While many overlook the Milwaukee art and culture scene in favor of some of our larger neighbors, like Chicago, I have always believed our community of artists hit different. In the 414, our creatives are hungrier. We are inherently more innovative due to having to make more with less. We are a dynamic, connected, and brilliant bunch, and truthfully, we show out for each other in a way that is a testament to the power of collaboration. In this city, you must lean on each other to pop forreal. You gotta be a cheerleader and have your own team rooting for you. Maybe I’m biased, but there is truly no place I would rather live as an artist in the United States.

While I always take pride in my hometown, there are a few yearly events that always reinvigorate my love and joy. Gallery Night MKE is one of them. Across the city, galleries (and even non-galleries) host exhibitions, art auctions, and pop-ups to celebrate the creative arts and our local creators. There is a focus on the visual arts, of course, but a lot of these events invite local musicians and spoken word artists to participate in the festivities as well. It’s a beautiful thing to witness.

Now, as I have stated before, this is one of my favorite annual events, yet surprisingly, this year marked a first for me. During the April Gallery Night weekend, I got to attend the opening reception of another beloved Milwaukee tradition: Var Gallery’s 30 x 30 x 30 showcase.

2024 marks the 10th iteration of 30 x 30 x 30. This exhibition invites selected artists to make 30 pieces in 30 days during the month of January. According to the Var Gallery website, the goal of the experience is to “stimulate an aggressive art-making marathon to kickstart the beginning of the year and result in a spring exhibition that provides gallery visitors the ability to collect small works from many artists.” This “marathon,” which resulted in 1,200 individual pieces from 40 artists, is definitely an ode to the ways our city celebrates one another.

I am usually not an individual who arrives “on time,” but I had been so unbelievably excited for this show that I showed up at Var right as the doors opened. There was already a decent-sized crowd there, too! (Like I said, Milwaukee shows out.) As I waited patiently for my best friend to join, I did a quick survey of the first floor of Var, taking in the amazing and unique collection of pieces. From wood sculptures to embroidery to fiber arts to acrylic paintings, this show offers something for everyone.

I could speak at length about each artist’s collection, but instead, I want to just highlight a few standouts. Funny enough, while these artists range in age, gender, race, “type of art,” and lived experience, I found that nearly all of my personal favorites from the exhibition somehow connect back to the theme of memory. Whether they be explicit callbacks to moments in the artist’s life or serve as homages to childhood or places, these collections have certainly altered my own life and will be things I recall for a very long time, if not the rest of my own life.

Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez
Anyone who knows me knows I have been a fan of Melissa Mursch-Rodriguez since we were both students at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. I always admired Melissa’s work ethic and sense of imagination, so it should come as no surprise that we have collaborated on a handful of projects to date. I am also NOT shy when I praise her and the way she sees the world. She is truly one of my favorite artists. A curator, a poet, a fiber artist, and an editor/founder of the zine Moody, Melissa’s creativity knows no limits. In her 30 x 30 x 30 collection, Melissa used hand-dyed fabric, thread, citrasolv-transferred photos, paint, and beads to create family portraits. In her artist statement, Melissa wrote, “Whether blood or chosen, estranged or close-knit, alive or departed, these portraits pay homage to those who both myself and people near and dear to me call family.” I had the honor of submitting photos of my younger sister and my parents for this exhibition, and it was truly a moving and emotional experience to see their likeness captured among a series of people who were/are loved so deeply.

Benjamin Gray
When conjuring up a memory or feeling, it is best to indulge in one of the five senses. For many, taste especially can bring them back to a moment in a time. This is why Benjamin Gray’s collection, which features 30 works created using a technique known as marquetry (the art and craft of applying pieces of veneer to a structure to form decorative patterns or designs), captured my attention. Each one of Gray’s pieces recreates a real ice cream truck pricing sticker from the early to mid-1990s. As a 1996 baby with a sweet tooth and disdain for summer heat, this nostalgia-driven series brought me back to running around the Northside.

Kiara Strowder
As a Black woman, Kiara’s work struck me in a way that felt very personal. Through her work, I was able to see a child that looked a lot like me and a woman who shares my reflection as well. I particularly loved Kiara’s series because it was magical to see her literal evolution from childhood to adulthood. The pieces did not appear to be arranged in chronological order, either, as some rows included self-portraits of a grown Kiara and some featured her at various stages in her youth. I think this adds to the beauty of her 30 x 30 x 30. Kiara Strowder took us through her life in a way that was not defined or ruled by time or order. Additionally, the use of bright, happy, and cheerful colors made me feel so much joy! This is definitely something to be seen in entirety and in person.

Whitney Salgado
I had heard Whitney Salgado’s name a lot over the years, but I had not seen any of their art in person until the April Fools’ showcase at Dream Lab in 2022. At that show, Whitney’s painting was my favorite. I was actually pretty disappointed that the piece was not for sale! However, Whitney’s contributions to the 30 x 30 x 30 exhibition are not only for sale, but yet again, they are my favorite. Whitney’s work has shifted my worldview; they have a way of creating distinct works of art that bury into a viewer’s heart and mind. I know that sounds incredibly dramatic, but honestly, I have not stopped thinking about this collection since I viewed it last weekend. I don’t say this next part lightly, but these tiny wooden boxes, each filled with a different scene inspired by “the long-standing tradition of Dia de los Muertos,” made me feel very grateful to be alive. I loved seeing these slices of life, these memories, these nods to the mundane moments of life in color and on display. I also was geeked to know I could take a piece of this home with me once the show concludes.
To conclude, 30 x 30 x 30 is one of the many ways Milwaukee artists can be showcased and celebrated in the city. The opening reception, nested in another tradition such as Gallery Night MKE, was another moment that solidified my appreciation and adoration of not only my hometown, but the people who make it special, colorful, and riveting.

30 x 30 x 30 is on display at Var Gallery on S. 2nd Street until Sunday, June 2nd, 2024. You can check out all works, including what is still available for purchase, here!