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.
Layers Upon Layers
The Mixed Media Art of Terry Tayler
April 23 – May 18, 2025
Curated by James Toth
Artistic expression takes many forms. From abstract scratchings on paper to hyper realistic paintings and sculptures, we humans are creatively unrelenting! While I admire, appreciate and even envy the skill shown in very realistic depictions, I find myself drawn to more non-representational, expressive work for its openness to personal interpretation. I also appreciate the creative process of discovery that drives the making of such art. While the realistic painter has a clear vision of their completed piece, the abstract artist is guided by their process with a limited sense of the final result. And so it is with our featured artist Terry Tayler, and with the dramatic acting exercises portrayed in the play CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION by Annie Baker. Both start within a proscribed structure, be it a rectangular canvas or a set of “rules”, but the outcomes for both are unpredictable and often with dramatic personal revelations. I invite you to dive into Terry’s layered compositions to find what he may reveal about himself and perhaps you.
James Toth
Volunteer Gallery Curator
Terrence Tayler is a mixed media artist born and raised in Wauconda, Illinois. He is now currently based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin working on multiple different series in a variety of sizes and mediums. Tayler graduated from The Peck School of the Arts at UWM with a degree in Fine Art and Art History and Criticism.
Exhibit Hours
The art exhibit opens Wednesday, April 23, 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.