As part of a recently announced $6 million makeover, the owners of Schlitz Park are seeking an artist to paint a huge mural on the side of the former brewery and current office park’s power plant.
The towering 10,000-square-foot space will be visible along the Milwaukee River from Downtown.
Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, the Downtown Placemaking Task Force and Schlitz Park owners Crestlight Capital have issued a call for concepts from artists for the new mural to be installed on the 80-foot-wide by120-foot-high south-facing façade of the former Schlitz Brewing powerhouse.
The goal is to create a mural that, "create(s) a timeless reflection of the city’s rich brewing heritage," according to a press release issued Tuesday.
"The mural will complement the vision for the Schlitz Park campus, with current improvements including renovations to interior lobbies, common areas and amenities, renewed activation along the Milwaukee River, and a new pedestrian plaza connecting buildings at the heart of campus."
Interested artists can find the RFP details at milwaukeedowntown.com/art, and can submit proposals until Tuesday, Sept. 15 by emailing them to Gabriel Yeager, Downtown Environment Specialist for Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21, at gyeager@milwaukeedowntown.com.
The selected artist will be awarded $50,000 to execute the mural.
(PHOTO: RINKA)
"Public art is flourishing in downtown Milwaukee and we’re excited to add another piece to our collection before year-end," said Beth Weirick, CEO of Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21.
"The Schlitz Park canvas will be our largest mural commissioned yet and is the perfect space to celebrate the rich, storied history of Milwaukee and Schlitz Park."
The new mural will replace the current one, which features the Schlitz Park logo.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
