Gallery Night and Day Oct. 16 and 17, 2015

 Filmmaker brings the story of the blues to the gallery St. Louis filmmaker Patrick Branson will talk about his new documentary “America’s Blues” at 2 p.m. on Gallery Day. He will show clips from the film and participate in a panel discussion about the blues. “America's Blues” is a feature length documentary that explores the tremendous impact that blues music has had on our society, popular culture, and the entertainment industry. This film not only honors blues music and musicians by showing how it has impacted every form of popular American music, but also the influence it has had on art, literature, film, fashion, sexuality and more. Through interviews with musicians, historians, professionals and activists, a compelling story of the music's significant historical contribution unfolds. Also on the panel will be Milwaukee blues musicians Pierre "Honey Boy" Lee, Misha Siegfried, and Steve Cohen of the Leroy Airmaster band and Sonia of "The Blues Drive" / WMSE 91.7. Blues to the Rescue A photo exhibit of blues musicians by the Blues to the Rescue project is on exhibit on the gallery’s portable wall. Above is the great blues musician Junior Wells. A screening of America’s Blues will take place later in the day, at 6:30 p.m., at the Wisconsin African American Women’s Center, 3020 W Vliet St., Milwaukee. The doors will open at 6 p.m. The Leroy Airmaster band will perform at 8 p.m Screening of documentary at women’s center Ayzha Fine Arts Gallery & Bouque sells original mulcultural art work as well as prints, cards, jewelry and organic hair products. Gallery Night & Day Oct. 16 & 17, 2015 AFRO BLUE: An exhibit curated by Ras Ammar Nsoroma Musings Within the Rhythms of the African Aesthetic Artists: George Gist of Pittsburgh; Zeina Fawaz of Ghana; Francis Annan Affotey, Ghanaian turned Milwaukeean, and Muneer Bahauddeen, Scott Pollard and Ras Ammar Nsoroma, all of Milwaukee “Ogun” by Ras Ammar Nsorona Filmmaker Patrick Branson will talk about his documentary with blues musicians and a blues DJ Native American: Ghost Feast A Project Room exhibit by José DeHoyos Also: ♦ Jazz & blues photography by Richard Allen ♦ Drawings & a painting by Janice Dicks ♦ Paintings by Ariana Sprewer ♦ Blues photographs by the Blues to the Rescue project AFRO BLUE: Musings Within the Rhythms of the African Aesthetic At first glance the exhibition title may lead you to think that this show's about music. But I ask you to look deeper. Like music rhythm is also an element within visual art. Within a visual context rhythm is the repetition or alternation of elements, often with defined intervals between them. Rhythm can create a sense of movement, and can establish pattern and texture. There are many different kinds of rhythm, often defined by the feeling something evokes when viewed. For example; a flowing rhythm gives a sense of movement, and is often more organic in nature. As for African rhythm it brings its own unique energy, spirit. Léopold Sedal Sénghor‘s 1939 essay Ce que l’homme noir apporte, defines “rhythm being at the center of Africa’s system of thought and experience, influencing the continent and diaspora’s cultural production." One of the energies African rhythm brings with it is a sense of being cool or "Itutu." Itutu, which literally translates as "cool" from the Yoruba language, has been used by the Yoruba and more recently by Africanist art historians to describe the aesthetic that characterizes much Yoruba and some African- diasporic art. It’s a spiritually calm energy, it’s a mystical coolness. According to the Yoruba if you are one who is aware you are said to possess Itutu. The color which is associated with Itutu is always blue. Robert Farris Thompson of Yale asserts that Itutu is the origin of American cool. His 1973 article An Aesthetic of the Cool traces Itutu from the Yoruba to several other African civilizations and finally to the Americas, where the descendants of Africans perpetuate the importance of being cool. It's an energy that pervades our, walk, music, art, state of being. Of course the color blue and coolness are only a jumping off point that describes an aesthetic, the artists or their works are not limited to this so involves a full range of the African palette and temperament. Afro- Blue, like the tune represents a state of mind, a dance, a love affair, a longing for the ancestral home. It's more about a feeling, an energy, a spirit received and utilized. The artists are fully aware, in control, inspired and driven by the rhythm of an African aesthetic and consequently invites the viewer to join and be moved.  Native American: Ghost Feast Jose DeHoyos is an artist in residence at Ayzha Fine Arts. His installation in the Project Room observes the Native American version of the Day of the Dead.  Broken Ariana Sprewer is a young promising artist and an intern at Ayzha Fine Arts. She attends MATC and plans to study art. This work is an acrylic on paper Native American: Ghost Feast Jose DeHoyos is an artist in residence at Ayzha Fine Arts. His installation in the Project Room observes the Native American version of the Day of the Dead. A Jazz Artist Richard Allen is a widely exhibited photographer and painter. This work is an example of his jazz photography. The Rhythm Mother & Child Janice Dicks is a longtime Milwaukee artist. This piece is an example of her Madonna and Child series  Afro Blue artists Muneer Bahauddeen is a nationally recognized ceramicist and muralist. He specializes in public works projects throughout the Milwaukee area and creates visually inviting community spaces. Leopard in De Grass Cuban architecture Photographer Scott Pollard is widely collected. He has works at Froedtert Hospital, the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, UW-Madison, Northern Illinois University, just to name a few venues. This work is an example of his digitally manipulated photography. George Gist of Pittsburgh, an artist for more than 40 years., often puts African symbols in his works. He is also a jazz musician. This painting , an oil on canvas, is from the collection of Clayborn Benson of the Wisconsin Historical Society Detroit Labor Francis Annan Affotey is a brilliant and prolific painter, who of late has produced wearable art. This new work, acrylic on canvas, is an example of his unique brand of pointilism. He hails from Zeina Fawaz of Ghana makes colorful purses usually out of beads. 

