June 4, 2019 – West Bend, WI – The Museum of Wisconsin Art is expanding as a satellite gallery opens in the new Saint Kate Arts Hotel today in Downtown Milwaukee.
“I’m really excited for this extended space,” said MOWA Executive Director Laurie Winters.
The new hotel is actually the former InterContinental Hotel, 139 E. Kilbourn Ave; it’s part of the Marcus Hotels & Resorts Inc.
One of the first pieces of art at MOWA | DTN features a poet phone by Mark Claussen.
“If that takes you back a couple of decades, it should,” said Winters. “It’s a revitalized booth from the late ’70s and if you pick up the receiver you hear poems by seven of the greatest poets in Wisconsin all about downtown in keeping with the theme of the exhibition.”
Listen in as Winters explains part of the inspiration toward expanding MOWA’s reach. “The river will carry your mission throughout the state,” said artist Truman Lowe.
Winters said Greg and Linda Marcus invited MOWA to be part of the Saint Kate Art Hotel and the “answer was a resounding yes, absolutely.”
“It took us about two seconds to make the decision because Greg and Linda have the highest standards and they have an incredible vision for art.
The first exhibition for MOWA | DTN is called ‘Downtown.’
“We asked 10 artists to reflect on what downtown means to them,” said Winters.
Below are some of images from the hotel itself. Greg Marcus gave a brief speech before a piece of driftwood art of a horse in the lobby of the hotel.
Each room at the Saint Kate Arts Hotel comes with a red phonograph and a ukulele.
Click HERE to read more about MOWA | DTN and the Saint Kate Arts Hotel.
MOWA | DTN at Saint Kate The Arts Hotel is free and open to the public.
