Maggie Sasso, Nathaniel Stern

press release: On view November 16, 2018 - January 27, 2019;Closed 12/24-1/1. Artists' reception on Friday, November 30, 5–7:00 pm 

Maggie Sasso: Fore and Aft

Nathaniel Stern: Autumnal Tints

Maggie Sasso's textile-based installation will evoke the legacy of sailing on the Great Lakes, while Nathaniel Stern is showing digital images "performed into existence" by strapping a scanner to his body and walking along the Milwaukee lakefront. Solo exhibitions by these two Milwaukee artists will be on view beginning Friday, November 16, at the Wisconsin Academy's James Watrous Gallery, located in Overture Center for the Arts in Madison.

Nathaniel Stern's Autumnal Tints prints were made by strapping a desktop scanner, computing device, and custom-made battery pack to his body and traversing the fall foliage around Milwaukee's lakefront. The dynamism between his body, technology, and the landscape is transformed into beautiful and quirky renderings, which are then produced as archival artworks.

Sasso's work focuses on the material culture of ships and sailing, so rich with metaphor, theater, and nostalgia. Visitors will encounter a ship's quarterboard sign rendered in tapestry, handmade rope absurdly rigging the gallery, and handwoven sail and semaphore flags shown alongside photographs of their role in performance pieces at the Milwaukee lakefront.