Kenilworth Open Studios returns April 13

MILWAUKEE __ What do one of America’s best film programs, live music from award winning guitarists, state of the arts technology, dynamic dance, all-ages art activities and multimedia exhibitions have in common?

Kenilworth Open Studios, Saturday, April 13, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at 2155 N. Prospect Ave.

More than 100 student and faculty artists from UWM’s Peck School of the Arts come together this Saturday to present the 10th annual Kenilworth Open Studios, a six-floor, interdisciplinary arts open house in the university’s Kenilworth Square East building on Milwaukee’s east side. Kenilworth Open Studios invites the community to explore artist studios and exhibitions, and to enjoy live performances that highlight the offerings of the Peck School’s five departments: art & design, dance, film, music and theatre.

“We’re proud to be a comprehensive public arts school,” says Peck School of the Arts Dean Scott Emmons. “And we’re equally proud to be a leading arts presenter in Wisconsin. Open Studios give us the opportunity to bring our diverse faculty and student talent together for one day, under one roof, and share this work with our most important audience – our home community.”

Kenilworth Open Studios is free and open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Keynote events and exhibitions are highlighted below. This is not a complete list.

FIRST FLOOR – Art & design faculty will host an art build in the Kenilworth gallery, welcoming members of the community to create alongside artists and activists. The gallery also showcases a multiyear collaboration between the department’s community arts program and Project Ujima, a public-health program that uses art to promote healing for families affected by gun violence. Artists and community partners from these collaborations will discuss their work and lead art activities.

THIRD FLOOR – More from art & design faculty and students, including art projects focused on education, sustainability and shared connections among artists across generations. Four exhibitions of student work, from metals and ceramics to photography, painting and entrepreneurial exploration share the space. Kenilworth Open Studios is a family friendly event, but much of the event’s all-ages, hands-on activities are based on the third floor.

FOURTH FLOOR – The school’s nationally ranked department of film, video, animation & new genres takes over the fourth floor with an improv, Zen-inspired film shoot, stop-motion animation and drawing demonstrations, sound-effects demos, screenings from faculty and student filmmakers and more. Many hands-on activities are based on the fourth floor.

FIFTH FLOOR – Live performances from the music department’s nationally renowned and decorated guitar program. Jazz guitarists perform at 11 a.m.; classical guitarists perform at 12:20 p.m.; fingerstyle guitarists perform at 1:40. The studio’s blackbox theatre, Kenilworth 508, will stage theatre presentations by advanced theatre production and acting students.

SIXTH FLOOR – Dance professors and students will host open rehearsals in preparation for their Springdances concert, April 25-28, featuring world premiere work from dance faculty and visiting artists. Rehearsals begin at 11 a.m., 12:20 p.m. and 1:40 p.m. and other times as posted in the building.

About UWM

Recognized as one of the nation’s 130 top research universities, UW-Milwaukee provides a world-class education to 27,500 students from 91 countries on a budget of $689 million. Its 15 schools and colleges include Wisconsin’s only schools of architecture, freshwater sciences and public health, and it is a leading educator of nurses and teachers. UW-Milwaukee partners with leading companies to conduct joint research, offer student internships and serve as an economic engine for southeastern Wisconsin. The Princeton Review named UW-Milwaukee a 2019 “Best Midwestern” university based on overall academic excellence and student reviews, and the Sierra Club has recognized it as Wisconsin’s leading sustainable university.