 PANEL TO DISCUSS MAKING FATHERHOOD WORK How do you make fatherhood work in an era of small paychecks? A panel will take up that and other fatherhood questions from 3 to 5 p.m. this Saturday, April 13, at Ayzha Fine Arts. The panel discussion comes the weekend before the Father’s Day weekend. One panelist, educator Edie Adekunle-Wilson, will read excerpts from her upbeat book Celebrating Good Black Men: Granddad, Greats & Dad. She will sign books after the discussion. The panel will also include Al Holmes, president/CEO of My Father’s House, which is dedicated to helping men become better fathers, and Frank Wilson, a just-retired sociology professor at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee and Adekunle-Wilson’s husband. Others, including one or two young dads, will be on the panel, too. Moderator will be Liddie Collins, a producer and on-air personality at Channels 10/36. The steady decline of well-paying jobs, particularly in communities of color, has had an eroding impact on the institution of fatherhood. Yet, the need for involved dads has not lessened. So how is this dilemma to be handled? Panelists will explore that issue. Street parking is free on Saturdays, with a two-hour limit. Grand Avenue mall parking is at a reduced rate of $1 an hour for up to three hours if you make a $5 purchase and get a sticker attached to your receipt. (If you park longer than three hours, there is no reduced rate for any of the time.) Our doors will be open to armed forces veterans from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20, for a mask painting. Artist José DeHoyos, who served in the Marines during Iraq War I, will lead the project. DeHoyos is an art intern at Ayzha Fine Arts. Mask painting has been considered a form of therapy for those who have dealt with a life-changing or traumatic event, according to DeHoyos, who is studying counseling at the Milwaukee Area Technical College. The painting is to raise awareness of veteran suicides due to post-traumatic stress disorder and of veterans who are dealing with difficult situations. The event also serves the purpose of having fun. Supplies will be furnished. Wear something you won’t mind getting paint on. Refreshments will be served. And finished masks will go on display at the gallery. There is no cost, but donations will be kindly accepted. The money will go to the cost of materials and veteran suicide prevention efforts. 

