September 2020 Print Edition by Shepherd Express

SEPTEMBER 2020

BEST OF MILWAUKEE VOTING BEGINS THIS MONTH!

SO WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW AT TURNER HALL? THE HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF A GREAT MILWAUKEE INSTITUTION IN THIS ISSUE: Fall Arts Guide & Oktoberfest Guide

MILWAUKEE’S RESPONSE TO THE NEW SHEPHERD EXPRESS

hen we put the new Shepherd Express on the streets a month ago, we weren’t quite sure what the response would be. Might the new look put off some readers? The response was very clear and almost universal by our longtime readers and—apparently—by a number of new readers from the over 150 calls I received over the past month. Readers loved the design and thought the articles highlighted some of the wonderful aspects of Milwaukee. The only downside was that there weren’t 50,000 convention goers to learn about our proud city. For some of you, this is your first copy of the new Shepherd because three days after the August issues hit the streets, they were almost all picked up. We refilled some of the racks but they were gone in less than a day. The advertisers also loved the new look. They had said they wanted to see their ads “jump off the page” and they weren’t disappointed. We also received inquiries from people who had never advertised before and said they planned to start as the economy picked up. So much depends on the virus and how successful we are in slowing down its spread. Even with all this goodwill for the publication, the pandemic has made running a media company much more difficult. Although our Shepherd Express website has become one of the best news websites in the state over the past six months and our e-newsletter has a mailing list of almost 75,000 local residents, times are still tough. Many of our usual advertisers like restaurants, arts and cultural events, and many entertainment venues are either closed or functioning at a very limited capacity. Our usual schedule of annual Shepherd events is postponed until next year.

Facing these realities, I want to again thank the readers who continue to join the Friends of the Shepherd Express to help provide financial support for honest, courageous local journalism. When we ceased printing our newspaper in March, I promised we would return though many of you had doubts. I will again promise that the Shepherd will continue to serve Milwaukee for decades to come without any financial barriers. Our publication, our website and our daily e-newsletter will remain free to all our neighbors. Thank you and please stay safe in these uncertain times, Louis Fortis Editor/Publisher Shepherd Express

NEWS 06 How the Building of I-43 Destroyed Milwaukee's Black Community

10 Milwaukee Turners: Where Cream City’s History Meets the Future 14 Trump’s Still Fighting ‘60s Civil Rights Laws - Taking Liberties 16 The Modern World 18 The Value of Art in a Time of Pandemic - Issue of the Month 20 Mark Denning Speaks Out on Behalf of Native Americans Hero of the Month 22 Mask-up, Milwaukee! - Off the Cuff

FOOD & DRINK

Illustration by Ali Bachmann

26 Old Town Innovates While Keeping Tradition Alive

28 Prepare to Pickle - Flash in Pan 32 Shahrazad’s Story Continues Despite Tough Times

SPECIAL SECTION 34 Fall Arts Guide 2020

39 When Beer Came to Milwaukee 40 It’s Time for Oktoberfest

CULTURE 44 Milwaukee Art Museum Reopens

48 This Month in Milwaukee

LIFESTYLE 52 Caring Too Much or Not at All? Out of my Mind 54 Marijuana After the Election Cannabis 58 Fall is the Time to Winterize Domicile

HEAR ME OUT 60 She Got to First Base but Still Not Playing Ball - Dear Ruthie 62 Running the New Progress Pride Flag Up the Flagpole - My LGBTQ POV

ART FOR ART'S SAKE 64 From the City that Always Sweeps

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Illustration by Tess Brzycki

10 PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Louis Fortis (ext. 3802) GENERAL MANAGER: Kevin Gardner (ext. 3825) MANAGING EDITOR: David Luhrssen (ext. 3804) STAFF WRITER/COPY EDITOR: Jean-Gabriel Fernandez (ext. 3818) ASSISTANT TO THE GENERAL MANAGER: Blaine Schultz (ext. 3813) EVENT SALES COORDINATOR: Carrie Fisher (ext. 3823) ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES: Bridgette Ard (ext. 3811) Brian Travis (ext. 3829)

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EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE SALES DIRECTOR AND PUBLISHER: Jackie Butzler (ext. 3814) BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER: Chuck Hill (ext. 3822) IN MEMORY OF DUSTI FERGUSON (OCTOBER 18, 1971 – NOVEMBER 20, 2007) WEB PUBLISHER: Cole Vandermause (ext. 3807) WEB EDITOR: Tyler Nelson (ext. 3810) WEB WRITER: Allen Halas (ext. 3803)

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BUSINESS MANAGER: Peggy Debnam (ext. 3832) CIRCULATION COORDINATOR: Blaine Schultz (ext. 3813)

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August 2020

NEWS

Illustration by Ali Bachmann

HOW THE BUILDING OF I-43 DESTROYED MILWAUKEE’S BLACK COMMUNITY By Michael Carriere

ew developments have been more important to the evolution of Milwaukee than the region’s highway system. The construction of Interstate 94 (I-94) and Interstate 43 (I-43) throughout the 1960s brought a newfound sense of mobility to the residents of metropolitan Milwaukee. As more and more individuals bought cars, the highway came to symbolize both modernity and movement. Milwaukeeans, like others across the nation, were a people on the move by the mid-1960s.

city itself, remarkably convenient. Over the late 20th century, both people and businesses used these transportation networks to migrate to these burgeoning suburbs, with each taking valuable tax dollars with them. Such movements signaled the onset of a fiscal crisis in Milwaukee, a development that hurt those that couldn’t make the move to suburbia, namely the city’s growing African American population. Communities of color were left to deal with the repercussions of such acts of divestment.

For many such individuals, these highways made the migration to the city’s suburbs, and travel between such places and the

These very same communities of color—often portrayed, through the use of variety of racist tropes, as “blighted” sections of

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the cities that highways allowed affluent whites to avoid—also suffered when it came to where these transportation routes were to be placed. As longtime Milwaukee housing activist Jeff Eagan points out, highway planners “targeted the African-American community, where the political clout was the weakest.” In other words, these highways had to be built somewhere—and that somewhere was often right through North Side, African American neighborhoods. Estimates suggest that the construction of I-43 throughout the 1960s led to the demolition of roughly 17,000 homes and close to 1,000 businesses.

and did it.” Speaking on those that carried out this planning process, longtime activist James Nelson, who moved to Milwaukee from Chicago in 1958, refers to them as “like gangsters, they were like bullies.” As he watched the construction proceed, he “felt helpless. You felt how vulnerable you were.”

Displaced People Tellingly, no one in municipal government took the lead in relocating those displaced by highway construction. Mayor Henry Maier saw the need for such assistance, but he did not allocate any funding to aid those hurt by displacement, nor did he advocate for open housing throughout the city. Leonard Zubrensky, a member of the city’s Expressway Commission, did suggest that highway construction may have to be delayed until this issue of displacement was properly addressed. But he did not speak up until 1968, well after many Milwaukeeans had already been removed from their homes. During that same year, renters forced to relocate continued to receive no compensation for moving costs. The broad contours of this story of highway construction—as it played out in Milwaukee and other major U.S. cities—is now well known. Yet, what is less discussed is the impact it had on those that had to live through it. On the macro level, this process turned communities of color into multi-year construction zones. The act of tearing down a structure is a noisy, violent process; imagine witnessing such destruction daily for years. Economic activity

ground to a halt in such neighborhoods, while people struggled to find new housing wherever they could. This often compelled both individuals and families to move outside of the immediate communities they previously called home. Here, one begins to see a source of individual trauma that cities like Milwaukee have never fully addressed. For community leaders like Jerrel Jones, the founder and publisher of The Milwaukee Courier, a feeling of defenselessness came to inform this moment, as the African American community had little say in how the planning process played out. “We weren’t asked any questions,” notes Jones. “They came

Tearing the Social Fabric This feeling of vulnerability was compounded by the fact that these new roads tore apart the social fabric of these neighborhoods while undercutting the very institutions that supported residents. Nelson remembers biking and walking to neighborhood stores that sold things like candy and fruit. Many of these stores closed, while the construction of the highway made it more and more difficult to walk in such neighborhoods; the car now reigned supreme as the primary mode of transportation. Commenting on such disruptions to a once-vibrant streetscape, Jones can only conclude that highway construction “like a cancer… destroyed a culture.”

September 2020

NEWS

Nowhere is this destruction of the social fabric wrought by highway construction— and the subsequent depletion of the social capital that often undergirds this fabric— more apparent than in the impact of relocation on personal relationships. To Nelson, an individual forced to relocate was like “a prisoner of war, a refugee.” For him, such construction “affected your friendships directly.” Nelson recalls biking to visit a friend who lived near Eighth Street and Keefe Avenue during the mid-1960s. He had not seen the boy for quite some time, so he was particularly excited to play with him. “I remember coming back and looking for my friend,” remembers Nelson, “and his house was gone.” Ten years old at the time, Nelson never saw his friend again.

NOWHERE IS THIS DESTRUCTION OF THE SOCIAL FABRIC WROUGHT BY HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION—AND THE SUBSEQUENT DEPLETION OF THE SOCIAL CAPITAL THAT OFTEN UNDERGIRDS THIS FABRIC—MORE APPARENT THAN IN THE IMPACT OF RELOCATION ON PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS. It is hard to quantify such pain, to try to understand just how many times a similar story played out in Milwaukee during this era. Yet, there is no denying the fact that such pain remains remarkably real. “I remember playing in that area that is no more,” notes Charles Walton, the son of civil rights activist Jeannetta Simp-

Shepherd Express

son-Robinson, “and I think about it each time I travel on I-43 through the African American community.” Some 50 years later, Walton inherently understands the violence that the highway brought to his neighborhood.

Marching on Highways In the aftermath of the George Floyd killing, protesters around the world have taken to the streets to protest police misconduct. In Milwaukee—as in several other U.S. cities—protesters have marched on highways, shutting down these vast avenues of transit, often for hours at a time. For movement sympathizers and non-sympathizers alike, such a strategy often evokes a strong response. Such a decision, one that impacts so many people, seems to defray attention from the very individualized, very personal type of violence that took the life of George Floyd. The sheer spectacle of shutting down these important traffic routes, such an argument suggests, obscures more than it reveals. This conclusion misses how much the very setting of these protests—the highway system—is intimately connected to the type of violence that ultimately took George Floyd’s life. In fact, in cities like Minneapolis and Milwaukee (among countless others), the construction of these thoroughfares was an act of vio-

lence in and of itself, a type of violence that literally tore through and disembodied neighborhoods of color in cities across the United States. This violence, while not as urgent as a knee to the neck, led to both immediate pain and long-term trauma in communities that suffered the damage wrought by highway construction. Construction begat forced movement, which tore apart both personal and economic relationships. Such damage begat greater divestment, which served to further segregate large swaths of the city along racial and economic lines. And this divestment made it difficult to attract any sort of formal financial investment, a development which did attract the attention of at least one municipal authority in city after city: the police department.

Michael Carrier is an associate professor in the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s humanities department.

MILWAUKEE TURNERS: WHERE CREAM CITY’S HISTORY MEETS THE FUTURE By David Luhrssen

ish fry and concerts. If you came of age in Milwaukee during the ’70s and ’80s, Turner Hall was a great place to eat on Friday nights. For children of the 21st century, Turner Hall Ballroom is a popular venue for music. Most Milwaukeeans who have frequented the venerable 1882 structure in the heart of Downtown have had only a vague idea— at best—that Turner Hall stands for more than fried fish and rock’n’roll.

The Turners supported trade union organizers and women’s voting rights. Milwaukee’s three Socialist mayors were members of the society. And yet, de Torre concedes, the Turners fell quiet for many years. “In my opinion, the Turners turned inward following the McCarthy-era.” He adds, “It’s time for the Milwaukee Turners to emerge from this chrysalis stage and use their location, history and influence to unify and strengthen Milwaukee.”

Enter Emilio de Torre. He started work this summer as executive director of the Milwaukee Turners with the goal of fully reconnecting the organization with its past, rooted in a 19th-century German reform movement, while moving it into the future.

Community Asset

“The Turners have a rich history,” says de Torre. He points to a monument in the hall’s second floor landing, inscribed with the names of Turners who lost their lives in the Civil War (“the war against the rebellion” reads the caption in German) flanked by allegorical paintings of ladies Liberty and Justice encouraging a stolid Turner in

the fight against the Confederacy. He also recounts that a contingent of Milwaukee Turners, known for their marksmanship, formed Abraham Lincoln’s bodyguard at his inauguration.

Chris Ahmuty, head of the Milwaukee Turners’ history committee, enjoys showing the artworks by early 20th-century Milwaukee painters adorning the ground floor tavern, now vacant but ready to resume business sometime next year. He points to a mural honoring the Turners’ German founder, known as Father Jahn, depicted as an Olympian decked in laurels and flanked by images representing the society’s mission to promote “a sound mind in a sound body”—a book and a lamp, barbells and fencing foils.

