With a creative touch here and a creative touch there, the West Bend cultural and Historic District keeps adding charming features and amenities. The latest artistic touch is a new rendition of the 47 outdoor banners on light poles on Main Street and 6th Avenue.
A banner rendition of “Confluence,” a painted steel sculpture by Norndra Patel, retired art professor at UW-Milwaukee.
The banners, first hung 13 years ago, were the brain-child of Chris Porter, a former art teacher, interior designer and a board member of the Downtown West Bend Association. She and the association coined the name “ArtWalk” to describe their artistic initiative.
“I wanted it (downtown) to look like an outdoor art gallery,” Porter said.
Students and local artists compete for the two-sided banner selections. They are wildly creative and colorful.
Another major upgrade to the look of the cultural district, which has the same boundaries as the Historic District, was the addition last year of new hanging flower baskets, street-side planters for additional flowers and more than 100 trees. Thanks to the donors.
Obviously, the major artistic draw for a decade has been the Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA), a striking modern piece of architecture that is a work of art itself. It is surrounded by hydrangeas and a grove of poplar trees to its south.
Let’s add up the other cultural initiatives for the artistic identity of our downtown:
- More than half of the city’s sculpture collection of 52 distinguished pieces are sited in the cultural district. (The rest are sited across the community.) The most recent downtown 3-D art is “Full Circle,” a small red, shining steel piece on the river bank on the east side of the gleaming white north pedestrian bridge. A stainless steel sculpture, The Bird, on the east riverbank has proven to be the most popular photo opportunity.
- In addition to its Arte Deco restoration, and the interior that has won a national design award, The Bend has done its part with the exterior of its building. It has installed a colorful digital painting of the upstream Milwaukee River in the Fall on its rear façade along the city’s Riverwalk.
- The Bend is also installing lighted displays for the Wisconsin Entertainer Wall of Fame on its north wall in the festoon-lighted Walkway. The display for comedian Chris Farley and band leader Steve Miller will be installed shortly. The graphics by Shaun Tanner, the theater’s marketing & communications director, are eye-popping.
With four lively rapids downtown, the Milwaukee River itself is a striking piece of natural art. It catches the eyes and ears of river walkers, cyclists and paddlers probably more than any other amenity.
Adding to the overall charm have been the upgrades to the façades of buildings facing Main Street and the Riverwalk. Perhaps the most striking is the shiny copper cladding on the Serwatt Building’s rear façade just south of the theater.
Many individuals and businesses have contributed to making the cultural district a place of pride for local residents and a draw for outside visitors. Will there be more artistic advancements within the district?
My bet is that more patrons and artists will step forward to add to the district’s luster.
Hey, Chris, how about some banners on the light poles along the Riverwalk?