 Gallery Night & Day to feature radio talk, migrant workers, &“Weezy” Radio talker Wanda Williams will be the centerpiece of a live conceptual installation on Gallery Night & Day this Friday and Saturday. Also to be unveiled is an exhibit on migrant workers by artist José DeHoyos and framed prints of three works by the late Milwaukee artist Lester Kern. Gallery Night will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 17. Gallery Day will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18. On Gallery Night & Day, art patrons hop from gallery to gallery in Milwaukee. But if you’re not in a hopping mood, feel free to stay put at Ayzha Fine Arts. The installation is titled “Wanda the Producer.” Wanda, who had a talk show on WNOV radio, will put questions to the audience on issues affecting Milwaukee. The installation is a precursor to an Internet talk radio show Wanda will host at the gallery. José’s exhibit consists of both photographs and paintings of migrant workers. José, a photographer and visual artist, is an honor student at the Milwaukee Area Technical College, a Marine veteran and an art intern at Ayzha Fine Arts. Kern pioneered religious art showing God’s helping hand in human lives and he drew a nationally syndicated cartoon titled “Lester’s World” for the Milwaukee Community Journal. We will have on exhibit two portraits – one a fine photograph, the other an oil painting – of the late Isabel Sanford, who played Louise “Weezy” Jefferson on “The Jeffersons” TV show. The portraits come from the Sanford estate in Atlanta. Also on exhibit will be works by Nicole Faye, Kevin Boatright, Francis Annan Affotey, Janice Dicks, Eunice Hanson, Michael Paulson, Shania Ariana Sprewer and Brandon Pettis. Also on Gallery Night we will say farewell to Burnetta “Dr. Bee” Thomas, a dear friend of the gallery who will be moving to the West Coast. Artists will talk about their works at 7 p.m. Friday, and refreshments will be served. A conversation with Dr. Howard Fuller Dr. Howard Fuller – basketball star turned black-power militant turned Milwaukee school superintendent turned school-choice advocate – will chat about his autobiography No Struggle, No Progress on Saturday, May 2 at Ayzha Fine Arts. From 3 to 4 p.m., he will engage in a conversation about the book with veteran Milwaukee journalist Gregory Stanford and members of the audience. He will sign purchased copies from 4 to 4:30 p.m. This breezy, insightful, revealing book is a must read for students of Milwaukee and of the nation’s black struggle for freedom and for both friends and foes of school choice. Copies of the book are available at Ayzha Fine Arts. Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

 Easter “egg” paint party at gallery Artist Kevin Boatright will lead an Easter “egg” paint party from noon to 6 p.m. April 3 and 4 – the Friday and Saturday of the Easter weekend – at Ayzha Fine Arts. The party is for children and adults alike. We furnish the supplies. The cost to participate is $2 an “egg” – actually, a lightweight acrylic oval that looks like the real thing. No, you can’t eat these eggs, but on the plus side, they won’t rot in your Easter basket and start stinking and have to be thrown away. You can display your eggy artwork forever. Kevin is artist in residence and artist coordinator at Ayzha Fine Arts. Bring yourself and/or your family to the gallery for a new fun way to observe the prelude to Easter. New works to be unveiled on Gallery Night & Day The quarterly Gallery Night & Day will run from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 17, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at Ayzha Fine Arts. We will have on exhibit two portraits – one a fine photograph, the other an oil painting – of the late Isabel Sanford, who played George Jefferson’s wife Weezy on “The Jeffersons” TV show. The portraits come from the Sanford estate in Atlanta. Gallery artists Francis Annan Affotey, Kevin Boatright and José DeHoyos will debut new works. There will also be works by others to be announced. On Gallery Night & Day, art patrons hop from gallery to gallery in Milwaukee. But if you’re not in a hopping mood, feel free to stay put at Ayzha Fine Arts. We observe the event with the unveiling of new works, artist talks and refreshments – which are all free. A conversation with Dr. Howard Fuller Dr. Howard Fuller – basketball star turned black-power militant turned Milwaukee school superintendent turned school-choice advocate – will chat about his autobiography No Struggle, No Progress on Saturday, May 2 at Ayzha Fine Arts. From 3 to 4 p.m., he will engage in a conversation about the book with veteran Milwaukee journalist Gregory Stanford and members of the audience. He will sign purchased copies from 4 to 4:30 p.m. This breezy, insightful, revealing book is a must read for students of Milwaukee and of the nation’s black struggle for freedom and for both friends and foes of school choice. Copies of the book are on the way to Ayzha Fine Arts and may arrive by the end of next week. We have already sold the two copies we had on hand. Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

 JAMES DALLAS EXHIBIT OPENS SUNDAY An exhibit of digital works by Milwaukee artist James Dallas will open from 3 to 6 p.m. this Sunday, Dec. 28, at Ayzha Fine Arts Gallery & Boutique. James will be on hand to talk about his computer-created, surrealistic works, which exude religious meaning. The exhibit, titled “Dayscapes,” consists of eight works, which will hang on the gallery’s movable wall. “Dayscapes” is itself part of a series James calls “The Invisible Projects.” The visual artist doubles as a jazz musician, and he will perform solo at the opening. The event is the gallery’s way of observing Ujima, the third day of Kwanzaa. “Ujima” means collective work and responsibility and the idea is to work together to build our community. Admission is free. On Sundays street parking is likewise free, and with no time limits. Refreshments will be available at the opening. The exhibit will continue until Jan. 28. 

