In January 2024, the Warehouse Art Museum at Guardian Fine Art Services, 1635 W. St. Paul Ave., in the Menomonee Valley announced it was closing in preparation for a move.
Now, it has been announced that the museum – which was to move to an undisclosed location, with no solid re-opening date – will not reopen as a physical venue.
"After thoughtful consideration over many months, we are announcing that the Warehouse Art Museum will not reopen its doors as a physical space," noted an email sent Monday.
"Instead, WAM will transition into a collaborative role with other established institutions in Wisconsin and elsewhere."
The museum was opened in December 2018 by artist Jan Serr and her husband John Shannon was the only private museum in the city that focused on modern and contemporary art.
"The five-year history of WAM is rich with unforgettable exhibitions, unique collaborations, and profound community connections," the emailed statement said. "Every visitor, artist, academic, curator and staff member contributed immeasurably to this remarkable journey.
"At WAM, Serr & Shannon practiced what they believe and live, that all the arts are connected – the visual, performing, and literary arts."
What the future looks like for the Warehouse Art Museum is unclear at the moment.
'While this chapter of a physical space closes, we see this not as a goodbye, but a see you later," noted the statement.
"Our collection and past exhibitions will remain accessible online at WAMmke.org, preserving the legacy of our work. Furthermore, The Serr & Shannon Collection will continue to be available for institutional loans and academic research; interested parties should contact info@thewarehousemke.org."
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. A fifth collects Urban Spelunking articles about breweries and maltsters.
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 been heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
