The Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery Presents: Patricia Gilman Graham

Artist’s Statement:

I remember planting seeds as a child, kneeling in the earth; the wonder of that experience has been with me all my life. That a speck of a seed, given soil, water and light, could become a beautiful flower, was an event too marvelous to comprehend. My response to this miracle of nature and of life was, and is, wonder, anticipation, joy and ultimately, reverence. This is what I try to express and celebrate in my art.

In my painting I attempt to reflect intimately my impressions of living things or the parts of living things that metaphorically suggest the whole in celebration of being.

Others of my paintings are about seeds. The seeds represent existence before being. I saw them in my mind’s eye and wanted to put their potential in a mysterious yet nurturing and allowing environment.

There are two other variations in my latest work. One takes the form of elongated organic “cone” shapes. The cone is open at one end and may be viewed with the wide part either up or down, suggesting the unity of birth and death, beginning and ending and beginning again…..

The other theme I call “duo”. These forms are two halves of a whole. They are opposing yet complementary – one could not exist without the other. My experience is that our lives are dichotomous. There is our inner world which we share as spiritual beings and there is the outer world which we learn about and must live in – the eternal and the temporal experiences. To unite the two experiences, to allow them to sing in harmony, if you will, is to generate light, love and compassion.

If the viewer can sense something familiar, something elemental and reassuring finally, in contemplating the images I suggest, then I think my work has some worth.

I use the softest, finest quality pastels available and soft cotton paper which accepts and absorbs multi-layers of color. My fingers are my brushes.

 

Biography:

I have been drawing and painting for as long as I can remember. During my 31 year career in art education with Milwaukee Public Schools and UW-Milwaukee I explored many different media with my students.

My work has been exhibited in Wisconsin and in the San Francisco Bay Area and may be found in private collections throughout the country.

In my most recent work I am employing acrylic paint, brushing this medium on canvases from small to large. Occasionally I choose watercolor on paper for its freedom and transparency.

However, that which compels me to express does not change. My paintings continue to be my response to the natural world, every component of which is alive, constantly rhythmically and harmoniously moving and changing in response to some mysterious consciousness of the unity of life.

The subject of much of my latest work is landscape, various places at different moments during all seasons.

I can only attempt to describe what my paintings are about; ultimately, they must speak for themselves.

~Patricia Gilman Graham

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Meet The…Office Manager!

Floyd the Flamingo, local celebrity and COO (Chief Office Ornithologist) of WCT recently sat down with the Office Manager, Meghan Hopper.

Floyd: Hi Meghan! I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to chat with you. Given my recent stage roles, it’s been pretty busy for me here in the office. How did you get involved here at WCT?

Meghan: I used to usher here when I was in high school. I joined the marketing committee a few years ago, and I’ve been slowly getting more involved ever since! I also used to work in the box office and as a house manager for a while, but I switched over to being the Office Manager in August, 2015.

Floyd: Are you originally from the Waukesha area?

Meghan: I was born in Dearborn, Michigan, but I moved here when I was fourteen and attended Waukesha North High School. After that, I went to UW-Eau Claire where I majored in English Education and minored in Theatre Education.

Floyd: Will we ever see you on stage, or just in the office?

Meghan: I was in Fawlty Towers here a couple of seasons ago, but you probably won’t see me onstage too much. I prefer the backstage side of things – I’ve directed two Miscast cabarets here and I also wrote a script for Combat Theatre. So don’t watch for me onstage, but watch for my name in the playbill!

Floyd: What do you like to do in your spare time? Any hobbies?

Meghan: I like Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.

Floyd: If you could be any bird, what kind would you be? Why?

Meghan: I would be a peregrine falcon, because I like saying the word “peregrine.” Also, they’re the fastest creatures on earth!

Floyd: What’s one thing you think people should know about you?

Meghan: People in the office probably get annoyed at how much I talk about podcasts. They just don’t understand. Podcasts are great.

Floyd: It’s not just people in the office, Meghan.

PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Back To The Future

Gotta get back in time…

What were you doing in 1985? And if Doc Brown pulled up in a DeLorean right now, would you go back?

Back To The Future was the highest-grossing film that year, and remains one of my favorite movies. Who can forget Marty, Lorraine, George, and Biff? Huey Lewis in an adorable cameo role? A space alien who likes Eddie Van Halen? And a young, confused Calvin Klein?

Join me at the PIX to relive this classic comedy about time travel, rock and roll, and young love on the big screen.

Your popcorn is on me if you say “You’re my density!” at the concession stand. See you at the PIX!

 

 

Angie Penzkover

Board Director

Past President

Meet The…Box Office Supervisor!

Floyd the Flamingo, local celebrity and COO (Chief Office Ornithologist) of WCT recently sat down with the new Box Office Supervisor, James Boylan.

Floyd: How did you get involved here at WCT?