DE TORRE: “WE HAVE A LOT TO LEARN FROM OUR HISTORY—IT’S THE FOUNDATION FOR WHAT WE NEED TO DO TO MAKE MILWAUKEE BETTER.” Once, there were hundreds of Turner societies across the U.S., many of them founded, like the Milwaukee chapter, by German-speaking political refugees from a series of failed rebellions that shook Europe in 1848. Their number has been reduced to around two dozen, “but very

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few if any have as much going on in different areas as the Milwaukee Turners,” Ahmuty says. “We own our own building with no mortgage. We have continued to work for sound minds and bodies.” The Turners’ gym, one of America’s oldest, includes instructional rock climbing, bouldering, ice walls, a moon wall and a rock-climbing treadmill, as well as the weightlifting and gym mats that the original Turners knew so well. Ahmuty continues, “We’ve continued our civil engagement through lectures. The concerts by the Pabst Group follow along the cultural activities that used to happen in the Ballroom.”

In the early ’00s, the Turners organized the Fourth Street Forum, a series of public discussions on issues faced by Milwaukee that were broadcast for several years on Milwaukee PBS. De Torre plans to revive the series as the Vel Phillips Forum.

Make Milwaukee Better De Torre was already familiar to many Milwaukeeans before taking his new job at the Turners. He came to Milwaukee in 2006 as the local ACLU’s youth programs director. Previously, he taught public school and worked with the Boys & Girls Club in New York. “Education and youth empowerment provide community members opportunities to determine their own paths and their own community direction, rather than be pushed unknowingly or unwillingly down the wrong path,” he explains. He laughs as he glances at the potted plant he tends on his desk. It once belonged to Milwaukee’s last socialist mayor, Frank Zeidler. The Milwaukee Turners’ legacy is “too rich and vibrant to be just a historical movement,” de Torre continues. “We have a lot to learn from our history—

it’s the foundation for what we need to do to make Milwaukee better.” This summer, the Turners helped organize a food drive, and collaborations with many community groups are planned. As painting and rehabbing Turner Hall gains momentum under de Torre’s leadership, new programs have been added—all, alas, virtual given the pandemic. “We’ve just begun offering free yoga programs on Facebook,” he says. “Milwaukee’s own renowned Shakespearean actress, Malkia Stampley, is teaching this. We’ll be offering free arts with UW-Milwaukee art professor Jessica Meuninck-Ganger and others, rock climbing techniques with Kim Kosmitis (our rock-climbing gym is open under very limited and very sanitary conditions from 5 to 9 p.m.—appointment and masks only). The incredible Ambrose Wilson-Brown will teach mindfulness. We will eventually have children’s gymnastics and martial arts.” The most important goal is to grow and diversify the Milwaukee Turners’ membership. Says de Torre, “We’ve recruited a new

person into our ranks almost every day I’ve been here—professors, students, journalists, organizers, activists, actors, athletes, attorneys, teachers, state representatives, the county executive, alderpeople, retirees, computer programmers, chemists, painters, Filipino, Latinx, black, white, multiracial, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, atheist... I smell a very diverse and inclusive Renaissance coming on, and it’s incredibly exciting because it represents what Milwaukee can be.”

David Luhrssen is co-author of A Time of Paradox: America Since 1890 and taught History of Wisconsin at Milwaukee Area Technical College.

September 2020

NEWS TAKING LIBERTIES

Illustration by Tess Brzycki

TRUMP IS STILL FIGHTING 1960S CIVIL RIGHTS LAWS By Joel McNally

ver since coming down the Trump Tower escalator to launch his presidential campaign with a direct appeal to racists by labeling Mexican immigrants as rapists and murderers, Donald Trump has been at war with the historic U.S. civil rights laws passed in the 1960s. Trump is ramping up that racist rhetoric again as November approaches. In a televised interview, Trump suggested there’s actually been very little racial progress from the three major civil rights laws Democratic President Lyndon Johnson passed—the comprehensive Civil Rights Act in 1964, the Voting Rights Act in 1965 and the Fair Housing Act in 1968. “If you take a look at what Lyndon Johnson did, how has it worked out?” Trump sneered.

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JOHNSON SIGNED THE FAIR HOUSING ACT ON APRIL 11, 1968, A WEEK AFTER THE MURDER OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. IN MEMPHIS, TENN.

Fight for Fair Housing

Well, it’s true those laws didn’t prevent a racist demagogue from becoming president. But Trump’s latest blast from the past trying to scare “suburban housewives” into fearing Joe Biden might enforce that fair housing law and allow black people to “invade their neighborhood” suggests Trump is wrong. He simply has no idea how racially and politically diverse many suburbs have become. Not only

For Milwaukee, Trump’s fight against fair housing seems like old times again. Milwaukeeans, black and white, are still proud of their families’ participation in Milwaukee’s civil rights movement, whose importance President Johnson cited when he signed the Fair Housing Act into law. Johnson said Milwaukee called national attention to the need to end racial discrimination in housing. He wasn’t talking about the city’s mayor or its elected Common Council, except for one member.

could there already be a mixed-race family living next door, but suburban voters helped flip control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republican to Democratic control two years ago.

September 2020

NEWS

Investigators said the Trumps marked minority applications for rental units in their buildings with the codes “No. 9” or “C” for “colored,” automatically rejecting them.

Alderwoman Vel Phillips, the only African American person and only woman on the Council, and Father James Groppi, a white Catholic priest advising the NAACP Youth Council, led hundreds of young activists in more than 200 nights of civil rights marches beginning in August 1967. They were supporting the proposed ordinance repeatedly introduced by Phillips, which would have banned housing discrimination, that always failed because she was the only vote. Mayor Henry Maier said he wouldn’t support banning racial discrimination in housing until a majority of Milwaukee’s 26 suburbs passed the ordinance first. In other words, never. On the first two nights when the open housing marches crossed the 16th Street Viaduct into the segregated, white, working-class South Side, 200 marchers were met by thousands of white people screaming hatred and hurling rocks, bottles and even human waste. Some waved Confederate flags and carried obscene signs with swastikas, ugly practices by hate groups in those days now experiencing a revival under Trump.

Nixon vs. Trump In fact, Trump’s current attack on the U.S fair housing law is like old times again for him, too. In 1973, Republican President Richard Nixon’s Justice Department filed one of its largest discrimination cases under the fair housing law against Fred Trump and his 27-year-old son Donald.

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The Trumps’ attorney, Roy Cohn, the sleazy former aide to Wisconsin’s Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who was later disbarred, filed a $100 million defamation suit against the government. Young Donald held bombastic press conferences accusing federal officials of “outrageous lies.” But after two years of fighting the charges in court, the Trumps settled the case and agreed to run newspaper ads publicly welcoming African American applicants. Needless to say, for Trump, the civil-rightsfree 1950s era of McCarthy and Cohn was the Golden Age of politics. Perhaps that’s why Trump demeans female voters by referring to them as “housewives.” Someone, perhaps White House housewife Melania, should tell Trump that most women have careers and fulltime jobs these days. “Housewife” is an archaic term from an old black-and-white TV commercial of a woman dancing around her kitchen singing about how sparkling her dish detergent got the plates.

Trump may not have noticed any effect from U.S. civil rights laws on the family real estate business he inherited, which primarily employs immediate family members. But most American workplaces have changed enormously since the ’60s by employing people from a much wider variety of cultures and backgrounds. Trump has missed a lot and obviously lives in a very small world. Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, a week after the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tenn. After racial discrimination in housing was outlawed nationally, Milwaukee’s Common Council met on April 30 and passed an ordinance to do the same thing by a vote of 15 to 4. Vel Phillips said Milwaukee finally had to admit it was part of America and had to obey its laws. Like Sam Cooke said, a change is gonna come, and someday soon Donald Trump is going to learn the same thing.

Joel McNally was a critic and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal for 27 years. He has written the weekly Taking Liberties column for the Shepherd Express since 1996.

FLORENTINE OPERA

Photo Credit: Mike Miller

NEWS ISSUE OF THE MONTH

The Marriage of Figaro

Photo Courtesy of Skylight Music Theatre

SKYLIGHT MUSIC THEATREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CABOT THEATRE

Photo Credit: Eric Olson at Saturn Lounge

MILWAUKEE BALLET

THE VALUE OF ART

IN A TIME

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Muammar khalid/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

By David Luhrssen

ast year, the Milwaukee Ballet opened its new Baumgartner Center for Dance in the Third Ward with a crowd of distinguished onlookers watching as the mayor and county executive cut the ribbon. This fall, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) was scheduled to open the Bradley Symphony Center in the rehabbed space once called the Warner Grand Theater. The MSO’s old home, the Marcus Performing Arts Center, laid ambitious plans for varied and community-oriented programming once its anchor tenant had departed. The performing arts were on a roll in Milwaukee until COVID-19 struck the Midwest. Although some of the city’s smaller groups improvise their performance schedules month to month, for the larger companies, planning a season involves coordinating schedules and logistics on a scale comparable to a military operation. Especially when productions involve outof-town directors and cast, programmers are faced with assembling a season from a puzzle of possibilities. In the early days of the pandemic, postponements were often counted out in months, but as COVID spiked again, many Milwaukee companies are reaching for their 2021 calendars in the hope of resuming after a vaccine is available. Museums and art galleries are having an easier time. They can institute reasonable protocols involving advance ticket sales, physical distancing—even regrouping prime pieces of their permanent collections for easier viewing. But not unlike restaurants, the limits of accommodation mean fewer visitors and less revenue.

F PANDEMIC

Hard Numbers Theater, dance and classical music are on the same track as rock and hip-hop performers; their venues face the same challenges as the Pabst Theater or Shank Hall. Sure, audience members can wear masks, but how to seat them at safe distance in confined halls for an hour or more? And what about the performers? Rigoletto with masks on? Many groups have been innovative, turning to multi-media events whose performers Zoom together from their homes. I had the privilege of participating as a talking head in Present Music’s recent “Sounds of Silents” virtual evening. It was fun, but it was not the same as being there. The quality of life provided by Milwaukee’s vibrant and growing arts scene over the past quarter-century has been a factor in transforming our city from a Rust Belt casualty into a destination—not only for tourists but as an attractive place to live for young professionals. And for the fiscally minded, distrustful of fuzzy-talk about creativity and lifestyles, there are hard numbers to contemplate. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis estimates that cultural activities added $10.1 billion to Wisconsin’s economy in 2017, accounting for 3.1% of the state’s GDP, higher than hotels and food services (2.4%). In that same

year, 96,651 Wisconsinites were employed part or full time in the cultural sector, according to a report by the Wisconsin Policy Forum. Those are the good statistics. The bad numbers arrived with the virus, triggering an unemployment rate of 33.9% among people employed in arts, entertainment and recreation in the state. The 13 Milwaukee organizations supported by the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF) cancelled a combined total of 483 performances this spring. Alarmingly, another 1,090 shows could be cancelled in the 2020-2021 season. In recent years, Wisconsin has been the begrudging Ebenezer Scrooge of Midwestern states, treating performing arts groups like Bob Cratchit on Christmas Eve. In 2020, the Wisconsin Arts Board doled out $770,000 to arts groups compared to the Minnesota board’s donation of $41 million. But despite the Policy Forum’s estimate that Wisconsin ranks last in the nation for state funding on a per-capita basis, Milwaukee has experienced a cultural renaissance in recent years, led not only by larger companies such as the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and the Florentine Opera, but also by a host of young people determined to make a mark here in Milwaukee rather than to follow the creative brain drain that once was characteristic of our city. As the Policy Forum’s recent report puts it, the availability of cultural activities contributes to our “quality of life and helps ensure the state can attract and retain both businesses and talent.” One question remains: Does the GOP-controlled legislature care?

David Luhrssen is Managing Editor of the Shepherd Express and was the paper’s Arts & Entertainment Editor from 1994-2015.

September 2020

NEWS HERO OF THE MONTH

MARK DENNING

SPEAKS OUT ON BEHALF OF NATIVE AMERICANS By Erin Bloodgood “For much of America, Milwaukee included, Native people are invisible. We are here and we exist,” states Mark Denning, who is an educator and community organizer of Native descent. To this day, Native people are still left out of the equation in American society. That becomes obvious when looking at the minimal amount of research studies and newspaper articles written about them. But Denning and his community refuse to let their voices be overshadowed. They are speaking up in the ways they know how—through fire ceremonies and shared offerings.

“This is our land, and we are connected to it. We are the land. We are the water, and we have something to say.” For four days and four nights, a fire burned in Milwaukee, surrounded by people of all ethnicities and backgrounds who shared their experiences with one another. The reoccurring event, called the Unity Fire MKE, was hosted at the Wgema Campus from Thursday, July 30, to Sunday, August 2, and was sponsored by an array of tribal organizations. The ritual is commonplace in Native culture, used as a way to offer support to community members and to thank the spirits for their generosity. Especially during the pandemic, it is a way

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of offering emotional support to those who are secluded at home, often elders. The practice ties into Native culture that values family and communal gatherings, Denning explains, rather than the broader American culture that celebrates the individual. The ritual of the fire gathering is a way to “understand that ‘we’ perspective of community support and love and people knowing each other and looking out for each other,” says Denning. But that culture of closeness and large gatherings can be dangerous during a pandemic, he warns. “That very strength could be one of our weaknesses.” That is why the Unity Fire is even more important during these challenging times. The organizers of the event are showing their community that these healing fires can be practiced using social distancing. There are safe ways to practice their culture so that tribal members with no internet or phone service don’t have to be left out.