 Siblings Shamika and Ronnie wind up unintentionally exploring the depths of West Wisconsin Avenue in “Mr. Lee’s Super-Fabulous Emporium,” a sci-fi radio play, which will be performed at 6:15 p.m. this Wednesday outside at 4th & Wisconsin. The play is the centerpiece of this month’s open-air “On the Avenue” radio show put on by Ayzha Fine Arts Gallery & Boutique. The playwright is Greg Stanford, a veteran, award-winning journalist who has detoured into creative writing. The 40-minute play raises the specter of throwaway downtowns. A panel of experts will respond to the issues raised by the play. “On the Avenue” will run from 5 to 10 p.m. and will include, besides the radio play and reaction panel, a poetry slam, live music and an artist interview. In the event of inclement weather, the radio show will be held indoors. The link to the live broadcast will be found at AyzhaFineArts.com. It will be available only while the show is running. Afterward, a podcast of the show will be available. The radio show is being held in conjunction with NeWaukee's Night Market, which features vendors at booths along with entertainment. Ayzha Fine Arts will have a booth at the marketplace. 

 AFFOTEY COMES TO AMERICA GHANA ARTIST WILL BE FEATURED ON GALLERY NIGHT; MASTER PAINTER WILL LEAD SALSA DANCING Ghana artist Francis Annan Affotey, whose works have been featured at Ayzha Fine Arts from the start, has come to America – specifically, to Milwaukee – and he will be the featured artist on Gallery Night and Day this Friday and Saturday, July 25 and 26. New works of his will be on exhibit, and he will talk about his art at 6 p.m. Friday. The master artist also happens to be a master salsa dancer, and he will give free salsa lessons. And from 7 to 8, there will be a salsa party. Also on Gallery Night, artists Kevin Boatright and Dana Patillo will do a live painting. Another exhibit will feature works by artists from the National Association of Black and White Men Together, which recently held its convention in Milwaukee. Gallery Night will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Gallery Day will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Francis Annan will be on hand both days. Art patrons hop from gallery to gallery in Milwaukee on Gallery Night and Day. But if you’re not in a hopping mood, you can feel free to stay put at Ayzha Fine Arts. RADIO SHOW A SMASH HIT Our first outdoor radio show, “On the Avenue,” streamed live from 4th and Wisconsin, on Wednesday, July 16. Wisconsin Avenue was blocked off, between 4th and 5th Sts. And our radio set was right in the roadway, by 4th. It featured live music, an open mic session, salsa dancing led by Francis Annan Affotey and a panel discussion on “Wisconsin Avenue: Past, Present and Future” The show was a hit with the live audience. You can replay the panel discussion, an envigorating assessment of Milwaukee’s main street from a variety of perspectives, at ayzhafinearts.com or newaukee.com. We will do this again from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 13, 2014. The show coincides with Newaukee’s Night Market, which feature booths from merchants, including Ayzha Fine Arts. MEMENTO OF MADISON PROTEST Remember the Rotunda! Ayzha Fine Arts has available 24 x 18 inch photographic posters showing the 2011 protest inside the Capitol rotunda over Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's proposal to strip public unions of most of their powers. The poster is a memento of a historic event. 

