Page 111 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL WINTER SPRING 2022
P. 111

The dazzling Milwaukee Art Museum was the
           culmination of my immersion. Though it was at the  Opposite: Witty and poignant murals abound.
           top of my list, I didn't get to it until my last evening  The city's architecture blends the old and new
           in town. I'd been dodging chilly raindrops most of  beautifully.
           the day and was looking forward to an evening in-  Below: The Fonz awaits selfie takers by the
           doors. My free day just happened to occur on a     Milwaukee River.
           Thursday, when the museum was open in the
           evening.                                            Architect Santiago Calatrava designed a
                                                              masterpiece for the Milwaukee Art Museum.
             I arrived around four when the gray skies were
           turning even more broody. But the day's gloom
           didn't dampen the wow factor of architect Santi-
           ago Calatrava's design, with soaring white wings
           atop a glass and concrete spaceship. The wings,
           called a brise-soleil (sunscreen), close themselves
           if the wind is blowing over 23 miles per hour—an
           important detail given its position at the edge of
           stormy Lake Michigan.
             Inside the art museum, across a great hall from
           the entryway, a wall of windows faced the lake be-
           neath the underside of the peaked wings sepa-
           rated by a skinny glass column. The outdoors's
           gray light cast a shimmering reflection from the
           upper and lower windows to the gleaming white
           Carrara marble floor. The natural art installation
           merited contemplation.
             I was utterly wowed by the museum's seemingly
           endless exhibits. Wandering rather aimlessly, I
           studied a Warhol and lingered in a room filled with
           Haitian art. Serious Play: Design in Midcentury
           America was my favorite exhibition, and I must
           have spent an hour admiring the playful design of
           everyday objects from clocks to chairs and toys.
             There were plenty of places to sit, some with
           artfully framed views of the lake. In one room I
           sat beside a row of gorgeous glass objects; in
           another I gazed at skeletal trees through nar-
           row windows. My time was limited, and I buzzed
           around trying to see as much as possible, paying
           too little attention to works by Chagall,
           O'Keefe and Picasso. It looked like most of my
           fellow museumgoers were locals, and I envied
           their ability to wander these halls whenever.
             All in all, Milwaukee wowed me even though I
           couldn't rush about. In fact, the slower pace
           may have been a blessing. It definitely made me
           want to return.





                                                                        WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM              111
   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116