MILWAUKEE — Patterns of Meaning: The Art of Industry by Cory Bonnet is a first of its kind exhibition that will be open to the public on Friday, January 19th, 2024. I had a chance to get a sneak preview and speak with the artist.
These works of art blend historic steel mill artifacts with painting and sculpture to create art with a meaningful historical background.
“When they were created, they weren't looked at as art, but as the years have passed, we have an appreciation for anything that has that human touch and is hand built. The more I look at them, the more incredible I think the whole collection is as far as some beautiful objects,” said Cory.
He went on to say, “We pair them with contemporary artwork, either representational or traditional, doing abstract paintings that mix and accentuate the patterns. We have glass, ceramics and woodworking, and all these things combined are playing off of and elevating each other.”
The majority of the pieces are from the late 1890s and early 1900s. Seeing art where others saw scraps, Cory salvaged the collection of artifacts that had been mothballed and stored away in a barn for the last 40 years.
The exhibition, which includes 22 pieces, is the collaborative effort of several artists all with a passion to preserve and re-purpose the past into relevant works of art for today. Cory’s hope is that the craftsmanship of the original pieces will inspire a new generation of crafts people.
Grohmann Museum Director, James Kieselburg says “The Grohmann is a very unique museum, we're one of the few, if not the only, that deal specifically with the art of industry and human achievements. So, this exhibit fits like a hand in a glove, it's the perfect complement for what we do.”
The exhibition runs through April 27th. Learn more here.
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