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 Jim Toth creates a unique collection of works to complement each Next Act production.
Inspired
The art of Erico Ortiz and Carol Glaser
We are a nation of immigrants, and the arts reflect and embrace that reality. Artists are influenced and inspired by the rich multi-cultural tapestry that has evolved into the diverse and inclusive world of American creative expression. Our featured artists, Erico Ortiz and Carol Glaser, emulate different aspects of this dynamic.
Erico Ortiz, owner and founder of Inspiration Studios in West Allis, came to painting after retiring from a rewarding career as an MPS Spanish teacher and administrator. His expressive works have an open, emotional impact that reflects his Puerto Rican heritage.
ERICO ORTIZ – Artist’s Statement
In 1998, a study leave immersed me in art education courses at UW-Milwaukee. While this was not the traditional studio coursework that a budding artist would undertake, I learned the value of critical thinking and problem-solving as they relate to educating students in the arts. After years of rather humble artistic endeavors, my retirement from the Milwaukee Public Schools in 2011 provided the opportunity I needed to explore visual arts as never before. I began to paint! I realized that inspiration was all around me—in people and places, sights and sounds, music and movies. What began as a hobby has become a way of viewing the world and expressing my mind’s eye on canvas.
BIO: Erico Ortiz was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico in 1955. He earned his undergraduate degree at Marquette University (Spanish Education) and a Masters Degree from UW-Milwaukee (Administrative Leadership). Erico taught Spanish for ten years and then became a school administrator, working at several Milwaukee Public Schools until retiring in 2011. He has worked with several community theatre companies, both on stage and behind the scenes, something he still enjoys today. In 2014, he opened Inspiration Studios, a small art gallery and performance venue in downtown West Allis that he owns and manages. Erico’s life is all about the arts!
Carol Glaser, a mostly self-taught, Milwaukee-based collage artist has found inspiration in the power of African patterns and figures. Her bold and meticulous compositions have a respectful, cross-cultural energy.
CAROL GLASER – Artist’s Statement
I’ve always been an eclectic person. Without feeling constrained by a style, I channel my emotions, love of texture and color into my creative ventures. In my early years, I was deeply moved by Dorothea Lange and Diane Arbus and their ability to tell a story with their photography. As time went on, I fell in love with the vibrancy of African and Mexican design. My connection led me to create what I call my spirit dolls that are built onto tree branches and wrapped in an assortment of textiles adorned with wire, beads, and botanicals. They represent a spirit of joy, of hope, of inner peace.
My journey continued when I was inspired by a woman’s torn paper art works. I began working with assorted papers, cutting, shaping and layering them into collage pieces. I quickly discovered that a plan was required to figure out which pieces needed to be placed first, then next and next. With some collage works numbering near one hundred pieces of paper, planning was paramount. So it has been a marriage of left and right brain coming together in an artistic endeavor.
My hope is that you see a piece of my work that speaks to you, that draws you closer.
As is the case with all art, their colorful, uplifting work is best experienced in person. All are invited and encouraged to take a closer look during the run of SANCTUARY CITY.
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 local artists whose work complements our productions and enriches our patrons’ theatre experiences. He is especially pleased when the art and the play seem to have been meant for each other, as with Michael Andrysczyk’s detailed drawings of winter scenes paired with ALMOST, MAINE and Coree Coppinger’s powerful black and white photographs of MMA fighters paired with THE ELABORATE ENTRANCE OF CHAD DEITY. 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 who has show his sculpture at numerous art fairs including MAM’s Lakefront Festival of Arts and in many small group and gallery exhibitions. Jim and his wife Karen are long-time residents of Bay View.