura Grossett, Tyler Green, Jonas Angelet, Kris Broderick

Intimate Nature
July through September 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, July 10th, 5 - 7 pm

Two artists pay close attention to nature’s details. Kristin Gjerdset sees the world underfoot - often overlooked, yet as deserving of reverence as grand scenery. Hers is the world of tiny shrubs and flowers, visited by winged beings and fur-bearing creatures. Jamie Bilgo Buchman notices the natural world in our everyday lives and asks questions: where do things come from? How do they work? What does this mean?

“Horicon Marsh: A Day” Kristin Gjerdset	“Veining” Jamie Bilgo Bruchman Mixed media on wood

The Mysterious, Magical World of Nature at Night
October through December 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, October 9th, 5 - 7 pm

Timothy Haglund is primarily a plein air painter. He works in nature, at night, a time that is unique and not always experienced by outdoor enthusiasts. Nature at night is a magical, mysterious time where one’s awareness of their surroundings is heightened, and one’s presence in the landscape feels noticeably alone. It is a time to come to know the land one exists within. The time, the mood, that stillness is alive in the subtleties of these painted night-scapes.

“Bats Over the River”
Timothy Haglund
Oil on gessoed birch plywood

Being / Seeing
January through March 2015
Opening Reception Thursday, Jan 8th 2015, 5-7 pm

A continuing quest into being and seeing. Joyce Winter describes her paintings as a dance on paper using color, texture and space - a process that seems to connect memory and sensory impressions of our relationships with nature. Michael Kutzer paints one place, Seminary Woods, in its many moods. He is interested in how the working of your eyes, and your ability to focus at multiple distances, affects how and what you see in nature.

“This is Our Heritage” Joyce Winter Acrylic-prisma pencil on watercolor paper, 40”x32”	“Target 36: Forest’s Heart” Michael Kutzer Acrylic, 20”x20”

The Urban Ecology Center is a neighborhood-based, not-for-profit environmental, community center that educates and inspires people to understand and value nature as motivation for positive change, neighborhood by neighborhood. Our quarterly Art Shows support this mission through locally produced, nature-related artwork.

New this year is our first-ever art show at our Menomonee Valley branch!

All Opening Receptions are 5 - 7 pm, with artists speaking informally at 6.
Refreshments provided. Urban Ecology Center - Riverside Park, 1500 E. Park Place, Milwaukee

The Urban Ecology Center typically issues an annual Call for Artists in the fall of each year, to choose artists for up to six quarters ahead. Watch this page for information.

Artworks are often available for purchase. The artist contributes a portion of the sales price to the Urban Ecology Center. If you would like to purchase an artwork, please speak to Riverside Park branch manager Jamie Ferschinger or another Urban Ecology Center staff member.

Being / Seeing
January through March 2015
Opening Reception Wednesday, February 11th 2015, 4:30-7 pm

Joyce Winter describes her paintings as a dance on paper using color, texture and space - a process that seems to connect memory and sensory impressions of our relationships with nature.

With a collection entitled aRound the Deer Creek, Michael Kutzer shows one place, Seminary Woods, in its many moods. The compositions’ round shape, circles and center are inspired by old painted targets, but their meaning has become more spiritual.

Sacred Places
April through June 2014
Opening Reception Thursday, April 9th, 5 - 7 pm

Kevin Muente's paintings make the viewer understand that we need to protect as many wild places as possible no matter how big or small. At times the window of the canvas frames and perhaps allows places that are in our own communities to rival images of the greatest national parks.

Ghost Garden
July through September 2015
Opening Reception Thursday, July 9th, 5 - 7 pm

Ghost Garden is a collection of memories in the form of botanical prints. Plants gathered from Vicki Reed's gardens, and from outings with her elderly patients, were used to create lumen prints - a historical technique of placing leaves and blossoms on photographic paper to produce ghost images of the original plants.

The Nature of Prints
October through December 2015
Opening Reception Thursday, October 8th, 5 - 7 pm

Sally Duback: In making paper from rags, re-using natural materials that have been discarded, Duback’s finished works carry a deep level of meaning.

Barbara Manger: A river’s pulse and energy, secrets and constant change,lead Manger to explore and convey tangles, apparent disorder,and the river wending its own path of necessity.

Sally Duback
Specimens on Green
Monoprint / handmade paper, 24x38"

River's Path
Monotype, ink, woodblock, linoleum block, 38x50"

Forest Floor
(A special sculpture exhibit)

Shannon Molter: Take a closer look above and below at the unsung forest understory. Sculptures will usher visitors into the Center, growing along the floor of the entrance alcoves and hanging overhead in the main hall. Molter's fibrous representations of the forest floor aim to create a palpably mysterious, spiritual representation of this rich and misunderstood ecosystem, which begs its viewer to spend time finding beauty in the spaces under foot. Woven from discarded leather scraps cut into leaf litter, sculpted into tree stumps, roots and fallen branches.

Shannon Molter
Detail: Forest Floor

Wood and Stone
January through March 2016
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 14th, 2016, 5-7 pm

Cynthia Brinich-Langlois: The lithographic prints tell a story that begins on the tundra, with the drying up of rivers and ponds, but the series expands to include diverse habitats, and the land itself begins to disintegrate. The work depicts a journey through changing environments, with surreal geographies suggesting an unsettled future.

Ken Vonderberg: The inspiration for creating artwork with the wood burning process or “pyrography” was the notion that wood, as a raw natural material, could be transformed into images through the use of heat, an elemental force, employed in the artist’s vision.

Cynthia Brinich-Langlois
Underworld
Lithograph and hot stamping foil on gray Pescia, 11 x 30 inches, 2014

Ken Vonderberg
Blue Ridge
Pyrography & acrylic wash on birch cradled panel 14 x 18, 2014

Last year, while brainstorming ideas for summer camps, I suggested a photography camp for middle school aged campers. This summer was the first year, to my knowledge, that we offered a photography camp, and I was lucky enough to lead it.