Speaking of Goats

Because of the popularity of Al Johnson's restaurant (see my post for 7/26) - the goat theme is prevalaent around Sister Bay.  These friendly looking rustic metal sculptures were gracing the entrance to one of the many shops along the main thoroughfare.  Almost wanted to take one home with us, but they were not for sale!   

"Hiawatha"

Known locally as "The Big Indian" - this statue of the Native American, Hiawatha, towers over Riverside Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin.  As the sign below says, it was created by a middle school art teacher, Anthony Zimmerhakl (everyone called him Zim) back in 1962, and has been a landmark ever since for those boating up and down the Mississippi River.

Be sure to click on the statue image to see a larger version.

Dancing with Toulouse

The lobby posters announcing the show "Posters of Paris" at the Milwaukee Art Museum are just as exciting as the vintage ones on display.

Window Wall

Above is the large glass wall separating the "Posters of Paris" exhibition from the rest of the Milwaukee Art Museum lobby. The posters included fabulous full size original lithographs by well known artists of the late 19th century, such as Toulouse Lautrec, Jules Cheret, Jean de Paleologue (also known as 'Pal'), and others. Cameras were not allowed into the exhibit, but photos were allowed in the lobby.

Milwaukee Architecture

This view is looking northwest from the outside of the Milwaukee Art Museum over Lincoln Memorial Drive.  Not sure exactly what that large white building is, but I think it may be one of the cities' older posh apartment buildings. In the foreground you can see a kiosk with advertisements for the current museum show, "Posters of Paris."  I will show a few more images over the next day or two from our little jaunt downtown.

September Theme Day: People Watching

What better place to watch a crowd than at the Milwaukee Art Museum? We drove down to review their current "Posters of Paris" exhibit last weekend.  This image shows the crowd milling about in the atrium of the gorgeous Calatrava wing which overlooks Lake Michigan.

View all Theme Day entries for September.

Birdhouse Gourds

We also came across a table of "birdhouse" gourds (v. Lagenaria) at the Madison Farmer's Market. These are grown to make pretty, decorative dwellings for your feathered friends. Simply use a large drill bit to create an opening, add other embellishments, and hang from a tree or hook. It will last a season or so outdoors before weather and use breaks it down. You can also just use it as a display piece indoors. (Example shown below is from ParkSeed.com.)

'Tis

We walked past this charming little historic gallery on Cortez St. during our January visit to Prescott, Arizona. It was not open at the time, or we would have certainly wandered in. The above link takes you to their website where you can see the front view of the building.

Giant Jesus

On the open road between Cottonwood and Sedona, Arizona, stands this larger than life statue of Jesus. It's visible for a few miles down the road, and we couldn't figure out what it was until we came upon it standing near a christian church in the middle of nowhere. A little disconcerting, but still, I suppose it's nice to have someone (literally!) watching over us.

Note that he's holding a globe, i.e. "he has the whole world in his hands," as the song goes.

Window Shopping

A photo of the Newman Gallery window, one of the Whiskey Row shops in Prescott, AZ. The bare trees in the reflection are in the yard of the courthouse across the street.

Welcome to Milwaukee

We visited the new Amtrak station in downtown Milwaukee last week to pick up our in-laws, who were visiting from La Crosse for the Thanksgiving holiday. The view above shows the west exit of the station looking north at the Milwaukee skyline. Both Amtrak trains and Greyhound buses are serviced at this location. The view below shows a stylized "2D" Greyhound sculpture hanging above the attendants' counter, complete with a wreath for the Christmas holidays ahead.

US Mail

One of the stone creatures surrounding the Asiana Restaurant on Capitol Drive is this giant eagle, who is guarding the mailbox.

Coach

The quintessential coach, Vince Lombardi, watches over the crowd entering the hallowed halls of Lambeau Field on Sunday up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was a perfect fall day for a football game - partly sunny and in the 40's, however the 25 mph winds made it a bit chilly at times. Not a problem if you are dressed in layers. The Packers shut-out the Detroit Lions 26-0, although the overall execution of the game left something to be desired.

Courtyard of the Golden Mast

This unusual sculpture of tumbling children is one of the features of the outdoor tiled courtyard at The Golden Mast restaurant mentioned in the previous post (9/29/09.) Features include a fountain, a private bar, and the far wall also houses a stained glass window visible from the inside chapel, which was not accessible on this day. An inviting place to take a break on a cool, sunny afternoon.

Pump House Heron

I was back in La Crosse for a few days again this past week. The "Pump House" herons are man-size sculptures strategically placed around town and painted in a variety of themes. There is apparently a geocaching project dedicated to them as well! This one was located in Riverside Park.

SkyWatch Friday: Cavorting Critters

Since I was unable to post something related to the City Daily Photo monthly theme-day ["Big"] on September 1st, I thought I do it now. These over-sized critters appear to be climbing up an old smoke stack towards the sky in downtown Milwaukee. The mouse and reindeer are part of a sculpture installation piece by artist Bill Ried.

See all SkyWatch Friday entries here.

Horton Hears a Who

While in La Crosse a few weeks ago, there was a sand sculpture contest in Riverside Park open to local artists. The theme was "Going to the Movies." There were quite a few inspired entries, from the Wizard of Oz to Jaws to John Wayne westerns. But my favorite was this sweet rendition of Dr. Seuss' Horton.

Lake Country Gallery

Lake Country Gallery in Pewaukee houses a number of works from local artists. It's a converted turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th!) school house. The fiberglass animal sculptures outside the gallery are landmarks of sort, as they have been there since the place opened in the late 1990's.

Pewaukee Picasso

This painting, created by a local artisan, is currently displayed in the window of the bike shop across from the lake. It provides window-shoppers a little extra piece of interest, and maybe a bit of enticement to enter the shop.

April Theme Day: Yellow - Healing Body and Mind

This sunny yellow display is located in the Chiropractic and Holistic Wellness Clinic on Wisconsin Avenue. It's one of the quaint storefront shops (see photo below) across from Pewaukee Lake. In addition to taking care of physical needs, they also offer spiritually inspired artwork by local artisans.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants for April's Theme Day.