 venue – Past, Present & Future” – will run from 6 to 7 p.m. and will feature local historian John Gurda, Westown Association official Claude Krawczyk, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee architectural professor Arijit Sen, Business Council member Marjorie Rucker and lawyer Nicole Robbins. The moderator will be Mark Siegrist of Channels 10/36. An open mic will be held from 7 to 7:30 p.m. Taking place the rest of the time will be artist interviews, live music, poetry readings, and a skit. The grand finale, starting at 8:15 p.m., will be salsa dancing led by Francis Annan Affotey, an Ayzha Fine Arts artist who recently emigrated from Accra, Ghana to Milwaukee and who happens to be a master salsa dancer. “On the Avenue” Gallery to stream outdoor radio show Wednesday Open mic, live music, salsa dancing, artist interviews and a panel discussion will make up a radio show that will be streamed live this Wednesday, July 16, from 4th Street and Wisconsin Avenue outdoors. The show, dubbed “On the Avenue,” will feature a live audience. Ayzha Fine Arts Gallery & Boutique is putting on the event with the help of a grant from the Greater Milwaukee Committee’s Creative Trails project. A temporary studio will be set up outside the Wisconsin Center, which is kitty corner from the Shops of Grand Avenue, the home of Ayzha Fine Arts. The studio includes audience seating, which will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The radio show will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and will be streamed over the Internet. A link to the show will be available at ayzhafinearts.com. The radio show will coincide with Newaukee’s Night Market, which will feature booths with a variety of vendors in the parking lot on the south side of Wisconsin Avenue, between 4th and 5th Streets. Ayzha Fine Arts will have a booth at that event. Both “On the Avenue” and the Night Market are designed to highlight Wisconsin Avenue. Besides this coming Wedneday, both events are slated to take place again, on Aug. 13, Sept. 17 and Oct. 15, all Wednesdays. The panel discussion – titled “Wisconsin A So come on down to the avenue and have fun on Internet radio! Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

 An explosion of new art on Gallery Night & Day Ayzha Fine Arts will be busting at the seams with recently completed art by masters of their craft this Friday and Saturday, which is Gallery Night & Day. The artists will be on hand to talk about their works. Gallery Night will run from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday; Gallery Day will run from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. A program will take place from 7 to 8:30 Friday. The program will feature talks by artists and entertainment by vocalists Terrell Lewis and Berdina Howard and emcee Michael Carter. GalleryNight & Day has grown into a Milwaukee tradition. The idea is for art patrons to hop from gallery to gallery. If you’re not in a hopping mood, that’s OK. You can just spend the time at Ayzha Fine Arts. The new art: A festival in Tremé – a New Orleans neighborhood regarded as the nation’s oldest black neighborhood – through the lens of Milwaukee photographer Craig Felix. Black genocide paintings by expressionist Patricia Obletz, a leading Milwaukee artist. Acrylic and charcoal paintings by young sensation Jill Schweiss of Menomonee Falls More eye-popping oils by realist Asieh Amiri-Hoffman, now of Madison Mind-bending conceptual works by Maggie Sasso, Kevin Boatright and DaLaMar, all of Milwaukee. Paintings by Johnny Walker III, who’s making his debut as an exhibitor. Comic drawings by Charles Ballard Jr. Jewelry by lapidarian A.J. von Tauffkirchen Preview of a movie still in the works by filmmaker Ralph Littlefield. Also on display will be the works of photographer Marvin Wells and painters Francis Annan Affotey, wood sculptor Djam Vivie, Albin Erhart, Marlon Banks, Tunde Afalayan Famous, Mark Buku and Damon Hendricks. Both admission and refreshments are free. The refreshments will feature a spread developed by Andrea George of Rapid Gourmet. Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. 

 Artist to explain how he paints in tongues Spontaneous expressionism will be on display at AYZHA FINE ARTS GALLERY & BOUTIQUE on Saturday, Dec. 14. The art show features the works of Waukesha-based artist Albin Erhart and is titled Like Speaking in Tongues. Playful splashes of color mark Albin’s works. He says: “I talk with paint and a good portion of my work is done being out of my mind, uttering mysteries with my spirit, speaking to God.” Albin will talk about his art at 2 p.m. Saturday A self-taught artist, Albin has developed a colorful style that reflects out-of-the box creativity. He was born in south Germany, and his work has been inspired by his life there and in the United States. His art has been exhibited in a number of international and local shows. Photographer Al Brown to talk about his 2014 Calendar of Numbers Milwaukee photographer Al Brown’s 2014 Calendar of Numbers is off the presses, and he will talk about it after Albin’s talk Saturday, Dec. 14. Al may be the only photographer in the whole world who travels the land in search of numerals in the human environment. He uses the numbers as dates in his calendar. For instance in his 1913 calendar, “Engine 1 Central” on a Honolulu fire truck marked April 1. The 2014 calendar, his fifteenth, is a collector’s item. The calendar serves as a portfolio of Al’s splendid photography. Shop at AYZHA FINE ARTS for Christmas You can count on AYZHA FINE ARTS for unique Christmas, Kwanzaa and holiday cards. We get them directly from artists. We also carry boxed holiday cards and gift wrap by master artists. Our decks of Knowledge Cards on a wide range of topics – from physics to African-American history – make excellent stocking stuffers for young and old learners. And check out our calendars, jigsaw puzzles and coloring books – all with works of master artists. Portraits a way to preserve memories elegantly Noted portrait painter Ras Ammar Nsoroma is available to do portraits at AYZHA FINE ARTS. Ammar’s most viewed work may be the Joshua Glover relief on the Fond du Lac Avenue freeway underpass. Another work of his recently hung in the Milwaukee Art Museum as part of the Wisconsin 30 exhibition. A portrait would make a heart-warming, one-of-a-kind Christmas present. Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Yuletide Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; S 