Fires and powwows happen regularly in tribal sovereignties, but the Unity Fire is meant to open that custom to people outside their circles. As the fire burned for days in the Concordia neighborhood, nearby residents began to notice and respectfully turn down their music. Milwaukeeans of all colors joined the gathering to share their emotions, struggles and concerns. Participants would share, and then the organizers would hold press conferences so that city leaders could hear the concerns of their residents. “When we say we want to hear from the community, we’re going four days for 24 hours,” says Denning. “That’s an entirely different mindset than the public servants that are elected into positions that are supposed to [represent] us.” The most important part of the fire, which people should understand, is the act of listening. “It’s not just listening, it’s active listening. It’s actively engaging with the person,” says Denning. For Native voices to be heard, people outside their communities must dedicate time to listening, understanding and doing research into the ugly history that was not taught in public schools. As Denning explains, there is a heavy cost for being invisible in this country, but his community refuses to be silent. “This is our land, and we are connected to it. We are the land. We are the water, and we have something to say.” To join the next Unity Fire during the DNC, visit facebook.com/unityfiremke or learn more about Denning’s work at markdenning.com.

Erin Bloodgood is a Milwaukee photographer and storyteller. Visit bloodgoodfoto. com to see more of her work.

September 2020

NEWS OFF THE CUFF

FLOOD THE MARKET

WITH MASKS!

HOW LOCAL COMPANY, REBEL CONVERTING, STEPPED IN AT A TIME OF CRISIS By Heather Perkins

OVID-19 surprised us all—we weren’t prepared. MaskUpMKE came about because of the drastic shortages of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Like many companies, Wisconsin’s Saukville-based Rebel Converting—a manufacturer of hospital-grade disinfectant wipes—couldn’t get enough hand sanitizer, gloves or masks to protect its employees. With a history of community involvement, Rebel Converting took the next step, gave away 3.5 million face masks and became instrumental in MaskUpMKE, a social awareness campaign promoting the use of PPE. Milwaukee entrepreneur and activist Heather Perkins of Ignite Change spoke with Rebel’s owner, Mike Kryshak.

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mechanical engineering and physics—into designing some masks for our employees from the PP. Knowing that nurses and doctors had to reuse their masks for a few days because of shortages and patients weren’t getting them, there was a need.

Was Rebel Converting well situated to play a role in the COVID crisis? The fabric (melt-blown polypropylene, or PP) used in making our disinfectant wipes just happens to be the same fabric they use to make N-95 and surgical masks. Necessity, being the mother of invention, led my son Thaddeus—a recent graduate in

We sat down with our group and figured out a way we could make kits so people could make face masks with the fabric pre-cut to the right size and rubber bands with no special tools. We were (and still are) in a pandemic, and we wanted to flood the market with masks and save some lives. That led to our three designs. My wife Loretta laid out some instructions, put out a video asking for volunteers and we set out to donate the material for a

million masks. As soon as this was announced, news crews came, the phone started ringing off the hook with calls from procurement people from major hospital groups, community health centers, police departments, nursing homes—people were coming to our factory. Allen Edmonds—our favorite shoe company—contacted us as they decided to help in the fight against COVID and transitioned their sewing machines from making shoes to making masks. We met with them and started donating fabric to them. They sewed 260,000 facemasks that went primarily to health care professionals at hospitals.

Did you feel ready for the crisis? We weren’t remotely prepared. A good friend of mine, film director Bob Purman, who had done a whole bunch of pro-bono work for non-profits, came in and helped us film tutorials to make the masks. He introduced us to you—at Ignite Change. A day later, we were announcing our social media campaign, MaskUpMKE, and we were off.

Did you receive assistance from the medical community? The Medical College of Wisconsin has made 300,000 masks and has helped triage where the masks should go. They also helped us give out good information on what we could do to slow the spread— handwashing, staying at home, social distancing. We needed to get out the word out—and we made our first Public Service Announcement.

Did community volunteers get on board? One of the non-profits that I had been working with, Just One

More Ministry, kickstarted their volunteers and started making masks and distributing them – to the homeless shelters, inner-city churches, outreach groups... To date, they have made and distributed over a million masks just by themselves. You can see where their masks went on their website. Soon, we saw that we were going to blow through a million masks—so we ordered up a ton of rubber bands and made kits for another 2.5 million masks. All sorts of groups came to us join us in making and distributing masks: The United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, Zilber Foundation, UniteMKE, Habitat for Humanity, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, the Milwaukee Bucks and Fiserv Forum (which served as a pick-up and drop-off location for us). North Shore Bank opened up their 33 locations in Southeast Wisconsin for pick up and drop off. Milwaukee Metal Parts made forming plates that they donated to anyone that wanted to make masks. Mexican Fiesta opened Flores Hall for volunteers to make masks.

sages from our City Health Department and other campaigns, the general public pretty much knew that masks were an effective way of fighting COVID—but we still had misinformation out there that led some people to believe that masks weren’t necessary. Some even believed (and unfortunately still do) that it was harmful or an infringement of one’s rights. Healthy individuals that can’t bring themselves to wear a mask (when they can’t socially distance) should take a good look in the mirror every morning and wonder if they might have killed someone.

Many companies helped us out and are listed on our friends’ page with materials and services.

What came next? Once we had the masks out, we realized it wasn’t going to do us any good unless people started wearing them. Through our social media campaign, mes-

Most of us at MaskUpMKE felt that the only way to get some people to wear a mask was to mandate it—so when legislation came up (from Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic), we started a new website,

September 2020

mandatemasksmke.com, to run ads and do what we could to push the legislation through. When the mandate ads came out and we voiced our support—I have to say I was taken back by the negative feedback (from what I am assuming is a very small but vehemently vocal minority)—some very spooky stuff. I personally couldn’t have been happier with the outcome: The fact that the mandate vote [in the Common Council] was unanimous, and that the mayor signed it right away. I believe it has saved some lives.

You’re not resting on your accomplishments? Now that the mandate passed—city and state—we still need compliance, and we still need to get the word out. We are continuing to remind people of the importance of masking up. This month, the HOP—our downtown streetcar—is wearing a mask and will have free masks on board for anyone that forget theirs. It’s a great feeling to see how MaskUpMKE has impacted Milwaukee and the surrounding area. I feel that we, all

of our partners and friends, can say we got together and saved some lives.

Next steps? We still have some areas we need to address—lives that need to be saved. As much as I wish it weren’t true, COVID is far from over. We will need help from individuals, restaurants, taverns, retail establishments and companies that want to join us our next project, Mask Up For Good, to get reusable masks to those in most in need—those who are incarcerated, facing homelessness and the economically disadvantaged. I love the idea of the Mask On FaceOff contest on the Shepherd Express website! I know it’s not always that easy and fun to be wearing a mask all of the time. The Face-Off is getting people involved—adding personalities, humor, social causes, making a statement—can’t wait to see them. For more, visit maskupmke.org/ spread-the-word.html. To enter the Mask On Face-Off photo contest, visit shepherdexpress.com.

September 2020

FOOD & DRINK

OLD TOWN INNOVATES WHILE KEEPING TRADITION ALIVE BY DAVID LUHRSSEN

or me, a Serbian salad is one of the most delicious items on any menu in the world. A luscious mound of shredded feta cheese, diced white onions and green peppers and chunks of red tomato, the Serbian salad is a symphony of flavors and colors. Best of all: There is not an ounce of lettuce in sight. Milwaukee was fortunate for many years to be home to two long-running restaurants serving Serbian salad, Three Brothers and Old Town. Because of the pandemic, Three Brothers is too compact to accommodate in-house dining and can only offer curbside delivery. However, Old Town, housed in a hall as long as a bowling alley, is able to transition into a time of physical distance. The tables have been spread apart, the server wears a mask and the menus are paper throwaways. Otherwise, Old Town continues to afford the ambiance and cuisine that has characterized the South Side restaurant— located under the shadow of St. Josaphat Basilica—for nearly half a century. Old Town is a family business. Natalia Radicevich gradually assumed responsibility for the restaurant over the past 15 years with the declining health and death of her parents, Alex and Rada, Old Town’s founders. Natalia has tended Old Town like an old-growth tree, deeply rooted yet gradually expanding in new circles. Recent years have seen her adding scrumptious schaum tortes along with wine and brandy pairing dinners and introducing traditional Serbian vegetarian dishes, as well as such nouvelle cuisine touches as a recent special, a salad of paper-thin watermelon slices and feta.

Shepherd Express

But the heart of Old Town’s menu remains grounded in the recipes her family brought to America. Serbia occupies the western point in a culinary zone that treks south through Greece and east through Turkey and Armenia, spreading south from there through the Levant and east again to Persia. Old Town’s honied walnut baclava could be served in fine homes in Beirut and Istanbul; the shish kabob could turn on grills in Cairo and Teheran, albeit the Serbian raznijic is a skewer of pork, a meat not served in many cultures. The demitasse of potent but sweetened black coffee—usually called “Turkish” in America—could be enjoyed as far away as Casablanca.

Fish, Poultry, Pork and Beef Old Town’s fish special is worth trying when it appears for its cod prepared in a flavorful sauce of tomatoes and green peppers. Lamb is usually on the menu, as are pork, chicken and beef. The cabbage for sarma is specially prepared in casks of brine, and the sauerkraut is less sour than the familiar German version when served alongside an entrée. Chicken pilaf is fine, but why not step up to chicken paprikash with tender breasts simmered in a sauce amply spiced with paprika? It’s attractively served with an array of vegetables that change week by week with availability. Natalia prizes fresh produce and—let’s not forget—all traditional cuisine was local and farm-to-table. The Serbian variant of burek, a dish of layered phyllo dough filled with spinach, cheese or beef, is the size of a pie and can last for two meals. The Beograd burger is a tasty patty compounded

from beef, pork and spices, served in a grilled pita pocket and with—on a recent visit—tender slices of lightly breaded eggplant. Many entrées are $20 or less. A full bar is available with many unique libations, starting with Eastern European beers, powerful shots of slivovitz (plum brandy), a robust Dalmatian wine and—in the cold season—a hot toddy called Serbian tea. Old Town’s 1912 building is integral to the charm; a bar room leads into a softly lit, cavernous Mediterranean-plastered hall covered in paintings, objets d’art and artifacts from the Balkans. It’s a step back into memories of an Old World café complete with performing troubadours. Guitarist Jim Waller and multi-string instrumentalist Mike Radicevich, Natalia’s brother, dip into a repertoire of familiar movie themes and melodies spanning the globe from Latin America to the shtetls of Eastern Europe. The crowd claps appreciatively after each number. To cope with the pandemic, Natalia added curbside delivery while limiting dining-in to Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. She hopes to open a sidewalk café in September.

Old Town Serbian Gourmet Restaurant 522 W. Lincoln Ave. | (414) 672-0206 $$-$$$ | Credit Cards: MC, VS Handicap Accessible: Yes (but with one step at the front door)

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PREPARE TO

PICKLE BY ARI LEVAUX

anning the harvest should be a joyous and rewarding experience, but if you are in over your head, it can be stressful and overwhelming, even dangerous.

of cucumber pickles augmented with dill, garlic, crushed red pepper and horseradish leaves, as instructed. Val says the horseradish adds flavor and crispness to the pickles.

Aspiring or novice canners should not wait for the so-called Harvest Season to get started. Midsummer is a great time to ease into the groove, work on your skills, figure out your game plan and stock up on whatever gear and supplies you don’t have without the pressure of a mountain of produce. If you just do a jar or two here and there, you can keep skin in the game without breaking a sweat.

I brought a jar of four-day-old pickles to the market. Val opened the jar, stabbed a pickle with her knife and chewed slowly, frowning. “You know, it’s not bad,” she said in a flat Eastern European deadpan.

