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Media Coverage
Hopefully the various articles and reviews about Inspiration Studios will serve as a conduit to the entertainment world. Art lovers, theatre goers, music lovers... all have many options for entertainment in the greater Milwaukee area. It is my hope that once in a while people will travel a little west of the city into the heart of West Allis to enjoy what IS has to offer. And now... the news. 
Art Of Self-Proclaimed Emissary of Light and Love, Opening in West Allis
WEST ALLIS - A collection of exuberant abstract paintings by Rory Pitman of Milwaukee will open Friday, May 4, at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis. His exhibition titled Biological Topography will run to May 27. An opening reception with Pitman is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 6. The reception will be free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. Pitman's art rebels against verbal translation, instead inviting the viewer to transmit and receive emotion without language. “This art is all about emotion. I would ask the viewer to feel the painting more than see it or interpret it, but not to try and feel what I, the artist, was feeling at the time. The art is about how it makes the viewer feel inside, what springs forth from their core, not what I’m trying to convey because there is no conscious intent to make the viewer feel a specific emotion. That said, the vibrancy of color in Biological Topography certainly suggests hope and positivity.” Art meant to bring out emotion is the specialty of artist Rory Pitman. His exuberant work will open at the Inspiration Studios, West Allis, May 4. A reception will be May 6. (Photo: Erico Ortiz/Submited) The 2006 graduate of the University of Arizona, majoring in English and creative writing, Pitman experienced significant life changes that in 2012 triggered an earnest attempt to create art. Pitman’s work explores the abysmal depths of the subconscious mind through abstract line, form and riotous color. Pitman has devoted his mind, body and spirit to spreading the "gospel of art" with fervent word and action. Pitman has exhibited at the Iron Horse Hotel in Milwaukee and Crave Café in Shorewood. The title of this exhibit, Biological Topography, came from viewers’ comments who often remark about his art’s resemblance to biology (cell structure) and aerial images of landscape and ocean. “My artwork is influenced by surrealism, abstract expressionism and graffiti. I make art to survive. I look to Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollack and Helen Frankenthaler for aesthetic inspiration,” he said. In addition to viewing hours during the opening reception, the gallery will be open during Village Playhouse Game Night, 6 to 9 p.m. May 5; Sound Check Studios recital, 7 to 8:30 p.m. May 16; painting parties, 6 to 9 p.m. May 12, and 6:30 to 9 p.m. May 4; and other May events. A closing reception with the artist will take be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 26. For more details, visit the Inspiration Studios website (inspirationstudiosgallery.com) or contact Erico Ortiz at [email protected] or 414-587-3474. Contributed by Erico Ortiz, founder of Inspiration Studios 
Life of impact or glitz, West Allis art exhibit challenges notions of fame
WEST ALLIS — The notion of fame and who really living a life of impact is challenged in the exhibit of painted portraits titled FAMOUS, opening Saturday, Aug. 5, in West Allis. Artist Deb Marett tells the stories, via narrative painted portraits, of 13 people who appear to the casual observer are everyday, normal people, simply going about their work. But by the work they do, the way they live and the people they affect, it is evident that they live lives of intent and impact. They are much more worthy of our attention than many conventional celebrities. “From a neighbor who clears the snow from everyone’s sidewalks in his neighborhood to a biologist who works diligently to save a species of cranes from extinction, this show of beautiful narrative portraits will remind you that there are people from all walks of life around us who are quietly making the world a better place,” says Marett, who has spent over two years creating this series of portraits. The portrait of Diet Eman who is credited with helping save the lives of hundreds of Jews in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is in the exhibit titled FAMOUS opening at Inspiration Studios, West Allis. (Photo: Deb Marett) One example is Diet Eman who is credited with helping save the lives of hundreds of Jews in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Another hero for Marett is Olu Sijuwade, local musician/community activist, who spreads a message of non-violence through his work as a counselor. An opening reception will be held 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 5, at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St. The reception will be free to the public. The exhibit runs through Aug. 27. The artist grew up near the shores of Lake Michigan in a small town which was originally a Dutch settlement. She went to school in upstate New York and stayed there until work brought her to Wisconsin. “The development of a good likeness is a magical process,” she says. “I feel that painting someone’s portrait is a very collaborative, giving act. It may just be me in the studio, but my subjects’ presence and character are always on my mind as I work.” An opportunity to meet and hear presentations from three of Marett’s FAMOUS people will take place 3-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 20. Featured speakers will be Jim Schaap, writer, historian and ghost writer of Diet Eman’s autobiography as a Dutch resistance worker during WWII; poet Nick Demske; and musician/activist Olu Sijuwade. A YouTube video of FAMOUS can be viewed at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf-seZ49b6k. An accompanying blog about this project is available: http://bit.ly/2uRxYMhand at http://bit.ly/2ovpoOO Contributed by Erico Ortiz, founder of Inspiration Studios 