 Support AYZHA FINE ARTS at City Hall Tuesday AYZHA FINE ARTS GALLERY & BOUTIQUE is one of 12 finalists for a public arts project on W. Wisconsin Ave. (See story in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The gallery is not mentioned, but owner Cynthia Henry is.) The idea of the grant is to highlight through art the promise of what is Milwaukee’s Main Street. All told, 167 proposals were submitted. Two to four proposals will get funding. Art Milwaukee is running the contest as part of its Creative Trails project. Each of the finalists will make a four-minute public pitch for their proposal at City Hall from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 10. The audience will get to vote on their favorite. So please come on down and give us your support. The AYZHA FINE ARTS proposal is called “Artists Unleashed.” The idea is to unleash onto Wisconsin Avenue the creativity now confined to the gallery. The centerpiece of the gallery’s proposal is a two-day around-the-clock radio show with a live audience under a tent in June. The radio show would feature interviews, panel discussions, story-telling, a 30-minute play, skits, live music and a soundscape of the avenue through history. The subject matter for the radio show would be mostly Wisconsin Avenue. Art work would be on display for the live audience. Other ideas include an artist-designed costume fashion show, artist-led painting sessions for children and others, the design of large chalk boards on which the public is invited to put their thoughts about the street and live painting, including live portraits. Located as it is in a mall that fronts the avenue, AYZHA FINE ARTS is intimately familiar with the strengths and challenges of Wisconsin Avenue. Artist to explain how he paints in tongues Spontaneous expressionism will be on display at AYZHA FINE ARTS GALLERY & BOUTIQUE on Saturday, Dec. 14. The art show features the works of Waukesha-based artist Albin Erhart and is titled Like Speaking in Tongues. Playful splashes of color mark Albin’s works. He says: “I talk with paint and a good portion of my work is done being out of my mind, uttering mysteries with my spirit, speaking to God.” Albin will talk about his art at 2 p.m. Saturday A self-taught artist, Albin has developed a colorful style that reflects out-of-the box creativity. He was born in south Germany, and his work has been inspired by his life there and in the United States. His art has been exhibited in a number of international and local shows. Photographer Al Brown to talk about his 2014 Calendar of Numbers Milwaukee photographer Al Brown’s 2014 Calendar of Numbers is off the presses, and he will . talk about it after Albin’s talk Saturday, Dec. 14. Al may be the only photographer in the whole world who travels the land in search of numerals in the human environment. He uses the numbers as dates in his calendar. For instance in his 1913 calendar, “Engine 1 Central” on a Honolulu fire truck marked April 1. The 2014 calendar, his fifteenth, is a collector’s item. The calendar serves as a portfolio of Al’s splendid photography. Shop at AYZHA FINE ARTS for Christmas You can count on AYZHA FINE ARTS for unique Christmas, Kwanzaa and holiday cards. We get them directly from artists. We also carry boxed holiday cards and gift wrap by master artists. Our decks of Knowledge Cards on a wide range of topics – from physics to African-American history – make excellent stocking stuffers for young and old learners. And check out our calendars, jigsaw puzzles and coloring books – all with works of master artists. Portraits a way to preserve memories elegantly Noted portrait painter Ras Ammar Nsoroma is available to do portraits at AYZHA FINE ARTS. Ammar’s most viewed work may be the Joshua Glover relief on the Fond du Lac Avenue freeway underpass. Another work of his recently hung in the Milwaukee Art Museum as part of the Wisconsin 30 exhibition. A portrait would make a heart-warming, one-of-a-kind Christmas present. Original, multicultural artwork from local, national and global artists for sale. Also, unique cards, books, prints, jewelry, calendars, organic hair products. Yuletide Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Closed Christmas Day. You are receiving this e-newsletter because you indicated you wanted to get updates on AYZHA FINE ARTS. If you wish to be taken off our mailing list, please say so in a reply to this e-mail. Thanks. 

