Your overall theatre experience is expanded with art exhibits in our lobby gallery. Be sure to check out the beautiful work of these visual artists on your next trip to Next Act.
Curator James Toth creates a unique collection of works to complement each Next Act production.
Someone, Somewhere
The Paintings of Mohammad N. ElBsat
February 12 – March 9, 2025
Curated by James Toth
The characters in THE CHILDREN are faced with the existential dilemma that because we are free, we are also inherently responsible. Their struggle to accept or reject their responsibility for past and future actions is a stark and potentially lonely condition that is reflected in the paintings of our featured artist, Mohammad N. ElBsat.
Through his use of layered, contrasting colors and textures with embedded human figures, his work captures the depth and fragility of the human condition in all its ambiguity. Sometimes bold and hopeful, other times muted with almost hidden figures, his large canvases engage the viewer in unexpected ways. In his words: “My aim is to evoke a personal and emotional response, encouraging introspection and empathy.” The answers to our existential struggles are rarely black and white, nor is the art of ElBsat.
James Toth
Volunteer Gallery Curator
Mohammad N. ElBsat is a Milwaukee-based artist, actor and engineer originally from Saida, Lebanon who has a special relationship with Next Act Theatre. Behind the scenes he serves on its Board of Directors and on stage he has appeared in a number of Next Act Theatre productions as well as with many other Milwaukee theatre companies. By day he applies his 2012 Marquette University Ph.D in Electrical Engineering to the field of energy optimization in which he holds several engineering patents.
Exhibit Hours
The art exhibit opens Wednesday, February 12, and is open to the public Monday through Friday, noon to 5 pm, and prior to the start of any performance.
Additional Information
About The Children
James Toth is a retired art educator, now in his tenth season as Next Act’s volunteer gallery curator. Since the 2014-15 season, Jim has been curating and installing art exhibits for Next Act’s lobby gallery. Drawing on his connections as an artist and retired art educator, he has brought in a wide variety of artists whose work complements our productions and enriches our patrons’ theatre experiences. Jim is especially pleased when the art and the play seem to have been meant for each other, as with ARTERYink’s organ-oriented designs and the heart transplant theme of Sean Grennan’s THE TIN WOMAN. Before retiring, Jim had a two-career history, first as an Art Teacher and K-12 Art Coordinator for the South Milwaukee School District and then as the Director of Exhibits for the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum. In addition to his volunteer work for Next Act, he serves on the board for the Milwaukee Area Teachers of Art and as President of the south side community choir Cantare Chorale. He is also an artist whose carved cement sculptures have been in numerous group shows over the years, most recently at MIAD this September. Jim and his wife Karen are long-time residents of Bay View.