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.

It was 5pm on a late fall, Friday evening and I was enjoying a cup of hot chocolate at the Menomonee Valley branch’s reception desk. A group of our regular youth visitors were running around the building as it was too dark outside to explore Three Bridges Park and they were having too much fun to go home. It was a quiet evening, perfect for kids to just hang out and be themselves in our safe community center. I couldn’t see anybody around, but I could hear little feet moving fast.

“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.

Students can be scientists? It's true! In another story of "impossibles made possible" by your support of the Urban Ecology Center, we're taking at look at our Young Scientists Club and their participation in the University of Minnesota's Driven to Discover program!

We’ve seen quite a bit of transition over the past couple of months and we’d like to introduce you to some of our fantastic new staff members!

In no particular order, here are the staff who have been newly hired or recently promoted to a new role:

Amy LaMacchia is our new Donor Relations Manager. Lianna Bishop was promoted to the new role of Corporate and Foundation Relations Manager. Brittany Peters was promoted to Membership and Development Systems Coordinator. Chris Steinkamp is our new Evaluation Coordinator but don’t worry, he will continue his half-time Volunteer Coordinator role at Menomonee Valley as he adds this new half-time role. Shameka Tyler is now the full-time Human Resources Specialist. Kirsten Maier is a full-time Environmental Educator at Riverside Park. Emily Bablitch is a new full-time Environmental Educator at Washington Park. Jaime Cano is the new Visitor Services Specialist at the Menomonee Valley. Davita Flowers-Shanklin has two new roles. She is the Volunteer Coordinator at Washington Park as well as our Development Specialist. Martha Sudermann is joining us this year as our Lutheran Volunteer Corps intern, serving as a Community Program Educator. Francis Sullivan is our new Community Program Assistant. Alex LaBonte joins us an Environmental Educator working at both Riverside Park and Washington Park.

Last, but not least, we are pleased to announce that the Urban Ecology Center has two new directors! Jen (Feltz) Hense is our Director of Development and Jeff McAvoy is our Director of Marketing and Communications. These two fantastic individuals have joined our Leadership Team and are helping to make key decisions that will shape the future of the Urban Ecology Center. Click here to learn more about these new Directors.

With a larger leadership team, a full staff of brilliant and enthusiastic individuals, and thousands of dedicated and inspiring volunteers, we are well poised for future success!

This time of year always gets me thinking about gratitude (I probably say that every November). This year, I want to share a story that perfectly captured for me why I’m so grateful to be a part of this work, and why I’m grateful for the support of so many people that make this work possible.

Last spring, I had the opportunity to teach a 3rd grade Neighborhood Environmental Education Project class at our Menomonee Valley branch. It was a glorious late spring day—sunny with just that faintest taste of summer coming around the corner.

“An oasis in a city to learn about nature and teach kids about nature.”

This is what one community forum participant said about our Menomonee Valley branch when asked how he would describe the Urban Ecology Center to a friend. Another said “It is a place to have fun and laugh.” And when asked about challenges we can help address in the neighborhood, we heard that we should continue to “increase safety along the bike path,” provide more “options for kids in the neighborhood,” and perhaps add programs to help address “balanced nutrition … Kids eat unhealthy foods.”

Do you remember those little gift books you used to give as a kid? You’d spend hours, carefully creating hand-made “coupons” for someone special. The promise was to take an ordinary experience and add a little extra. One might say you’d do the dishes without complaining. Another would say you’d give your parents a hug or plan a movie night. They were fun to make and even more fun when redeemed ... well, except for the chores, but even those would change ordinary activities into extraordinary experiences as grownups would often join in to help.

Spending time outdoors, actively engaging with nature is what our Summer Camps are all about!

Our campers explore the secrets of nature by looking under logs, hiking in the woods, climbing trees, building forts, creating art projects, taking pictures and more with kids from all over the city. They’re building science and engineering skills to be better prepared for school year.

Being outside is awesome because there is something for everyone. This was perfectly illustrated on a camping adventure with the Menomonee Valley Young Scientists Club this past summer. We packed two buses full of tents, sleeping bags, food and ourselves and drove up to Blue Heron Wildlife Sanctuary for our first Young Scientists and parents camping trip. Camping was a new experience for many, so we planned to do the basics like preparing dinner over a fire, telling stories and exploring the woods at night. But perhaps the best parts of the whole trip were the things that had not been planned.