James: As an actor. I was cast as Robert Westerby in Busybody back in 2012.

Floyd: Are you originally from the Waukesha area?

James: Yes. I grew up in Brookfield. My wife and I currently reside in Delafield.

Floyd: Will we ever see you on stage, or just in the box office?

James: Absolutely! I love performing on the stage!

Floyd: What do you like to do in your spare time? Any hobbies?

James: Acting, hiking, and traveling

Floyd: If you could be any bird, what kind would you be? Why?

James: Penguin. They’re cool!

Floyd: What’s one thing you think people should know about you?

James: I am the proud uncle of 12 nieces and nephews and 3 great-nephews!

Waukesha Has True Grit!

October is almost here and, to me, that means just one thing— it’s time for Waukesha Reads! This year, Waukesha will be reading the great Western novel True Grit. Charles Portis wrote True Grit in 1968, forever giving readers the independent and sassy Mattie Ross and the one-eyed, surly U.S. Marshal, Rooster Cogburn. If you have not already been introduced to this remarkable novel, then you are in for a treat!

It is the goal of Waukesha Reads to unite the community through great books. This program offers citizens the opportunity to read, discuss and explore the themes of a single book with other readers in the community. Through this program, some people will discover the joys of reading for the first time, while others will be reminded of the pleasures of a great book. Everyone will benefit from sharing the literary experience with their fellow community members.

Why read? Growing evidence illustrates that regular reading boosts the likelihood of academic and economic success, awakening a person’s social and civic responsibility. Reading for pleasure is associated with positive personal and social behaviors, both of which impact our community for the better. Simply put, books change people, they change lives and they make us better neighbors. This is why the Waukesha Reads partners feel passionately about reading and its promotion in the community. Reading is the gateway to lifelong learning, personal opportunities and success.

Waukesha Reads would not happen without the support of the community and our local partners. It is this cooperative nature that has made our program such a success over the past eleven years. Partners such as educational institutions, art centers, nonprofit organizations and other area businesses have all jumped at the chance to be a part of Waukesha Reads because they understand the value of promoting literacy in our community. By working together, we reach out to Waukesha’s diverse population, in a variety of traditional and nontraditional ways, to help encourage all citizens to participate. It is our goal that the Waukesha Reads program will bring people together, inspire reading, promote discussion and ultimately strengthen our community.

I hope that you will pick up a FREE copy of True Grit this year, and that you will make it a priority to participate in this citywide event. Whether this is your first Waukesha Reads, or your eleventh, you will undoubtedly find a program or a discussion that catches your eye. Perhaps it will be our (FREE!) keynote speaker, Mike Earp, at Waukesha Civic Theatre on November 2? Waukesha Public Library, and our Waukesha Reads partners, would love to see you there! Books and full event calendars are available at Waukesha Public Library. The calendar is also available online. Happy reading!

 

Kori Hall

Head of Program Development & Community Engagement

MAD Corner: Sex Please We’re Sixty

Sixty-One Amazing Years. Wow! Since its very modest beginnings in 1957, WCT has produced more than 400 shows and continues its long-standing tradition as Waukesha’s first choice for quality live entertainment … truly “A Sight To See!” According to the American Association of Community Theatres, there are over 7,000 community theatres in the nation, and only 100 of them are on record of having survived for 60 years or more, so WCT is in a very elite group of theatres.

I can’t believe I am starting my fifteenth season with the Waukesha Civic Theatre. My, how time flies when you’re having fun! It has been a pleasure and an honor to work in this beautiful facility for this incredible organization and with this amazing community, and I look forward to many more seasons of high quality live entertainment.

We are kicking off our 61^st season with a whole bunch of silliness. Farces are fun. It’s that simple. They’re fun to watch, they’re fun to be in, and they’re fun to direct. And Michael and Susan Parker’s Sex Please We’re Sixty continues their tradition of clever, silly, and fun farces. Sit back, relax, let us tickle your funny bone for a couple of hours and … have fun!

 

John Cramer

Managing Artistic Director

Spotlight On The Board Of Directors: Sex Please We’re Sixty

Greetings!  

It is my honor and pleasure to welcome you to Waukesha Civic Theatre’s 61st season! I want to personally THANK YOU on behalf of the entire WCT family including the Board of Directors, theatre staff, actors, actresses, technicians, ushers, A.C.T. students and families, and all of our wonderful volunteers. As a patron of the arts, you are an essential and important ingredient to every effort that is put on stage at WCT! 

Waukesha Civic Theatre offers a wide variety of performances and educational opportunities that enrich our community’s culture. With so many programs and activities geared for any age you are sure to find something that fits your particular interest. Become an ambassador for Waukesha Civic Theatre and help us spread the word throughout our community about the excellent entertainment and educational opportunities that WCT provides. Your continued support over the past 60 years means the world to us, and we know that “all the world’s a stage…”

 Enjoy this evening’s performance of Sex Please We’re Sixty and we look forward to seeing you many times throughout our 61st season!