Where I live, there are several families of Belarusian immigrants from a town called Olshany, which is known for its cucumbers. They are grown in shopping mall-sized greenhouses, some of which are heated by as many as 10 wood stoves. They know about growing cucumbers and have begun selling a small pickling variety that is sweet and juicy enough to eat like popcorn. Some of the Belarusians sell pickles too, and I bought some with high hopes, but they were disappointing. My friend Val, who was born in Olshany, explained that the pickles for sale at the market aren’t really like the pickles they eat at home, because food safety standards require more salt, vinegar and heat then they care to subject their cucumbers to. “That is why I don’t sell pickles here,” she said. I had to ask Val what she does at home. “I put the cucumbers in jars, and I put all the spices. I always do horseradish, dill, parsley, garlic and all kinds of peppers. Put these jars in the oven at 350 for 25 minutes to sanitize them. While I do that, my brine is boiling. I pour the brine into each jar and seal it. Then, I turn the jar over.” She inverts the pickles twice a day for the next two days, so they spend about half the time upside down. It’s a way of compensating for the fact that she doesn’t boil her pickles, a tactic that makes the pickles more crispy but more dangerous. Boiling the pickles takes care of any microbes that the salt and vinegar somehow miss. Bacteria or spores can sometimes hide out in air pockets inside dill flowers or elsewhere. Inverting the jars like this ensues the brine makes it everywhere it needs to go. Her brine recipe—24 cups water, 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar and 4 cups white vinegar—filled eight jars

If you’ve been pickling your whole life like Val, you know the rules well enough to get away with breaking them. But new canners should take a more cautious approach and learn proper safety protocols. Ball Corporation has a book out called Ball Canning Back to Basics. Given it produces virtually all of the canning jars in circulation today, it’s worth reading what the company has to say about how to use its product. The Ball book begins with a section on the basic gear, ingredients and procedures involved in canning. If you don’t know the importance of adjusting acidity, accounting for altitude or measuring headspace, you should find a reputable source of information like this book or one of the many other educational resources in print and online. Unsurprisingly, the Ball book’s recipe for dill pickles includes proprietary products like Ball® Salt and Ball® Pickle Crisp® Granules. You can, of course, use any kind of pickling salt. And you can skip those granules or replace them with horseradish leaves— grape, cherry and oak leaves are also widely used for this purpose. Meanwhile, the Ball recipe calls for “dill sprigs” but doesn’t specify leaves or flowers. According to my sources, dill leaves alone won’t cut it; there have to be flowers. It also calls for cutting of the cucumbers, which you don’t have to do if you pick them small, Belarusian style. Most family recipes start like this, with a proven recipe. Little by little, you make it your own. Ultimately, there is more than one correct way to can a pickle. One cardinal rule to which every canner abides: If the seal is broken, don’t eat it.

Ari LeVaux has written about food for The Atlantic Online, Outside Online and Alternet.

September 2020

BALL-STYLE

DILLS

Svetlana-Cherruty/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

4 pounds (3- to 5-inch) pickling cucumbers

Rinse the cucumbers under cold running water and trim any that are longer than 5 inches so that they’ll fit comfortably in the jar. Cut each cucumber lengthwise into quarters. Place the spears in a large, clean container (such as a 12- to 18-quart, food-safe, plastic pail or basin). Combine 1 gallon of the water and 6 tablespoons of the salt in a large pitcher, stirring until the salt dissolves. Pour over the cucumbers; cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain.

10 tablespoons Ball Salt for Pickling and Preserving 3 cups white vinegar (5% acidity) 2 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon pickling spice 12 dill sprigs 2 tablespoons mustard seeds Ball Pickle Crisp Granules (optional)

Combine the remaining 1 quart water, vinegar, sugar, pickling spice and remaining 1 ⁄4 cup salt in a stainless steel or enameled saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Place 2 of the dill sprigs and 1 teaspoon of the mustard seeds into a hot, freshly sterilized jar, and pack tightly with the cucumber spears. Ladle the hot pickling liquid over the spears, leaving a 1 ⁄2inch headspace. Add 1 ⁄8 teaspoon Ball Pickle Crisp Granules to jar, if desired. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band and adjust to fingertip tight. Place the jar in a boiling water canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled. Process the jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the pot’s lid, and let the jars stand 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool.

Shepherd Express

Liliya Shlapak/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

1 gallon plus 1 quart water

September 2020

SHAHRAZAD’S STORY CONTINUES

DESPITE TOUGH TIMES MILWAUKEE’S ONLY PERSIAN RESTAURANT STRUGGLES WITH LOWER REVENUE, HIGH COSTS By David Luhrssen

An affable, unassuming entrepreneur, Khatibi enjoyed getting to know his customers as he expanded Shahrazad’s already popular Arab menu with dishes from his homeland. Chicago has long enjoyed several Persian restaurants, but in Wisconsin, Shahrazad is unique for its half Arab-half Persian menu. He explains the primary distinction between the two cuisines: “We’re into mild seasoning,” he says. “The way we marinade and season our food is much different.”

hahrazad’s namesake was the legendary Persian woman who staved off death at the hands of a brutal monarch. She saved herself through the power of storytelling. Every night, goes the legend, Shahrazad entranced the king with a story that arrived at a cliffhanging moment at the break of dawn. He spared her life for another night in order to hear how the tale ended—and then, the next night, she began another story… The East Side restaurant called Shahrazad began in 1993 under Palestinian owners. In 2006, one of the legendary storyteller’s countrymen, Mohammad Khatibi, took ownership. Khatibi arrived here in 1984 to attend UW-Milwaukee and later

became a manager at Roundy’s. “I wanted to offer something useful and appreciative for the community,” he says when asked why he purchased Shahrazad.

Shahrazad’s Halal menu includes all major food groups except pork. Options include beef, chicken, lamb, seafood and vegetables. Red meat was traditionally a special occasion feast food through much

Carrying on Through COVID

of the Near East, and as a result, Khatibi has a wealth of Persian and Arabic vegetarian and vegan recipes to draw from. Many dishes are gluten free. A good starter is Shahrazad’s signature lentil soup made from yellow lentils with a few diced carrots and a dash of black pepper. The distinctly Persian appetizer, kashkeh-e-bademjan, is a smooth, mellow sautéed eggplant spread made with garlic and whey. It goes well with the basket of oven-warmed pita bread brough to the table. Entrées are generously portioned. The grilled meat on the lamb kabob is tender and flavorfully spiced, served with rice and grilled tomatoes. Especially refreshing on a warm day is Shahrazad’s rosewater lemonade.

When businesses closed during the shelter-at-home months, Shahrazad carried on with carry-outs, curbside service and deliveries. Now, the dining room has reopened with physical distancing in place. The restaurant is bright and airy with two levels for dining, an elevated area alongside the windows overlooking busy Oakland Avenue and the lower area decorated with tall statuesque hookahs and hung with pictures of the restaurant’s namesake. But the steam tables that once held Shahrazad’s popular lunch buffet stand empty and the narrow sidewalk affords no room for outdoor seating. Even in the best times, owning a restaurant isn’t easy. “It’s what I like to do, no

matter how hard it is,” Khatibi says. “The money was there,” he continues, “until COVID came into the picture.” Business continues but at slower pace than before due to “fear of COVID,” he adds. “I’m not a chain-guy with multiple locations. This is the only bread-making place for me and it’s been slow. The landlords don’t give you an inch,” he continues, echoing the complaint of many small businesses under the thumbs of property owners with no vision beyond their monthly rent checks. “You own your place, but actually you don’t own it! The landlords own you!” Shahrazad is an asset, a place of community, as well as a locally owned restaurant with a superb and—for Milwaukee—unique menu. It’s open Tuesdays through Sundays. Most entrées are under $18. Shahrazad 2847 N. Oakland Ave. 414-964-5475 shahrazadrestaurant.com Handicap accessible: Yes.

Shepherd Express

Acacia Theatre Company

Cedarburg Performing Arts Center

Alfons Gallery

Chant Claire Chamber Choir

All In Productions

Charles Allis Art Museum

acaciatheatre.com No event scheduled as of August 20. alfonsgallery.org “Unexpected Connections” online exhibit allin-mke.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Aperi Animam

aperianimam.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Art Gallery at Concordia University Wisconsin

cuw.edu No event scheduled as of August 20.

Arts @ Large

cedarburgpac.com No event scheduled as of August 20. chantclaire.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

charlesallis.org “Milwaukee Women's Art Library,” Visual art exhibit, through December 27.

belcanto.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Black Arts MKE

greendaletheatre.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

thecompanyofstrangerstheater.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Cooperative Performance

Bel Canto Chorus

Greendale Community Theatre

The Company of Strangers Theater

Aura Theatre Collective

bachchoirmilwaukee.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

franklymusic.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

cszmke.com Virtual ComedySportz season, through December 20.

Concord Chamber Orchestra

Bach Chamber Choir

Frankly Music

ComedySportz Milwaukee

artsatlargeinc.org “Acrylic Paintings & Photographs” through October 16 auratheatre.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

“INDIANA GREEN,” Visual art exhibit, October 16-December 5.

concordorchestra.org No event scheduled as of August 20. cooperativeperformance.org Embodied Truth: Finding Ways to Move Together, Date TBD in Fall 2020.

Covered Bridge Art Studio Tour October 9-11 cedarburgartistsguild.com

DanceCircus

dancecircus.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

marcuscenter.org/series/black-arts-mke Milwaukee Black Theater Festival through September 12.

Danceworks Performance Company

Boulevard Theatre

Dead Mans Carnival

milwaukeeboulevardtheatre.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

facebook.com/Dead-Mans-Carnival No event scheduled as of August 20.

Brew City Opera

Early Music Now

brewcityopera.wixsite.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

earlymusicnow.org Concert, November 14.

Bronzeville Arts Ensemble

Ex Fabula

Grohmann Museum

msoe.edu/grohmann-museum “Two Edmunds: Fitzgerald and Lewandowski—Their Mark on Milwaukee,” Visual art exhibit, September 10-December 20.

Grove Gallery

gallerygrove.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Haggerty Museum of Art

marquette.edu/haggerty-museum “The Greater Milwaukee Foundation's Mary L. Nohl Fund Fellowships for Individual Artists 2019,” Visual art exhibit, September 11-December 20.

danceworksmke.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Harley-Davidson Museum

facebook.com/BronzevilleArtsEnsemble No event scheduled as of August 20.

exfabula.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

“Off-Road Harkey-Davidson” opens Nov. 21

Cabaret Milwaukee

Falls Patio Players

H. F. Johnson Gallery of Art

facebook.com/cabmke No event scheduled as of August 20.

fallspatioplayers.com No event scheduled through November.

carthage.edu/art-gallery No event scheduled as of August 20.

Cadance Collective

Festival City Symphony

Hyperlocal MKE

cadancecollective.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

festivalcitysymphony.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

hyperlocalmke.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Catey Ott Dance Collective

First Stage

Irish Cultural and Heritage Center

cateyott.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

firststage.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

ichc.net No event scheduled as of August 20.

Cedarburg Cultural Center

Frank Juarez Gallery

Jewish Museum Milwaukee

cedarburgculturalcenter.org Check Schedule for events

fjgmke.com “Pushing the Envelope: A Mail Art Gallery Show,” Visual art exhibit, September 8-October 31.

jewishmuseummilwaukee.org “Luba Lukova: Designing Justice,” September 16-January 31 September 2020

John Michael Kohler Arts Center

Marquette University Theatre

Johnson Creek Clay Studio

Master Singers of Milwaukee

jmkac.org/home.html “On Being Here (and There)” through January 24, 2021.

rickhintzepottery.com “2nd Duma Craft Invitational Exhibition,” through September 13.

KACM Theatrical Productions

kacmtheatrical.weebly.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Kettle Moraine Symphony

kmsymphony.org Family Concert, September 25. Give Us Peace Concert, November 6.

Ko-Thi Dance Company

ko-thi.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Latino Arts, Inc.

marquette.edu/communication/ theatre-arts.php No event scheduled as of August 20. mastersingersofmilwaukee.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Material Studios + Gallery

materialstudiosandgallery.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Memories Dinner Theatre memoriesballroom.com Deer Camp, November 6-15.

Miller High Life Theatre

millerhighlifetheatre.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Art Museum

mam.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

latinoartsinc.org “Reynaldo Hernandez: 50 Years of Art and Cultural Diversity,” Visual art exhibit, through October 2.

Milwaukee Ballet

“Dia de Los Muertos Ofrendas,” Visual art exhibit, October 14-November 20.

milwaukeechildrenschoir.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

milwaukeeballet.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Children's Choir Milwaukee Comedy

milwaukeecomedy.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Entertainment Group milwaukeeentertainmentgroup.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Festival Brass

mfbrass.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design

miad.edu “Tomiko Jones,” Visual art exhibit, through October 2. “Veterans Print Project,” September 28-December 4.

Milwaukee Musaik Lily Pad Gallery West

lilypadgallery.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Lynden Sculpture Garden

lyndensculpturegarden.org “Edible Trees of Lynden: A Workshop with Robert Kaleta,” October 30. “Ariana Vaeth: New Work,” through Sept. 27 Admission by appointment only at lyndensculpturegarden.org/ exhibitions/ariana-vaeth-new-work

Marcus Performing Arts Center marcuscenter.org Pretty Woman The Musical, November 24-29.

“John Lewis: Good Trouble,” September 21

milwaukeemusaik.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Opera Theatre

milwaukeeoperatheatre.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Public Theatre

milwaukeepublictheatre.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater milwaukeerep.com Dad’s Season Tickets, October 30-January 3, 2021. Murder on the Orient Express, November 10-December 13.

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

“Open Storage: RAM Showcases Artists’ Book Archives,” through October 4.

Singin’ in the Rain, October 17-18.

“From the Heart: RAM Virtual Community Art Show,” through October 4.

mso.org John Williams Conducts, October 10.

