Near West Side Partners announced today that an art installation of more than 1,500 ceramic medallions will be installed on the fence of the former Wisconsin Avenue Elementary School, 2708 W. Wisconsin Ave., soon to be converted by the owner of the Ambassador into a new hotel, on Friday, April 26.
The work, called "Voices of the City," will be installed by artists, Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD) students, volunteers from more than 20 neighborhood organizations and West Side residents at 2:30 p.m.
It is described as "a collection of tiled works that will beautify the neighborhood and pass along messages of love, courage and hope."
The artists who designed the work are part of the 26th Street Project, which aims to create change via art and community-based projects.
Read about the history of the former school here.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
