Published on 7/4/08
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“Martín Ramírez”
Ramírez (1895–1963) spent 30 years in a California mental hospital, where he produced more than 300 drawings. The Milwaukee Art Museum will display this work in an exhibition that first opened at the American Folk Art Museum in New York last year. It was a huge hit, catapulting Ramírez into the pantheon of outsider superstars. He also has a Chicago connection: Local artist Jim Nutt mounted the first Ramírez show in the late 1960s and played an important role, along with then-local art dealer Phyllis Kind, in making sure the bulk of Ramírez’s work was properly conserved. Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI (414-224-3200, mam.org). Oct 6–Jan 13, 2008, $4–$8.
“Loaded Landscapes”
The goal of this exhibition: to expand viewers’ ideas about landscape photography. The 12 contemporary artists included here present work that goes beyond the pastoral, like Joel Sternfeld and his large color shots of roadside America. Also participating is the Chicago-based collaborative New Catalogue (Luke Batten and Jonathan Sadler), who mock the slickly comprehensive style of stock-photo agencies. Museum of Contemporary Photography, 600 S Michigan Ave (312-663-5554, mocp.org). Through Oct 13, free.
Spertus Institute public opening
Raise a glass to the museum’s funky, wavy-glass facade during the week-long celebration of Spertus’s new building, designed by Chicago firm Krueck & Sexton. The facility, double the square footage of the museum’s old digs, sports environmentally friendly features such as a green roof. Its unusual glass front is designed to maximize energy efficiency and bring light into the building. The inaugural exhibition is “The New Authentics: Artists of the Post-Jewish Generation.” 610 S Michigan Ave (312-322-1700, spertus.edu). Nov 30, $5–$7 (the museum also will host a free open house on Dec 2).
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