 

 

Kelly Vance

WCT Board President 

 

PIX Flix Spotlight On The Board: Dead Poets Society

 

“O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills” ~ Walt Whitman

Dead Poets Society is our third PIX Flix in our 61^st season! Robin Williams called this one of his favorite performances of all time: “it had some sort of amazing… there’s something in that movie that affected people beyond just a movie.” Join us as we help celebrate his legacy! Get inspired by joining us for this extraordinary film on September 25^th at 6:30 pm! Tickets are $5 for everyone – you won’t find a better deal than that!

As in all his roles, Robin Williams lent a certain genius to this film. Playing a new English teacher, John Keating, he sets out to encourage his students to cast aside normality and chart their own course through life. Learning of his colorful past, his students resurrect the unsanctioned Dead Poets Society, and sneak off to explore their own individuality. What follows is a foray you won’t want to miss!

“The poem by Henry David Thoreau that is featured on the front page of the poetry book Neil receives is not an original poem by Thoreau. Rather, it is a rearrangement of sentences from his work “Where I Lived,” Chapter Two from his seminal work, Walden.” ~IMDb

 “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, …” ~Henry David Thoreau

Dead Poets Society won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay (Tom Schulman). Peter Weir received a nomination for Best Director and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture of 1989. Robin Williams received his second Best Actor in a Leading Role nomination and it has since been widely recognized as one of the actor/comedian’s best roles. It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film.

For only $5, join us on September 25^th to celebrate the legacy of Robin Williams, Tom Schulman, poetic inspiration, and our 61^st season all at once! See you at the PIX!

 

Jonathan Danner

WCT Board Secretary

 

“Carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary.”

~John Keating

Director’s Note: Sex Please We’re Sixty

On the surface, I am an unconventional choice as a director for Sex Please We’re Sixty.  What does a man in his thirties know about the romantic lives of menopausal women and a sixty-something Casanova?  Turns out, not a whole lot. 

But as I got to know Bud, Mrs. Stancliffe, and the visitors of the Rose Cottage Bed and Breakfast, I discovered a more universal story, one that speaks to people of all ages; especially those of my generation.

In today’s world, more than ever before, we find ourselves looking for a sense of purpose. We get caught up in the business of our jobs, our kids, countless activities, the news of the world. We tell friends and family that we’ll visit, “when things settle down” or “when we have time.” We send emails or texts instead of making phone calls. Entire stories are told in 140 characters, a small series of pictures, or a six-second video. The digital age has made us more connected, but many people feel more isolated.

This show is a reminder that at all ages, we seek love, companionship, and a purpose in life. Sometimes we pretend to be something we aren’t in order to get what we think we want. Sometimes we get stuck in a routine and need an objective person to give us a push in a new direction. Sometimes the things we want require the most effort and time (even 20 years). Sometimes we need someone to see us for who we truly are, flaws and all. At the end of the day, we’re all just human beings wanting to be loved and accepted.

Thank you to the cast and crew for all their hard work on this show, to John Cramer for this opportunity to direct my first show at WCT, and to family and friends for their support.

 

 

Peter Kao
Director

 

The Waukesha State Bank Art Gallery Presents: The Rogues Gallery

Rogues’ Gallery is a diverse group of seasoned, eclectic artists: painters, sculptors, metal smiths, bookmakers, muralists and poets…doing what we’ve loved doing for decades – creating artworks to share with the world. Members include Donna Staats, Lynda Brothen, Marcia Houde Hero, Cherie Raffel, Debbie Callahan, JJ Joyce, Susanne Eli Germaine, Thomas Buchs, Beth Stoddard, Daniel Pierce, Julie San Felipe, Laura Easey-Jones, Scott Olson, Brad Anthony Bernard, Carol Christ, Marcia Hochstetter, and Gwen Granzow.

 

Debbie Callahan’s Biography and Statement:

Debbie Callahan was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana and from an early age showed interest in painting and drawing. In recent years she has worked primarily in chalk pastel, acrylic paint, and watercolor, doing mostly figurative and still life paintings. She paints traditional subject matter in an untraditional way. Her lines are often hazy, colors muted and forms simplified. The colors often run into each other. Debbie’s compositions are rarely complicated; she prefers to keep the focus directed on the subject without many distractions in the painting. She tries to integrate these components into a cohesive painting.

To Debbie, artists are born, not created. She has always known she was an artist. She believes, in many ways, an artist’s skills are self-taught. A formal art education can teach us many things about the process but only by having awareness and listening to our own voices can we develop our own unique style of expressing ourselves.