Beethoven’s Ninth, October 23-25. Scheherazade, October 30-31. Puttin’ on the Ritz, November 6-8. French Masters, November 13-14. De Waart & Brautigam, November 20-22.

Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra

myso.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Museum of Wisconsin Art

“Open Storage: RAM Showcases Glass Archives,” through January 24, 2021.

Racine Symphony Orchestra

racinesymphony.org Masterworks Concert, postponed until early 2021.

Renaissance Theaterworks

r-t-w.com Muthaland, postponed to January 8-January 31, 2021.

wisconsinart.org “Thomas Gondek: Breaking the Bonds,” October 3-November 1.

Actually, postponed to March 12April 4, 2021.

“Wisconsin Funnies: Fifty Years of Comics” through November 22

The Cake, postponed to June 26July 18, 2021.

“2020 Members’ Show,” November 21-January 10, 2021.

“Br!nk New Play Festival” September 9, 11-13

Next Act Theatre

nextact.org The Christians, November 19December 13.

North Shore Academy of the Arts facebook.com/ northshoreacademyofthearts No event scheduled as of August 20.

Oil Gallery Milwaukee

oilmilwaukee.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Optimist Theatre

optimisttheatre.org Romeo and Juliet, postponed to Summer 2021.

Outskirts Theatre

Skylight Music Theatre

“Saturday in the Park with Andrew,” September 12

facebook.com/outskirtstheatre No event scheduled as of August 20.

Little Shop of Horrors, November 13 – December 27

Over Our Head Players

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

overourheadplayers.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Portrait Society Gallery

portraitsocietygallery.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Present Music

presentmusic.org “Reality Check," online concert, October 24 “Thanksgiving: Wherein Lies the Good,” online concert November 22

Racine Art Museum

ramart.org “Open Storage: RAM Showcases Wood Archives,” through October 4.

southmilwaukeepac.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Theatre Gigante

theatregigante.org In the Belly of the Beast, postponed to Fall 2020, dates TBA.

Theatrical Tendencies

theatricaltendencies.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Tory Folliard Gallery

toryfolliard.com “Doug Hatch: Close to the Earth,” dates TBA.

TOSA Locally Made Fall Pop-Up

More information at jamessteeno.com The Landing at Hoyt Park Pool October 10

SPECIAL: FALL ARTS GUIDE

UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts

uwm.edu/arts Falldances: Moving Stories, Virtual dance concert, September 17-19. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, October 14-18. Working: The Musical, November 19-22. Twelfth Night, or What You Will, November 18-22. UWM Percussion Ensemble Concert, November 19.

UW-Whitewater Theatre

uww.edu “Beethoven at 250,” MyungHee Chung, Virtual concert, through September 28. Vanity Fair, Virtual theater, October 19-25. Whitewater Symphony Orchestra, Virtual concert, November 2. “Haunted! Flute and Friends,” Virtual concert, November 9. “Symphonic Wind Ensemble,” Virtual concert, November 23. Le Misanthrope, Virtual theater, November 23-29.

Shepherd Express

Var Gallery & Studios

West Performing Arts Center

Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum

Wild Space Dance

vargallery.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

villaterrace.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Walker's Point Center for the Arts wpca-milwaukee.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Wartburg Theatre

carthage.edu No event scheduled as of August 20.

Washington Heights Artists Front Yard Pop-Up

More information at jamessteeno.com 1700-1800 Block of N. 52nd Street September 13

Waukesha Civic Theatre

waukeshacivictheatre.org Pirates of Pizzaz, ACAP Playmakers, October 8-11. The Canterville Ghost, October 29-November 15. Sweet Dreams and Honky Tonks, November 11-12.

nbexcellence.org/community/westpac.cfm No event scheduled as of August 20. wildspacedance.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

Windfall Theatre

windfalltheatre.com No event scheduled as of August 20.

Wisconsin Lutheran College Center for Arts and Performance wlc.edu No event scheduled as of August 20.

Wisconsin Philharmonic

wisphil.org Phantom of the Opera Gala, October 31.

Woodland Pattern Book Center

woodlandpattern.org No event scheduled as of August 20.

WHEN BEER CAME

TO MILWAUKEE By Matthew J. Prigge

t’s hard to believe, but there was actually a time when Milwaukee existed without beer. We’re not talking about Prohibition (check an old city directory from the “booze-less” years and you’ll find hundreds of listings for “soft drink parlors”), but rather the earliest years of European settlement in the area. With no nearby breweries and no method for cold-storage shipping, Beertown was startlingly beerless. Milwaukee’s first German residents tried to get by without a proper brewery by mixing whiskey with vinegar and sprinkling a bit of limestone on top to give it a “head.” The first barrels of real beer arrived in the area in September 1835 to celebrate the village’s first election day. Sadly, the three kegs, shipped from Buffalo, had spoiled by the time they reached the city. The ink had barely dried on Milwaukee’s mark on the national map, by 1840, when the area’s first commercial brewery opened up at Clybourn Street on the lakefront. The Lake Brewery started out with a copper-lined box that fit five barrels, making ale and lager that would be shipped as far away as Chicago. Brewing remained a mom-and-pop industry in Milwaukee over the next couple of decades, but one that nonetheless

experienced enormous growth as German immigrants began to pour into the city. In the mid-1850s, as many of the future titans of Milwaukee brewing were fleeing Germany, there were more than 25 breweries operating in the city. Founded in 1854, the C. T. Melms Brewery had grown into the city’s largest by 1860, and Melms would gain national recognition as one of the first of Milwaukee’s “beer barons.”

Enter Phillip Best In 1859, the city’s Empire Brewery was rechristened as the Phillip Best Brewing Company. Best would take over the spot of Milwaukee’s top brewer by the late 1860s and would claim the title of the nation’s largest in 1874. After more than decade of recognition as one of America's

brewing capitals, Milwaukee and beer had become synonymous in the national eye by the time Pabst claimed its crown. This coincided with a great consolidation in the local beer business, as the largest operators—those most capable of shipping their product nationally—began to dominate the market. By 1885, the number of city breweries had fallen to just nine, but that group included many of the brands—Best (who would become Pabst), Blatz, Miller, Schlitz—that remain nationally known to this day. Although there was only one year (1890) in which the U.S. Census Bureau listed beer as the city’s most valuable export, by the 1880s, beer was—and would forever be— the product most closely associated with Milwaukee. Penny postcards, mailed home by travelers and conventioneers, highlighted the city’s breweries and beer gardens. Baseball teams—five in total—would wear the Milwaukee Brewers moniker. In 1893, Schlitz debuted their “The Beer That Made Milwaukee Famous” slogan, which is still used today.

Matthew J. Prigge is the author of Milwaukee Mayhem: Murder and Mystery in the Cream City’s First Century.

September 2020

SPECIAL: OKTOBERFEST GUIDE | SPONSORED BY DISCOUNT LIQUOR

Celebrating our 60 th Year

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MILWAUKEEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

Oktoberfest 2020 FESTIVAL CALENDAR ktoberfest started over 200 years ago in Munich, Germany, as a two-week festival ending on the first Sunday in October. The original event was to celebrate the marriage of Bavarian Crown Prince Louis, who later became King Louis I of Bavaria, and Theresa von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. With German roots running deep in Milwaukee history, it makes sense that it is still celebrated today. While not as prolific this year, there are still places to raise a glass and Prost!tradition. toast the German

September 2020

SPECIAL: OKTOBERFEST GUIDE | SPONSORED BY DISCOUNT LIQUOR

Celebrating our 60 th Year

Bavarian Bierhaus Oktoberfest Sept. 4-6, 10-13, 17-20, 24-27; Oct. 1-4 (Free admission on Thursdays and Sundays, $5-10 admission otherwise; free parking)

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inspired beer. The celebration was a success in the inaugural year last year and had over 500 attendees!

Milwaukee Brewing Company Oktoberfest

Bavarian Bierhaus in Heidelberg Park, 700 W. Lexington Blvd.

Sept. 20-22 (Tickets range from $30 - $35, Reserve table for $25)

It’s no surprise the Bavarian Bierhaus is throwing a big party for Oktoberfest! Entertainment includes traditional German brass bands, Schuhplatter folk dancing, singing, yodeling, singalongs, traditional German eats such as spanferkel and rollbraten, German beer and dancing for everyone. This is a kidfriendly festival with children's carnival games that is held for five weekends!

Milwaukee Brewing Company, 1128 N. 9th St.

Second Annual Prosit Tosa

Germantown Hunsrucker Oktoberfest

Saturday September 19

Sept. 26-27 (Free admission)

Wauwatosa Historical Society, 7406 Hillcrest Dr.

Dheinsville Historical Park, N128 W18780 Holy Hill Road

This family friendly fundraiser is designed to bring a bit of Oktoberfest to East Tosa. Festival goes from 1–8 p.m. on the Kneeland Walker. There is also a Homebrewing contest where 20 local homebrewers can compete to make the best five-gallon batch of German-

If anyone knows how to throw a Germaninspired party, it’s got to be the people of Germantown! This festival features the Dachshund Dash, authentic German food and music, lots of activities for kids, and, of course, great beer.

Drink packages range from $35 per session Friday and Saturday and $30 on Sunday. Each guest will receive four hours of unlimited beer in the tent, a custom MKE Brewing Co. lanyard, and the official MKE Oktoberfest beer stein to take home.

Cudahy Lion’s Club Oktoberfest Sept. 28 (Free admission) Cudahy Family Library, 3500 Library Dr., Cudahy Organized by the Cudahy Lion’s Club, from 12 – 10 p.m. in the parking lot of Cudahy Family Library. Live music from Up All Night. Ice cold beverages, games, food and raffles. Prost!

Lake Geneva Oktoberfest Oct. 10 - 11 (Free admission) Downtown Lake Geneva (On the 200 block of Broad Street and Flat Iron Park) This family friendly event includes pony rides, bounce houses, knocketball, live entertainment, craft fair, cider donuts, a FREE pumpkin giveaway and a beer tent! There will be a free shuttle available: Pick-up/Drop-off locations and free parking at the northeast corner of the Home Depot parking lot. (Hwy 50 & Edwards Blvd.). Drop-off/pick-up at U.S. Bank, 303 Center St. They run continuously approximately every 20 minutes. * Times subject to change

September 2020

he Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) reopened to visitors last month, albeit in an abridged form. Visitors are required to reserve a ticket in advance online and to adhere to a posted code of conduct requiring social distancing, mask wearing and restricted movement through the galleries. One might think this would diminish the experience; however, while it does pose obvious limitations, it encouraged me to deviate from my own natural viewing patterns enough to see the collections from a different point of view. In the late 1960s, the Marxist agitprop artist Guy Debord professed that artists should encourage the pursuit of alternative pathways through the commercialized terrain of the modern world. These dĂŠrives, as he called them, were meant to destabilize conventional engagements with public

space—like a cultural detour of sorts, which is what I inadvertently did at MAM by viewing the abbreviated collection from a totally new vantage point and mental state. Simply entering from the West, through the classical galleries, past the early Renaissance altarpieces and Christian devotional art, reoriented my expectations before I had a chance to solidify them. I’m ashamed to say that I rarely step into a museum with chronological ambitions, and it was good to be forced back onto the foundations of art history.

I CARRIED MY ENTHUSIASM THROUGH THE GALLERIES, FOLLOWING ART HISTORY WITH FRESH EYES A little reordering of one’s perspective, externally driven or not, can be a gift. I haven’t gazed into a high Northern-baroque morality painting with such dedication since Marilyn Stokstad’s slide-lit, endurance test of a class on the subject 25 years ago. But during my visit to MAM, I disappeared into Matthias Stom’s Christ Before the High Priest with a rediscovered reverence. Those wooly lectures came back to me in a wave of humble, bittersweet nostalgia: dramatic light sourcing, Reformation and Counter-Reformation subtexts, Walloons and Flemings. All of it telling me about the potential of culture to create and propagate symbols of virtue within a given society. Like facemasks, for instance.

ART HISTORY WITH FRESH EYES I carried my enthusiasm through the rest of the galleries, following art history with fresh eyes. The roped off Rococo interior with its Regency furniture and courtly paintings looked newer and more relevant amidst our own gilded age, itself flirting with revolt. That frilly Fragonard at the

center of the room connected me improbably to the nearby Frank Stella in the contemporary galleries. Their confectionary colors hit the same notes, where their formal and conceptual missions diverged almost contemptuously. The two treasures spoke volumes about various accounts of cultural prestige. One about excess, the other about control; one of martial virtues, feudal traditions, and another about a modern American restraint and sublimated desire. Both in the same museum, 200 years, 100 feet and a simple reorientation of the mind apart.

