Media Contact
Velia Alvarez
(414) 902-2107
valvarez@milwaukeeballet.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MILWAUKEE BALLET SELECTS MILWAUKEE-AREA ARTIST FOR
FIRST-EVER ART INSTALLATION AT ITS HEADQUARTERS
Artist Stacey Williams-Ng to Create Window Mural for 504 W. National Ave.
MILWAUKEE – August 1, 2013 – Milwaukee Ballet is proud to announce its selection of Mequon-based artist Stacey Williams-Ng to install her original work, depicting movement and dance and helping to tell the story of Milwaukee Ballet, at its home at 504 W. National Avenue, Milwaukee, 53204.
Titled “The Nine Muses,” Williams-Ng’s work will feature nine, 5.5-square canvas paintings, framed in painted wood and suspended in each of nine window panes of the Jodi Peck Center along National Avenue.
“While the selection became a difficult choice, given the breadth and creativity of proposals from Walker’s Point Center for the Arts member-artists, Stacey’s vibrant style and compelling storytelling made her stand out,” explained Milwaukee Ballet Artistic Director Michael Pink.
Williams-Ng’s mural concept is based on the nine muses of classical Greek mythology, and each will represent a different work performed by Milwaukee Ballet.
As an example, one panel of the mural will illustrate Melpomene, the muse of Tragedy, as portrayed by “Swan Lake,” which is the tragic tale of Odette, turned into a swan as the result of an evil curse.
While most of her work will take place at her Mequon studio, Williams-Ng is set to install the panels at Milwaukee Ballet in September 2013, and the mural will be officially welcomed into its space at a dedication ceremony on October 18, 2013, marking Milwaukee Ballet’s first-ever participation in Gallery Night and Day.
“I’m excited and honored to have my work associated with the Milwaukee Ballet,” said Williams-Ng. “I am a huge fan of Milwaukee Ballet — and of ballet in general, as an art form — so this has special significance for me.”
Not only a recognized and respected visual artist, Williams-Ng is a sought-after speaker, panelist and instructor, having served as adjunct faculty at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design as well as contributor to media outlets focusing on the arts.
Milwaukee Ballet worked with Walker’s Point Center for the Arts to call for submissions from Wisconsin artists and to make the final selection.
About Milwaukee Ballet
Founded in 1970, Milwaukee Ballet strives to inspire its audiences to think within and beyond traditional ballet through the presentation of quality performances and the implementation of educational opportunities. Milwaukee Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy are recognized among the top companies in the nation. Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy is the only professional dance school in the Midwest accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance. With an annual operating budget of more than $5.5 million, Milwaukee Ballet presents more than 40 performances to more than 50,000 people each year. Its resident company includes 24 professional dancers along with 20 trainees in the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II Program and is one of the few dance companies in the country to maintain its own symphony orchestra. Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy, the official school of the Ballet, has an enrollment of nearly 1000 students at three locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Milwaukee Ballet’s Community Outreach programs are offered year-round through hands-on workshops, original children’s productions and a student matinee series serving more than 30,000 people each year.
