MILWAUKEE — After a three-year hiatus, the Lakefront Festival of Art has returned at the Milwaukee Art Museum.
Long-time festival goers and artist vendors alike were thrilled to be back on Friday, the first day of the weekend outdoor festival right beside the Calatrava. Over 100 nationwide artists are featuring paintings, ceramics, fiber, metalwork and jewelry.
Glass artist Douglas Sigwarth and his wife Renee showcased their hand-blown glass sculptures for walls, gardens and larger installations. Their sculptures take a variety of round forms with striking patterns and dreamlike colors. Sigwarth says they work in tandem at their River Falls studio.
“I do the layering of the glass at 2,000 degrees at the end of a steel blow pipe, then I hand it off to my wife and she will create the finished shape for the piece,” said Sigwarth.
Sigwarth Glass sculptures also appear in Wisconsin museums. For example, the Sigwarths were commissioned to create a cornerstone piece at the Museum of Wisconsin Art entitled “Interconnection.” Three bubble-like glass towers spiral down from the ceiling, a smaller version of which was on display at the art festival.
“When my wife was a young child, she would draw these spheres that were on top of each other, swinging in the air,” said Sigwarth. “It’s kind of like the idea of DNA or cells.”
Under another tent, digital collage wall art featured “414” displayed in bold type. Artist Jesse Kunerth creates “travel art” combining photography and graphic design. For Milwaukee, that looks like city horizons and lakefront elements popping out from splatters of color.
“I create art from all of my travels and always try to have the city I’m in reflected,” said Kunerth.
The Lakefront Festival of Art continues on Saturday and Sunday, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the gate and include museum admission.