 All manner of activities this Gallery Night & Day Chicago abstract photographer to exhibit Chicago-based fine arts photographer Marvin Wells will be the featured artist on Gallery Night & Day this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18 and 19, at AYZHA FINE ARTS GALLERY & BOUTIQUE. Wells’ provocative photography plays with the border between the real and the surreal, the concrete and the abstract. His works are somber and arresting. He is fond of black and white photography - which is what will be on display. The exhibit is titled "Transformations: Cause and Effect." AYZHA FINE ARTS will host Gallery Night from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 and Gallery Day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct 19. Art patrons hop from gallery to gallery in Milwaukee on Gallery Night & Day. Wells will talk about his art at 7 p.m. Friday. We celebrate our one-year anniversary! Gallery Night marks the one-year anniversary of AYZHA FINE ARTS. Help us celebrate with punch, cookies, camaraderie and the joy of art. It's gotten lonelier in our corner of the Grand Avenue since we opened. Stores to our right and left have shuttered. But we're still going strong. And we're depending on you to keep us strong. Young Latino artists will display their works Also on Gallery Night, AYZHA FINE ARTS will feature 15 paintings by young Latinos in "History of Latinos in Waukesha” art project directed by Milwaukee muralist Reynaldo Hernandez, and, drum rolls please, the renowned artist will unveil some of his new works. Milwaukeeans have likely seen Reynaldo's work more than any other local artist, due to his murals on the sides of buildings, including the eagle spotted from Interstate 94 around 6th St. and National Ave. He has been working with young artists on a project to tell through a mural the history of Latinos in Waukesha. The artists will display panels from that work. Al Brown to unveil his 2014 Calendar of Numbers Milwaukee photographer Al Brown scours America for intriguing typefaces of numbers, such as on a fire truck, a street sign or a picket sign, and he uses numbers as dates in the calendar he produces. Al will display the 2014 version of his calendar this Friday and Saturday. And you can sign up to buy the calendar. Artist will sketch portraits Want a portrait of yourself or loved ones? Accomplished Milwaukee artist Ras Ammar Nsoroma will be on hand to sketch portraits on both Friday and Saturday. 

Friday, July 26 Meet and greet the Wisconsin 30 artists at AYZHA FINE ARTS on Gallery Night Please join us for the coming Gallery Night, on Friday, July 26. You will get a double treat: You will meet and greet artists in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Wisconsin 30 exhibition, and you will view our new art show, titled “Living in America.” The Wisconsin 30 exhibition features some of the top African-American artists in the state. It was put together by the Art Museum to accompany its showing of the touring 30 Americans art works, which features some of the top AfricanAmerican artists in the nation. Three of the Wisconsin 30 artists – Christopher McIntyre, Sherman Pitts and Marlon Banks – exhibit at AYZHA FINE ARTS. Many of the Wisconsin 30 artists will be at the AYZHA FINE ARTS reception, which is sponsored by the African American Art Alliance of the Milwaukee Art Museum as well as AYZHA FINE ARTS. Gallery Night also marks the opening of our own “Living in America” exhibition, which will feature some of the region’s top artists as well as intriguing works by emerging artists. Master artists on hand will include painters Marlon Banks of Madison, Damon Hendricks of Chicago, Albin Erhart of Waukesha, and Patricia Obletz, Asieh Amiri and Darlene LaMar, all of Milwaukeee; photographer Marvin Wells of Chicago, sculptor Djam Vivie of Madison and cartoonist Gary Markstein of Waukesha. Artwork by a particularly exceptional emerging artist – Jill Schweiss of Menomonee Falls – will be on display. The artists will give their take on “Living in America.” The combined reception and art show opening will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 26, which is officially Milwaukee’s Gallery Night, when art patrons hop from gallery to gallery. AYZHA FINE ARTS will have refreshments on hand. Our event is free and open to the public. What is there not to like about this? So come on down and join us.