My trip through art history progressed on top of floor arrows through the gallery of 20th century design, where the largely intact gallery features everything from chairs to teapots to jukeboxes. The practical nature of the works on display marks the complicated intersection of art, culture, taste, technology and, finally, what we end up considering as historically relevant. A scale by Dieter Rams, a bookshelf by Ettore Sottsass and a chair by Gerrit Rietveld all lived once as radical visions of modernity, before their spirits were reappropriated into the realms of popular taste and mass production. The

September 2020

CULTURE | SPONSORED BY THE MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

connection of design to our national sport of shopping gripped me this time more than it had prior. The final few arrows led past a Light-and-Space wall sculpture by Craig Kauffman that lost some of its metaphorical shine. I considered how, five decades ago, the iridescent untitled lozenge stood as a bold pronouncement of post-industrial majesty and material might, and though I’ve always appreciated his work, I couldn’t avoid thinking about it at that moment as plastic first and material transformation second. Our lives are deeply immersed in the invisible shapeshifting plasma of history. We usually don’t get to see its form, except in rare occasions when the historical machine is accidentally compromised and stops for a moment. Like, say, in a

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pandemic. My trip to MAM reminded me that beyond that seemingly perpetual and monolithic narrative pathway lies countless alternatives. It’s comforting, if of the cold sort, to be reminded that history is a reflection of us, but it is also made by us and can thus be taken and remade as we please, as long as we care enough to take the right detours off the institutional highway.

Shane McAdams is an artist whose work has been exhibited in New York, Portland and elsewhere. He has written for The Daily Beast and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and was an adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of Design and the Pratt Institute.

CULTURE | SPONSORED BY THE MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM

THIS MONTH IN MILWAUKEE 16 THINGS TO DO IN SEPTEMBER

By Allen Halas, David Luhrssen, Shane McAdams, Tyler Nelson and Blaine Schultz

Ongoing Milwaukee Public Museum Reopened With its dinosaur skeleton, the “Streets of Old Milwaukee” and panoramic displays of natural and cultural history, the Milwaukee Public Museum has always been a destination for locals and tourists alike. The museum has reopened with new policies designed to encourage physical distancing, including entrance only on Wells Streets and exit only through the MacArthur Square parking garage. Several areas of the museum will remain closed.

Streaming Through September 12 Milwaukee Black Theater Festival

Ongoing Saint Kate–The Arts Hotel Reopens Art Spaces “People are looking for things to do, where they can feel comfortable,” said Marcus Corp’s CEO Greg Marcus. While they have not reopened as a hotel, the museum side of Saint Kate is vibrant with plenty to experience. A number of exhibits are currently on view. In The Gallery, “Making Room: Immigration, Migration, Identity” reflects on the complex narratives surrounding immigration and identity in the U.S. In MOWA DTN, “Wisconsin Funnies” is the first exhibition to present the rich history of comics in Wisconsin. Featured in The Space is Amy Cannestra’s “On a Daily Basis,” a series of found object sculptures, drawings and videos that prod at unconscious coping mechanisms. On display in AIR is Yoonshin Park’s “Finding Space,” an installation using sheer and lightweight materials such as cheesecloth, thread and tree bark to question and contemplate her feelings of in-betweenness in unfamiliar spaces. You don’t even have to come inside. The outdoor sidewalk café setting is prefect to grab a drink, enjoy a meal at Proof Pizza and live music.

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The Tony-nominated Home by Samm-Art Williams is among the three plays included in the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s virtual festival. Home is set during the Vietnam War era, while Zora Howard’s Stew concerns three generations of Black women as they gather to prepare a meal and contemplate their perseverance. James Ijames’ Kill Move Paradise’s timely theme involves four African Americans as they enter the afterlife and make sense of their fate. For more information, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.org.

Through September 12 Brennen Steines, “Vestiges” @ The Alice Wilds Brennen Steines’ current exhibition deftly navigates the narrowest of straits between tasteful image making and muscular, process-driven abstraction—obstacles he’s clearly set up to challenge himself and tempt the rest of us. Large paintings of floral arrangements confirm his canny conceptual route along this journey of object making. Traditionally considered still-life fodder, he engages the tasteful vegetal subject matter with the delicacy of a mason. The chunky, impastoed paintas-mortar in his eroded floral still lifes informs the other, more abstract paintings in the show, all of which are composed, pulled away, sanded, reapplied, reworked and finally guided into their port of call with ambiguous cargo; part object, part concept, and all of it a rollicking shanty about the journey of painting itself.

Through November 22 “Wisconsin Funnies: Fifty Years of Comics” @ Museum of Wisconsin Art and MOWA DTN (St. Kate—the Arts Hotel) Several times each week through the ’70s, the Milwaukee Journal’s editorial cartoonist Bill Sanders tweaked the noses of reactionaries with his timely caricatures

of the mendacious Richard Nixon and the hapless Gerald Ford. Across town, underground cartoonist Denis Kitchen drew fantastic funny covers for the Bugle-American alternative weekly. Both artists are represented in “Wisconsin Funnies,” an exhibition with more than 200 works by 31 artists with ties to Wisconsin. Who knew Will Eisner—called “one of the preeminent stylists of 20th-century comics”—came from here? Works by current artists are also on display; including UW-Madison’s Lynda Barry.

Rock the Stream (Thursday nights at 7 p.m., streaming on YouTube) The organizers of Rock the Green, a non-profit that focuses on eco-friendly concerts, were one of the first local organizations to offer regular streaming events, entitled “Rock the Stream.” Each week, a local artist is paired up with an organization, and a charity show benefitting both the artist and the non-profit is streamed on YouTube with donation links. You can get the full September lineup for Rock the Stream at rockthegreen.com.

DJ Bizzon—Soul Sunday Brunch, Wayback Whens-Day and The QuaranTURNUP (Sundays 12-2 p.m, Wednesdays 5-7 p.m., Fridays 8-10 p.m on Twitch)

Cactus Club’s Digital Dream (Saturday nights on Vimeo) A longtime hub for local music, Cactus Club has shifted programming online in addition to regular carry-out orders from their Bay View location. Digital Dream is an online streaming series, encompassing not only live performances, but also DJ sets, film screenings and more. September highlights include a female takeover show from Kaylee Crossfire along with weekly DJ sets from local acts entitled REACHout Radio. You can get the full schedule of digital programming at cactusclubmilwaukee.com.

The Cooperage’s Covid Couch Series (Saturdays, 9 p.m., on Instagram Live) The Cooperage had become one of Milwaukee’s biggest live music destinations within the last few years, hosting a variety of notable local and touring acts in their Walker’s Point location. The venue’s Covid Couch Series is a weekly concert via Instagram Live, bringing a high-quality show to your phone with the intimacy of an at-home performance. September’s lineup includes concerts from Guerrilla Ghost, Cozy Danger, Matt Davies and more. The streams can be found on The Cooperage’s Instagram page: @cooperagemke.

One of Milwaukee’s hardest working DJs isn’t letting a lack of local club nights deter him, as DJ Bizzon has turned his regularly scheduled events digital, broadcasting via Twitch and launching a Patreon with exclusive content. With a different theme every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday night, join him for a variety of dance parties from the comfort of home. You can stream his sets at twitch.tv/djbizzon.

Linneman’s Riverwest Inn (Various nights, streaming on Facebook)

Streaming September 10-24 Minority Health Film Festival The Milwaukee Film Festival has always included programming focused on the challenges of minorities in America. Last year, the festival included a four-day component on Minority Health. This year’s all-virtual Minority Health Film Festival is “going bigger for sure,” says Sebastian Mei, Milwaukee Film’s chief marketing and development officer, and it will feature more than 25 films, panels and discussions addressing “social inequality and social justice,” Mei continues. “It’s more important than ever in this time of COVID and social unrest.” For more information, visit mkefilm.org/mhff.

A staple of the Riverwest music community, Linneman’s is back to hosting a regular schedule of concerts—albeit for empty rooms—and streaming on the venue’s Facebook page. Since the venue’s inception, owner Jim Linneman and his team have made live music their priority, and live streaming shows benefit both the artists and the venue with virtual tip jar links listed on each stream. You can get the full concert schedule at linnemans.com.

Non-Pop! (Wednesdays at 5 p.m. on Twitch) Non-Pop, the combination of live artwork and DJ sets cultivated by local artist Moses and his associates, had recently moved to club Site 1A before quarantine shut things down locally. Fortunately, the group has been able to turn that weekly club night into a streaming experience, blending music and art into something unique emanating from several Milwaukee locations and featuring some of the city’s top DJs and visual artists. Non-Pop! can be streamed at twitch.tv/yononpop.

Friday, September 11 Filter Off Virtual Speed Dating Joining the dating scene is difficult, throw in a pandemic and it can seem impossible. Filter Off is here to help. Singles can download their smartphone app and participate on Friday, Sept. 11, from 8–9 p.m. for virtual, video speed dating. Filter Off is modeled after real-world speed dating and is designed to get those with confidence, courage and crazy schedules meeting each other face-to-face. The app looks at age, location, height and education preferences and attempts to find someone that fits.

September 2020

September 16-January 31 “Luba Lukova: Designing Justice” @ Jewish Museum Milwaukee Luba Lukova has become known around the world for simple, striking images of protest and defiance. “Designing Justice” includes 33 posters addressing income disparities, environmental catastrophe and other contemporary issues. “Designing Justice,” originally scheduled to open in spring, couldn’t emerge at a better time. It’s paired with “Shakespeare in the Alley: A Tribute to Bob Dylan,” which is focused on Dylan’s political lyrics as hand-stenciled by Wisconsin artist Skye.

Tuesday, September 22 Virtual Conversation with Ayad Akhtar and Mark Clements Boswell Book Co. is sponsoring a 7 p.m. conversation between the Milwaukee Rep’s artistic director and the Pulitzer-winning, Milwaukee-rooted playwright. Last year, the Rep staged the Midwest premiere of Alkhtar’s Junk, an indictment of Wall Street wizards who sped the process of social decomposition down the economic avenue during the Reagan era; the Rep has also produced Akhtar’s The Invisible Hand, Disgraced and The Who & The What. The discussion with Clements will focus on the playwright’s new novel, Homeland Elegies, about an immigrant father and his son in post-Trump America.

Friday, September 25 Sing That Thing! A Showdown For Radio Milwaukee In lieu of their regular Fall Ball fundraiser, 88Nine Radio Milwaukee is hosting their annual karaoke competition and dance party with a digital twist this year. Twelve local community leaders will compete in the ultimate local karaoke showdown hosted by Dori Zori and Ayisha Jaffer, and DJ Kenny Perez will provide the tunes for a dance party afterwards to benefit the local community radio station. You can RSVP to the Zoom call by donating to Radio Milwaukee at radiomilwaukee.org.

Illustration by Scott Radke

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LIFESTYLE OUT OF MY MIND

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CARING TOO MUCH OR NOT AT ALL? By Philip Chard

n gnarly relationships, finding a balance between caring too much or not at all proves a tough row to hoe. It constitutes a mental tug of war in the psyche, and Nina felt like the rope. “I’ve tried not to care but can’t seem to get there,” she confided to me, referring to her stormy romance with an on-and-off boyfriend, one with significant emotional issues. “For me, caring feels like a trap I’m trying to escape, but can’t.” Often, this conundrum emerges when a sensitive, empathic person becomes deeply embedded in a relationship, family or other interpersonal situation where caring leads mostly to pain. Nina knew that continuing to care for her beau would punch her ticket to considerable misery

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for both of them, but she still struggled to emotionally disengage. Many mental health types label such folks “co-dependent.” Translation? They lack sufficient emotional separation, so to speak, to avoid getting psychologically dragged around by the feelings and behaviors of a partner or family member. Often, counselors encourage such individuals to break off the interpersonal connection altogether, lest they suffer ongoing mental harm. What’s more, they advise them to become more emotionally independent.

Compartmentalizing Our Feelings But how? Granted, some of us are adept at compartmentalizing our feelings; when in a dysfunctional relationship, we readily move from a mental space of “I care” to “I

don’t,” or at least “not so much.” We place our painful concerns in a cognitive box, put it away somewhere in the psyche and move on. To convince ourselves to cut the emotional chord with someone who proves a poor interpersonal investment, we invoke the psychological law of diminishing returns: “The more I care, the worse I feel.” But for those like Nina, it’s not so simple. “Maybe it would be easier to just resign myself to caring, even though it hurts, instead of struggling to not care,” Nina lamented. In this “I don’t want to care but still do” space, there is a persistent conflict between the heart and psyche. Some who find themselves in this fix embrace unhealthy measures to numb out the pain of

their caring, perhaps with alcohol, other drugs or compulsive behaviors that occupy the mind (gambling, shopping, screen addiction, etc.).

“You care, and there’s probably no way to entirely stop that,” I advised Nina. “Instead of struggling to not care, let’s focus on how you care.”

Emotional Distancing

THE HEART IS CAPTIVE TO FORCES IT FEELS UNABLE TO CONTROL, SO IT NEEDS SOMETHING CALLED EMOTIONAL DISTANCING In resolving this dilemma, the mind should lead the way. The heart is captive to forces it feels unable to control, so it needs something called emotional distancing. This approach aligns with Buddhist philosophy, which has long encouraged a mindset of “detached concern”—a kind of caring that is compassionate, less invested in certain outcomes and, therefore, detached in a healthy way.