She has studied with many accomplished artists, including James Hempel, Terry Stanley, Joye Moon, and Fred Bell. Debbie has been inspired by many artists who have come before her: Odilon Redon, Marc Chagall, John Singer Sargent, Alice Neel, Lucien Freud, and Louise Bourgeois.

Debbie has exhibited widely, received several awards, and her work has been included in numerous exhibit periodicals and catalogues. One of Debbie’s pieces, Madonna & Child, was chosen from over 100 submissions to be featured on the front page of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Christmas Day 2012 as the “Gift of Art” to Wisconsin from the publishers.

She is self-represented in her own gallery, The Martini Girls Gallery & Studio LLC, and is currently working on creating art journals, watercolors on hand made papers, as well as curating and producing group art exhibits. Debbie is active in several art organizations and related activities. She hopes to continue to have an awareness of her inner voice and an expression of it in her paintings.

 

The autobiographical nature of many of my paintings is a therapy of sorts, and has given me the opportunity to look at memories of myself as a little girl from the safer distance of years. I follow the trail of thoughts, the chaos of that time when I had no voice, and put them to paper and create beauty from the pain, a platform to be heard. And my art continues to evolve into further explorations of childhood, in figure and plein air work, especially the plein air allows me to escape into a more soothing and tranquil place to rest and renew.

 

Cherie Raffel’s Biography and Statement:

Cherie Raffel graduated from National Louis University in Evanston, IL in 1972 with a degree in Art History, and a Math/Science minor. She has exhibited at The Knick; the restaurant at the Knickerbocker Hotel in downtown Milwaukee, the Atypic Gallery in Fox Point, the Cedarburg Cultural Center, The Anderson in Kenosha, and the Schauer Center in Hartford, the Grafton Arts Mill, Inspiration Studios in West Allis, and others. Cherie is a member of the League of Milwaukee Artists and the Rogues’ Gallery. She has won numerous awards.

In 2013, Cherie was introduced to plein air painting (painting outdoors), and fell in love with it. She has been participating in many plein air events in the area for the past 4 years. Cherie prefers to work in watercolors and acrylics. Her website is www.cherieraffel.com.

 

A native Wisconsinite, Cherie Raffel loves to paint outdoors to capture the seasonal changes. She also loves to paint flowers. Cherie began painting as a child, and won 1^st place in the national contest, “What America Means to Me” sponsored by Standard Oil when she was 12. More recently, she has won several awards in the League of Milwaukee seasonal shows. When asked about what influences her as an artist, she said “I found that being a painter is the best way to express the full range of beauty in nature.” Cherie’s use of color, rhythm, and light invite the viewer to see the subject in a new way.

She has sold in and around Wisconsin, and participated in numerous workshops taught by nationally recognized artists including: Jane E Jones, Naomi Brotherton, M. Douglas Walton, and Don Andrews.

 

Julie San Felipe Biography and Statement:

Julie San Felipe spent her early years in Chicago, and has since lived in the Milwaukee area, currently residing in New Berlin, WI. She has always had an interest in art and words as long as she can remember. Her artistic background includes classes at UW Milwaukee, MIAD, and MATC, that included calligraphy, painting, drawing, art history, framing, and literature. She teaches Irish calligraphy.

Self-study of ancient manuscripts, researching and sampling original materials, meditating over illuminated pages, and understanding and appreciating the dedication of the monks and other artists, she continues to learn using modern techniques. Her participation and love of dance, the Irish language, reading poetry, travels to Ireland and Northern Wisconsin, and music, provide a strong presence in her work.

An award-winning member of the League of Milwaukee Artists, she has also been invited for several solo shows in Wisconsin, including Irish Fest (2006 and 2017), a successful run at Next Act Theatre (2017), Leenhouts Gallery, the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, and the IAHC in Chicago.

All of the materials and tools she uses are professional grade, the best paints and paper in the industry, and museum quality archival mats and framing, intended to last nearly forever, (but as with all watercolors, should be kept from long periods of direct sunlight).

The poetry, prose, and songs used in the artwork are either in the public domain or permission was kindly given by the authors. Writers, musicians, and all artists and owners of intellectual property should receive credit and compensation for their work. Talented people are a pleasure to correspond and work with. The words and translations are found on the back of all her framed art.

Calligraphic paintings in watercolor, of figures drifting in and out of poetry,

WEAVING OLDEN DANCES, MINGLING HANDS AND MINGLING GLANCES,

Flirting between reality and ancient, traditional Celtic art.

Hand written words, flowing across paper, telling tales with imagination and originality          

And WITH A FULL BUT SOFT EMOTION LIKE THE SWELL OF SUMMER’S OCEAN,

Where the love of poems and a need for art merge.

Layers of vivid and intense colors overlapping with symbolism and humor

Where THE MOON NEVER SLEEPS WITHOUT BRINGING ME DREAMS

About the lingering passion of place, visits with Ireland, and the nature of Wisconsin.