The exhibition, which runs through Nov. 1, reveals some of the unusual history of this Milwaukee landmark. With its interesting artist biographies, the exhibit also offers a unique perspective on Wisconsin art. More than 50 paintings, prints, sculptures and photographs depict bygone days and industrial landscapes on Jones Island. The sheer variety of techniques and images in the artwork makes for an interesting study.
Frank Enders’ etching on Asian paper mounted on cardboard, Jones Island #1, carries both the artist’s signature and the long-ago 1888 date. Helen L. Hoppin, a former teacher at the Layton School of Art, uses loose brush strokes in pen and India ink drawings to capture the peninsula. The more recent Artist at Easel,a woodblock print by Gerrit Sinclair, pictures birds, gulls and island rooftops through stark black-and-white images.
Be sure to note several compelling watercolors and prints hanging in the MWA’s stairwell, including Howard Thomas’ Boat and Turtle (1936), which showcases a lyrical, semi-abstract rendering of a shoreline dock. The watercolor’s wet-on-wet application mimics the inky waters of Lake Michigan. Hulda Rotier Fischer’s watercolor, gouache and ink on paper, Abstract of Jones Island (mid-1940s),melds the faded colors of the terrain in fractured and overlapping shapes.
On the wall opposite the reception desk, Max Fernekes’ watercolor and crayon on paper, titled Winter Morning at Jones Island, delineates freighters’ prows and masts in bold, black strokes. Blue and orange clouds enhance the translucent sky.
The intriguing “Isle of Inspiration” details the singular atmosphere of this Milwaukee urban settlement, which drew creative minds and hands to its port. Jones Island has been inhabited by American Indians, fur traders and, of course, the island’s namesake, shipbuilder James Monroe Jones. The small community eventually incorporated a Polish fishing village, but, ultimately, the island’s inhabitants gave way to industry. Today the peninsula, with its tip directly beneath the Hoan Bridge, is home to salt mounds and a sewage treatment plant.
But the MWA exhibition resurrects the diverse cultural history of Jones Island through the poetic vision of these eclectic artists. An opening reception takes place Sunday, Sept. 13, from 1:30 to 4 p.m.
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