Toward this end, Nina adopted a selfcare technique incorporating emotional distancing. For example, after relaxing herself with some deep breathing, in her mind’s eye, she replayed an interaction in which she was caring too much, first doing so from an immersed perspective (as if embedded in the situation and seeing it through her own eyes). Next, she mentally replayed that same interaction, except from a distant perspective (as if watching herself in a video). At any point, if she experienced an increase in anxiety, she stopped and resumed her deep breathing until she was calmer. This creates sufficient emotional distance to remain engaged without being carried away in the process.

After several weeks practicing this method, Nina felt more in charge of her caring feelings, rather than the other way around. In turn, she acquired the capacity for detached concern, which allowed her to continue to care but in a manner that didn’t undermine her well-being. Toward that end, she broke off the relationship with her boyfriend in a considerate way, one that was firm but kind. Sometimes, “To care or not to care?” is the wrong question. Better to ask, “How will I care?”

For more, visit philipchard.com. Philip Chard is a psychotherapist and author with a focus on lasting behavior change, emotional healing and adaptation to health challenges.

MARIJUANA

AFTER THE ELECTION DEMOCRATS PROMISE MORE THAN EVER, REPUBLICANS PROMISE MORE OF THE SAME By Jean-Gabriel Fernandez

Елена Рубан/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

s the country is gearing up for the presidential election in November, the parties’ national conventions give us clues for what to expect for the next few years. That begs the question: What place is reserved for cannabis in each party's electoral promises?

ijuana dispensaries would be legal everywhere, and the weight of federal oppression would be lifted off the budding cannabis industry. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) estimates that, between 2001 and 2010, there were 7,216,000 arrests just for possession.

Democratic Party: Everything But Legalization “Democrats will decriminalize marijuana use and reschedule it through executive action on the federal level. We will support legalization of medical marijuana and believe states should be able to make their own decisions about recreational use. [...] All past criminal convictions for cannabis use should be automatically expunged,” reads the first draft of the 2020 Democratic platform, released ahead of the Democratic National Convention. By promising not only to free the American nation of the criminalization of marijuana but also to legalize medical use, the Democratic Party adopts a more progressive stance than anything they promised in the past. In its 2016 platform, the party only wanted to deschedule marijuana, which means leaving it up to the states. “Those states that want to decriminalize it or provide access to medical marijuana should be able to do so,” it said. While the 2016 platform suggested to “prioritize prevention and treatment over incarceration whenever possible,” the 2020 one states that “no one should be in prison solely because they use drugs,” period. The Democrats’ new official stance aligns itself with the one that Joe Biden himself adopted on the campaign trail. Despite being historically a staunch opponent of marijuana, Biden softened his stance amidst soaring public support in favor of reforming the nation’s outdated cannabis prohibition laws. However, he always stopped short of supporting the legalization of marijuana. Descheduling, decriminalizing, legalizing medical and expunging past offenses, which is what Biden and the party now promise to do, is the next best thing after legalization. If the promises made ahead of the election are kept, lives would no longer be destroyed for possessing cannabis, mar-

According to the Democrats’ plan, there might not be recreational marijuana retail stores in every state, but millions of people would be released from prison or have their records wiped clean, letting them return to regular employment and reclaim lost opportunities. Addressing this criminal justice issue, which is a purulent wart on the face Lady Liberty, is the single most important point of any discussion about cannabis reform.

Republican Party: Nothing at All In June 2020, the Republican Party voted to reuse their 2016 platform for the 2020 election, reflecting the fact that their candidate will once again be incumbent President Donald Trump. That led to a surprising situation where the official Republican platform includes more than 30 unflattering references to the “current president” and “the current administration,” albeit one assumes that someone in GOP will actually read the document and do some editing before Trump gives his acceptances speech. The official Republican stance on marijuana remains unchanged from 2016, oblivious to the past four years, which have been formative for the young cannabis industry. Even some Republican lawmakers have come around in favor of marijuana during the past term. As it stands, the Republican platform deplores the fact that, “in many jurisdictions,

September 2020

While still only a candidate, Trump actually had a rather progressive stance, espousing a more libertarian laissez-faire attitude towards cannabis. He said he’d support the legalization of medical marijuana if it came to his desk and that states should have the right to decide whether they want recreational or not. But, as most things that Trump promised, there seemed to be no substance behind those views: As President, he did not champion cannabis reform, and his 2021 budget proposal even sought to remove existing protections for state-legal medical marijuana programs. The momentum in favor of cannabis reform was already present before Trump took office, and it carried on throughout his term. The 2018 Farm Bill, a landmark victory for cannabis advocates, was the first piece of legislation federally legalizing the cannabis plant nationwide. Hemp is cannabis with very low tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, therefore it’s not psychoactive—but it is indistinguishable from marijuana. Now that hemp is fully legal, it has become far more difficult for law enforcement to arrest small-time pot users, as laboratory tests have often become necessary to determine what is legal hemp and what is illegal marijuana. As a result, marijuana-related arrests took a nosedive in the second half of Trump’s

presidency. However, the legalization of hemp would have most likely happened under any other leader.

Congress Is What Matters Ultimately the composition of Congress will determine whether cannabis will be federally legalized or not.

BASED SOLELY ON EACH PARTY’S PLATFORM, IT SEEMS OBVIOUS THAT DEMOCRATS WOULD SEEK PROGRESS WHILE REPUBLICANS WOULD FIGHT AGAINST IT. Based solely on each party’s platform, it seems obvious that Democrats would seek progress while Republicans would fight against it. This has already been shown by their respective voting records—most recently on July 30, 2020, when voting on the amendment protecting the states’ rights for legal cannabis programs. The amendment passed the House with 254 votes in favor and 163 against. The extremely partisan nature of the topic cannot be any more obvious: Virtually all Republican representatives voted against it, while virtually all Democrats voted in favor of it. Among Wisconsin representatives, every single Republican voted no, every single Democrat voted yes. The House of Representatives, since it was retaken by Democrats in 2018, has passed

several key pieces of legislation that would have already reformed the nation’s drug laws if they hadn’t been stopped by the Republican-dominated Senate. For instance, the House approved the SAFE Banking Act of 2019, which would allow legal cannabis businesses to access banking and financial services instead of being forced to operate only with cash. As usual with marijuana bills, Senate Majority Leader Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell has denied it a vote in the Senate. This November, Democrats have a chance to win a Senate majority as well as the White House, which would guarantee that the party could enact significant and long-lasting change. While Senate Republicans would still have tools of obstruction, such as the filibuster, Democrats would be able to fight back if they win a minimum of three Senate seats (plus the vice-president). They have the support of Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer—who would take over McConnell’s role as Senate Majority Leader in the case of a Democratic takeover—both of whom are outspoken supporters of marijuana reform. On November 3, voters will determine who will get the power to set the agenda for the next four years.

Jean-Gabriel Fernandez is a French journalist and graduate from La Sorbonne University. He writes about politics, cannabis and Milwaukee’s rich culture.

Legalized Medical & Decriminalized Medical Medical (CBD Oil Only) Decriminalized Fully Illegal July 2020

Stats collected from DISA Global Solutions

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marijuana is virtually legalized despite its illegality under federal law,” which they claim is “eroding the progress made over the last three decades against drug abuse.”

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LIFESTYLE DOMICILE

FALL IS THE TIME TO WINTERIZE START PREPPING YOUR YARD NOW FOR SUCCESS NEXT SPRING By Mark Hagen

Aerate the Soil. Aeration is a process where plugs of soil are yanked from the ground to help nutrients reach grassroots. You’ll need to use an aerator machine or hire a service, but you’ll be rewarded with a healthy, hearty lawn come spring.

hate to admit it, but procrastination got the best of me last fall. I didn’t prepare my yard for the harsh Wisconsin winter. Sure, I knew I had to ready my yard for the icy cold of a Wisconsin winter, but there were still plenty of warm days to be had; then, I ran out of time. Come spring, I was faced with gardens that needed extensive clearing, bald lawn spots that needed filling, garden equipment that had gone missing. I learned my lesson about prepping my yard and home long before the cold winds blow, and I’m sharing those (sometimes common sense) ideas with you. Take advantage of autumn’s friendly weather and start prepping for winter now.

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Keep Mowing. After cutting the grass for the last several months, it’s easy to park the mower when the temperature dips. Don’t toss in the towel too early. A general rule of thumb is to keep mowing until the grass stops growing. Set the blade to a lower setting so your lawn can make the most of the autumn sun.

Fertilize. After you aerate, be sure to fertilize, because that’s when the nutrients will really hit the grassroots. This is particularly true if you're using organic lawn fertilizers, which can be slow to decompose but ultimately improve the ground's overall structure. Whether you aerate or not, fall is a key season to fertilize because cool dew helps the soil absorb the fertilizer. Similarly, this is a good time to reseed your lawn’s bald spots.

HOUSE & HOME

CHECKLIST Compost plants from hanging baskets and container gardens Store resin containers Remove half the soil from containers to prevent damage from frozen moisture Power wash driveway, walkways, patios and decks Rake the Leaves. Sounds obvious, I know, but keeping up with falling leaves helps water, sunlight and air get to your grass during autumn. This also help prevent fungi from settling in before winter arrives. Mulch. If you’re like me, you probably feel like you’ve already done your share of mulching this year. Adding a few inches of mulch in fall, however, helps protect plant roots when snow arrives. Save money by using your lawnmower to cut up fallen leaves (attach the grass catcher) for truly organic mulch. Prepare Plants, Shrubs and Trees. It gets cold in Wisconsin. Damn cold. Protect delicate plants, such as roses and butterfly bush, with foam domes or other frost coverings like burlap. Fall is also a good time to remove dead branches from woody shrubs and trees. Some woody perennials should be pruned back in autumn while others do better with a spring pruning. Hit the internet or garden center to learn what’s best for your shrubs. Paper tree wrap is a quick and easy way to cover thin-barked trees. Start at the bottom and wrap up to the first branch. Remember to remove in spring for new growth.

Vegetable and Annual Flower Gardens. Once you’ve harvested that summer bounty you worked so hard for, it’s time to break it all down. Discarding or composting the old plant matter (stems, debris, leaves, etc.) helps keep your garden disease-free and ready for next year’s planting. This is also a smart time to add a bit of compost to the garden’s soil, cover the garden surface with straw or mulch, and plant shallot and garlic bulbs. Speaking of bulbs, get those tulip, daffodil and dahlia bulbs in the ground, too. Perennial Gardens. If you have a lot of perennials, you’re familiar with cutting the plants down. You likely know what to cut back now and what to cut back in spring, but if you’re not sure, this is the time to do a bit of research. If you want to divide any perennials, grab your spade, break them up and replant now before Jack Frost moves into town.

Clean the gutters Disconnect and store garden hoses Turn off and insulate spigots Remove screens and install storm windows Drain fountains, ponds and other water features Clean out firepits, outdoor fireplaces and grills Clean, then cover or store outdoor furniture Replace burnt out lightbulbs on porches, decks and patios Clean and put away garden gear (nicely!), so it’s ready when you are come spring.

Mark Hagen is an award-winning Milwaukee gardener whose work has appeared in Fresh Home, Birds & Blooms and Your Family magazines.

September 2020

HEAR ME OUT | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION

DEAR RUTHIE SHE GOT TO FIRST BASE BUT STILL NOT PLAYING BALL

Welcome to the second edition of the newly designed Shepherd Express. Clearly, Milwaukee is enjoying our snazzy new format because emails for my little advice column keep rolling in. Let’s read one now. OK, sugar booger? OK!

Dear Ruthie, I’ve been attracted to one of my girl friends since college. She knows I’m a lesbian, and I’m sure she’s aware I like her. We went out with two friends last week, and I asked her to stay behind when they left. We ended up making out in my car. We haven’t spoken about it since, and now it’s awkward to bring it up. Is it too late? I’d like to explore a relationship with her even though she says she’s straight. I also don’t want to ruin the friendship. Please Help! - Loose Lips Sink Ships

Dear Loose-y, Oh, sweetie! Next time, ask a few questions before locking lips with a bestie. I know, I know… when passion comes calling, it’s hard to hit the brakes when all you want to do is play tongue twister. I get it. For now, however, you need to address the elephant in the room. In fact, say that: “We need to address the elephant in the room.” Ask her what she thinks about exploring a relationship with you. Let her know how your feelings and ask her thoughts. Here’s the catch: You’ve got to accept whatever she tells you. Don’t try to change her mind, make excuses or keep a torch lit for her. Listen to what she has to say and agree to accept it, particularly if it’s not what you hope to hear. Good luck! You got this!

Have a question for Ruthie? Want to share an event with her? Contact Ruthie at DearRuthie@ShepEx.com. Ruthie gives advice to the lovelorn and compiles Milwaukee’s LGBTQ-friendly social calendar.