Urban Milwaukee
LIQUID & LIGHT Inspiration Studios Exhibits Liquid Sculpture Photography by Jack Long Aug 31st, 2015 12:03 pm Long J Water 3 He calls his work liquid sculptures or splash photography. Looking similar to jellyfish, mushrooms, flowers, balloons, and even skulls, these water images can all be seen in the precise, pristine photography created by Jack Long. Jack Long’s brilliant LIQUID & LIGHT photo exhibition will adorn the gallery walls at Inspiration Studios with an Opening Reception on Friday, September 4, from 5-9pm. The reception is free and open to the public. LIQUID & LIGHT will be on display and available for private and public viewings through September 28. An artist talk/demonstration is scheduled for Saturday, September 19 at 2:00pm. Long explains, “Whether intentional or by chance, these images are always precisely controlled, and captured with high speed photography. I construct apparatus that in turn create liquid forms never before seen within stop action photography. The works are original in concept and completion. While primarily working with liquids, other materials are often used.” All of Long’s images in this exhibition were captured in a flash, in mid air, as amazing sculptures and for only a fraction of a second—splashes! Viewers will be hard pressed to believe that all of the images were created with Long’s photography and creative manipulations, using water as the primary subject. “The art is very much in the creation of the forms. They become very temporary 3-dimensional sculptures. Photography, through composition and lighting, are the only means to view these very brief events,” according to Long. Over the past 25 years, Long has participated in solo and juried group exhibitions from Vermont to Oregon. His works have been published in numerous European on line publications and on the American ABC News Blog for Vessels and Blooms series and other online blogs. In preparing for LIQUID & LIGHT, Long has taken a fresh look at his work as a whole and not just a series of experiments. This has led to the exploration of technical and mechanical aspects that go into creating the work. Always looking for an increase in efficiency in the workflow from concept through presentation, Long has researched and explored new methods as well as improved existing techniques and mechanicals. Plans include 3D viewing capability for this exhibit. Inspiration Studios is located at 1500 S. 73rd Street in West Allis. Jack Long’s LIQUID & LIGHT exhibit of liquid sculptures will be on display September 4-28. All are welcome to the opening reception on September 4, from 5:00 to 9:00pm. Refreshments will be served. To view images of Jack Long’s liquid sculptures, please visit any of his websites: www.jacklongphoto.com [email protected] www.facebook.com/FluidSuspense Inspiration Studios opened its doors to the West Allis community on March 1, 2014, with the intention of providing varied styles of art and theatre to the broader community, focusing particularly on the emergence of new artists and their works. 
Inspiration Studios is proud to present a photo exhibit featuring the animals of the Milwaukee County Zoo. The exhibit, entitled "In Your Eyes: The Animal/Human Connection" will be on display August 1 through August 30... with plenty of photo opportunities for children.
OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, August 1, 4-7pm CLOSING RECEPTION: Sunday, August 23, 4-7pm (Join us after stopping at Zoo-A-La-Carte) Matt McCormick and Scott Engel provide their colorful display and an opportunity for purchases of several photos of the exotic animals at the zoo. Please join us! 
Shepherd Express, Milwaukee
Attention to Details Preserves Puerto Rican Traditions at Inspiration Studios By TYLER FRIEDMAN Roberto Carlos Rosado del Valle, Sowing, Acrylic on canvas, 11x14 in., 2012 "Traditions have played an important role in my life,” says Roberto Carlos Rosado del Valle. The Puerto Rican artist was born in Aguadilla, resides in San Germán and is exhibiting his paintings for the first time off the island at West Allis’ Inspiration Studios. “Closing In: “Traditions Exposing the Details/Acercamientos: Exponiendo los Detalles” details Rosado del Valle’s fixation on details. “Mi identidad…my identity, as an artist and as a person, is found in the details,” he explains. This detail-oriented character of Rosado del Valle’s art dates to his earliest artistic experience when, as a young child, he was challenged to duplicate a drawing presented by a family member. Rosado del Valle’s canvasses resurrect childhood memories—a broken rope swing reflected in the pupil of an eye; a hand as it releases a spinning toy; the branches of a colorful flamboyán tree above a hula-hooping girl—but the paintings are as much about preserving the fading traditions of Puerto Rico as they are about Rosado del Valle himself. The exhibition opens with an artist’s reception from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, July 2 and will be on display until July 23. 