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DEAR RUTHIE BROUGHT TO YOU BY

RUTHIE’S SOCIAL CALENDAR Summer may be wrapping up, but there’s still plenty of fun to be had. Mix up your month with these uniquely awesome events. SEPTEMBER 4 Jukebox Bingo at Walker’s Pint (818 S. Second St.) Need some post-Fish Fry Fun? Check out the kookiest pub game in town, where bingo Meets “Name That Tune.” Free to play, this crazy contest gives you the chance to yuck it up, win prizes, drink and get out of the house a bit. The fun starts at 8 p.m. SEPTEMBER 12 Milwaukee Comic Con at Wisconsin State Fair Park (640 S. 84th St.) Get your geek on with this legendary celebration of comics, anime, sci-fi and more. More than 300 vendors, creators, artists and entertainers promise to keep the fun going throughout the 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. event. Swing by mightyconshows.com for more, including $8 tickets. SEPTEMBER 12 Out in the Park at Six Flags Great America (1 Great America Parkway, Gurnee, Ill.) It’s baaack! The popular (and private) night at the Midwest’s favorite amusement park returns! Your ticket ($45 in advance, $55 at the gate), gets you access to this 8 p.m. to midnight bash for the LGBTQ community. Enjoy all the rides, live entertainment and more when you nab your spot via gaysixflagschicago.com. But you better hurry! Tickets are limited, so get yours today.

yards to local artists, makers and musicians for a 11 a.m.-3 p.m. pop-up show. Masks are required, which is great because you’re going to want to purchase one-of-a-kind pieces and meet the artists face-to-face. SEPTEMBER 14 LGBTQ Support Group at Milwaukee LGBT Community Center (1110 N. Market St.) The community center is a gem in the city’s LGBTQ tiara, and the team just added a valuable stone with this new support group. Created for those 18 years and older, this friendly group meets the second Monday of every month from 6-7 p.m. Contact nzanoni@mkelgbt.org to learn more about this free and confidential group. SEPTEMBER 18

SEPTEMBER 24 Dining with the Divas: Rooftop Edition at Hamburger Mary’s (730 S. Fifth St.)If you haven’t been to the rooftop at Hamburger Mary’s, Thursdays are a great night to check it out. Take advantage of the full outdoor bar, complete menu and comfortable seating while you enjoy the 7 p.m. drag show. Seats are limited, so visit hamburgermarys.com/mke to hold a rooftop table. SEPTEMBER 28 Monday Movie Matinée at This Is It! (418 E. Wells St.) It’s always a good time at this Cathedral Square hot spot, and Mondays are no exception! Stop by for a free 5:30 p.m. movie (usually an LGBTQ favorite) while sipping on two-for-one beverages.

DJ Jay Bird at LaCage Niteclub (801 S. Second St.) Doors open at 10 p.m. to the dance mecca of downtown Milwaukee where you’ll find a mix of hip-hop, Latin, Trap and top-40 music from DJ Jay Bird. A $6 door charge ($3 for VIPs) gets you into a night of uninhibited glory.

SEPTEMBER 13 Artists Front Yard Pop-Up in Washington Heights (N. 52nd St. between Washington Blvd. and Vine St.) Take a lovely stroll through Washington Heights as residents offer up their front

September 2020

HEAR ME OUT | SPONSORED BY UW CREDIT UNION

Pride Flag

Bisexual Pride Flag

Transgender Pride Flag

Pansexual Pride Flag

Intersex Pride Flag

Genderfluid Pride Flag

Polyamory Pride Flag

Demisexual Pride Flag

Asexual Pride Flag

Bear Brotherhood Pride Flag

Non-Binary Pride Flag

Straight Ally Pride Flag

MY LGBTQ POV

RUNNING THE NEW PROGRESS PRIDE FLAG

UP THE FLAGPOLE W

orld Vexillology Day takes place October 1st. Vexillology is the study of the use, history and symbolism of flags. In full disclosure, I am a vexillologist, so I’ll be celebrating. I have childhood memories of lying on the living room floor with the “F” volume of the World Book Encyclopedia, flipping through the pages of colored plates of historic U.S. flags, state flags and world flags arranged by continent. Of course, along the way, I read Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage that tells of redemption of a heroic flag bearer. In other words, I was hooked at an early age and haven’t grown out of it. To be sure, vexillologists can be a finicky and idiosyncratic lot. They congregate in

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societies like the preeminent North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) that has, for well over five decades, led the field in scholarship and all things flag-relevant from design (there are rules) to conservation. NAVA even has its own anthem and, of course, a flag. Naturally, any time there’s a new flag run up the pole, it engenders buzz, discussion and critique. Over the course of its history (and to the delight of vexillologists), the LGBTQ community has created a spate of them—several dozen, in fact. All but a few of which are arranged in classic but uninspired horizontally arranged colored stripes. Of the several lesbian flags, one is actually vexillogically appealing. It consists of a lavender field with a dou-

ble-headed labrys battle axe on a black triangular charge. The battle axe represents the Amazon warriors of Greek lore, and the black triangle refers to the emblem used to identify lesbians in Nazi concentration camps. For a flag enthusiast, the response can’t help but be warm and fuzzy.

Stock Ninja Studio/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

By Paul Masterson

Thomas Faull/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Recent Addition The most recent addition has been dubbed the Progress Pride Flag. Designed by artist Daniel Quasar in 2018, it has recently been raised to the roundly receptive salutes of the LGBTQ community, especially the younger, queer and politically gender conscious. For them, it has become the “mainstream, default symbol of the LGBTQ community.”

DESIGNED BY ARTIST DANIEL QUASAR IN 2018, THE NEW FLAG HAS BEEN RAISED TO THE ROUNDLY RECEPTIVE SALUTES OF THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY To symbolize inclusion, Quasar’s design adds a chevron of colored stripes representing the transgender community and people of color along the flag’s hoist (the flag pole end), a format reminiscent of the Zimbabwean, Palestinian and similar national flags. According to Quasar, the right-facing chevron symbolizes forward progress, and its placement along the hoist indicates more progress needs to be made (perspective would contradict that since, when flying, the chevron’s point faces backward).

The question for any vexillologist is whether or not a flag delivers the message and truly represents the nation or entity it represents. Design aesthetics are another matter. Ideally, a flag complies with both. Otherwise,there are five rules: 1. Keep it simple. 2. Keep it meaningful. 3. Use no more than three colors. 4. Use no lettering or seals. 5. Be distinctive. Well, two out of five rules broken isn’t the end of the world. To be sure, one result of Quasar’s design, perhaps inadvertent, is the energy created by the chevron’s diagonal lines. However, merely adding the trans and POC colors excludes more than it includes. I can imagine the ire of bisexuals, who feel perpetually maligned anyway, that their shades are absent. The original Rainbow flag was never exclusive. In fact, in purely symbolic terms, its nature was all-inclusive to begin with. It is also the internationally recognized Pride flag. So, while the Progress Pride flag is an impressive addition to the LGBTQ sea of flags, the grand old Rainbow remains my high-flying flag.

Paul Masterson is an LGBTQ activist and writer and has served on the boards of the Milwaukee Gay Arts Center, Milwaukee Pride, GAMMA and other organizations.

September 2020

ART FOR ART'S SAKE

FROM THE CITY THAT

ALWAYS SWEEPS By Art Kumbalek

’m Art Kumbalek and man oh manischewitz what a world, ain’a? So listen, back together on this last page of the second edition of the Shepherd’s new monthly ink-print extravaganza, a nice hand-held publication you can enjoy whilst sitting on the can exercising your morning daily constitutional for weeks at a time, what the fock. But here we be, 2020, near-fall of this confounded year’s election season. And here I be, drizzled-grizzled veteran of political wars waged ’round our American vicinity and beyond, having mounted nearly several half-assedly funded campaigns for all kind of elective offices over the years: Senator, U.S. and/or state reprehensative, county sheriff, president, governor, mayor, commissioner of baseball, Tahitian potentate. Cripes, I’m James Dean come back as a political candidate. Ask me what I’m running for? “Whatever you got.” You betcha. So last month, I got my mail-in/absentee ballot for the primary for a bunch of local elections and you’d think my name would turn up on the card for some of the offices, just on general principles. Nope. I don’t know if the people realize and appreciate how goddamn difficult it is for a guy like me to have to pencil in names not mine, election after election, year after year, just because I can’t find “Art Kumbalek” listed on the voting form. As that great American, Daffy Duck, would splutter: “It is to laugh.” And yes, I still got the fire in the belly for the higher political office. But what I don’t have, never have had, is the funding, that huge wad of dough needed to turn my fire into a blood-hot ballet-box haze. This paucity of big-time jack is what brought me and my buddy Little Jimmy Iodine to the southwest corner of Wells and the Old World Third Street the other warm night. We were flush with a couple, three savings coupons for a carry-out soup and a sandwich at the George Webb down the block there. But at that corner, looking east, today in history, is a parking lot where once stood the legendary Princess Theater, yesterday, in the olden days, B.D. (Before Development). Jimmy and I began to reminisce our youth, yet as seasoned pedestrians, we waited for the light to change. “Jeez Louise, remember, Artie? It seems to be a dream now, but didn’t we see our first naked boob in the Princess way-back when, ain’a? I don’t believe the young people today could begin to understand what a triumph that was to see a naked boob in a motion picture theater. Yeah, the movies they showed there were always like from France and fock if you could figure out where the

Shepherd Express

plot was hiding but sure as shootin’, you always knew that by evening-close before the theater played the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ right before the houselights came up, you would had seen your naked boob. “Nowadays, even in the movies and TV series that have the big-time stars, you got bare knockers coming out your ears. But Artie, for me to go see a movie these days, I can’t ride the goddamn bus a couple hours all the way out to near Brook-focking-field from here just for the sight of the unencumbered breast. I’m too tired. Too tired, Artie.” This was not good. I had to cheer Jimmy up. I told him that maybe I ought to run for the alderman from Downtown next time around. “Yeah, Artie! Alderman. Tell me the story of how it’s going to be. When you’re alderman.” I told Little Jimmy I’d make him my top aide, that he could have his own chair to park his butt on in my office over by City Hall. “You got to be jerking my beefaroni. My own chair, Artie? I wouldn’t wreck it. I promise. And maybe I could answer the phone sometimes if you were peddling a speech somewheres. Like if somebody called about how come their street wasn’t plowed. I’d ask them if they voted for you. And Artie, if they didn’t, I’d give them directions to the hardware store and tell them to go buy a goddamn shovel and plow their own damn street themselves, the lazy focks. “And tell me more, Artie. Could we still live Downtown like always? We wouldn’t get pushed out by trust-fund knobs and fat-ass rich empty nesters from the suburbs who all of a sudden dream to live Downtown with no place to park, but can afford to pay whatever the piper plays; would we, Artie?” Not a chance, Jimmy. I’d make Downtown just the way we want it to be. I’d bring back the Princess Theater so a guy could see a god-

damn motion picture in his neighborhood, not to mention The Strand, Esquire and the Palace, to boot. And I’d make sure you could find a couple, three taverns where a nice cocktail wouldn’t cost a mortgage payment and there’d be no loud music boom-boom ’cause none of the candy-ass people who go to lunch for a living would dream to go there. And I told Little Jimmy that I’d find a spot to put in some bowling alleys and for the people who lived in the neighborhood there would be a store with a practical housewares department, where one could purchase a nice oven mitt or affordable shower curtain. Jimmy was now all ears; so I told him not to forget that as a custodian of the commonweal, I’d also need to make a play for the occasional tourist who came to town. I would trade all our pigeons and squirrels to some Third/ Fourth/Fifth World country in exchange for their chimpanzees and assorted monkeys, a good deal all around. The poor foreign country would acquire a usable food source and Downtown Beertown would gain one heck of a tourist attraction, even better if we dressed the monkeys and chimps in little festive ethnic outfits. We could also maybe train them to do city-grounds maintenance and low-level clerical work. Lower property taxes, anybody? “Could I take care of the chimps, Artie, could I?” Little Jimmy asked me. “I’d be really good to them. I promise. I’d give them cigars. And teach them to roller skate.” Sure you could, I assured Jimmy. Then I had to give him a good whack upside the back of the head ’cause he wasn’t looking when the stoplight turned red. I heard someone say, “What the hell is eatin’ those two guys?” Dreams, that’s what’s “eatin” us, especially the ones that aren’t ours, ’cause I’m Art Kumbalek and I told you so. SerhiiBobyk/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images fizkes/ iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

September 2020 Print Edition

Articles inside

From the City that Always Sweeps

She Got to First Base but Still Not

Fall is the Time to Winterize

It’s Time for Oktoberfest

Milwaukee Art Museum Reopens

Caring Too Much or Not at All?

Marijuana After the Election

When Beer Came to Milwaukee

Shahrazad’s Story Continues Despite Tough Times

Old Town Innovates While Keeping Tradition Alive

Fall Arts Guide 2020

Milwaukee Turners: Where Cream City’s History Meets the Future

Mark Denning Speaks Out on Behalf of Native Americans

Trump’s Still Fighting ‘60s Civil

The Modern World

How the Building of I-43 Destroyed Milwaukee's Black Community