West Allis NOW
Painting exhibition to open at Inspiration Studios, West Allis Roberto Carlos Rosado del Valle will display his work at a solo exhibition. June 23, 2015 "Closing In: Exposing the Details" is the title of a solo painting exhibition by Roberto Carlos Rosado del Valle. It will open Thursday, July 2, at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis, and close July 23. Raised in San German, Puerto Rico, Rosado does acrylic and watercolor paintings. This is Rosado's first exhibition off the island. Featured in the exhibition will be colorful, acrylic paintings as well as an assortment of watercolor renderings for collectors. An opening reception with Rosado will be from 5 to 8 p.m. July 2. Refreshments will be served. After the reception, there will be three separate opportunities for viewers to work with the artist to create their own paintings. Rosado has embraced the challenge of exploring the traditions of an island whose identity and culture he fears are being lost. "My identity, as an artist and as a person, is found in the details," Rosado said. "Traditions have played an important role in my life. They formed who I am today and my art is my way of remembering and transcending, through the details, my culture and heritage, embedded in those traditions that appear to be fading slowly from my beloved homeland. "There is simplicity in the details. And there is always a sense of cultural pride and fondness for those childhood memories and traditions, which I want to preserve. "But I don't want to dwell in the past. So I have explored and shared what is truly important in my life and what propels me into a future … while remembering the past. My works should speak for themselves." For those who are inspired to create their own works of art, three painting parties are scheduled with Rosado at 7 p.m. July 9, 15, and 21. Easels can be reserved for this opportunity to work side-by-side with Rosado to take home a unique painting of their own creation, guided by Rosado while enjoying a glass of wine and some light snacks. Visit the Inspiration Studios website (www.inspirationstudiosgallery.com) or contact Erico Ortiz at [email protected] or (414) 587-3474 for more details about this exhibit, the painting parties, and open gallery hours. This article was submitted by Erico Ortiz, founder of Inspiration Studios 
Diane played by Elizabeth Havican encounters the fallen Billy played by Adeola Giwa, in “The Revival.”
Photo By Erico Ortiz/submitted photo West Allis NOW Original one-act plays to take the stage this weekend in West Allis June 16, 2015 The West Allis-based Village Playhouse will wind up the three weekend run of its 30th Annual Original One Act Play Festival Friday and Saturday, June 19 and 20, at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis. New original plays will be performed at 7:30 p.m. with a final matinee performance at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 21. This year's festival evokes laughter and tears through comedy and tragedy, with a bit of farce tossed in, by veteran writers Marjorie Pagel, Mike Willis, Deanna Strasse, Kate Dorsey and Patrick Fogarty. All have had several original plays produced over the years as part of this annual event. Always looking for new talent in its players and its writers, the festival welcomes newcomer J.J. Gatesman who offers a clever twist on death and dying in "The Revival." Village Playhouse President Elizabeth Havican said in a news release announcing the festival, "The one-acts are the highlight of my year. I am so pleased to see new faces on stage, behind the scenes, and especially in the directors' seats." Tristian Demos (theater major at Cardinal Stritch University) and veteran actor Scott Sorensen are both making their directorial debuts with this festival. Tickets are $17, general; $15 for students and seniors. Tom Zuehlke, producer of the festival, explained that the festival came to be in the fall of 1984. "I was fresh out of college," Zuehlke said in a news release, and new to the Village Playhouse, then the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa. "I was asked to participate in the first Wisconsin Playwrights Original One Act Play Festival. The event grew from the collaboration of the VPW, Mini-Theatre, and the Third Coast Playwrights. "Twenty-nine festivals later, I am so pleased that it remains a collaborative and community effort. So many people have nurtured, supported and moved the festival into an annual event that the theater community anxiously awaits." Over the last 30 years, the Village Playhouse has produced 179 original one-act plays written by 98 playwrights, using 88 directors, and casting 731 roles. The prior 29 years are commemorated during a pre-show slide presentation. "For 30 years, VPW has been an outlet championing original plays," Zuehlke said. "Playwrights, directors, actors work to take a new idea from an author's mind … to a page … to a stage … to an audience. It remains the longest running festival of its kind in the U.S." The audience votes for its favorites, leading to an awards ceremony at the midsummer Encore Celebration. Tickets are available at www. vpwoneactfestival.brownpapertickets.com. Will Call tickets may be reserved by calling (414) 207-4VPW. 
West Allis NOW
'Moon Over Buffalo' hits West Allis stage West Allis -- April weekends at Inspiration Studios will be filled with laughter as the Village Playhouse offers its rendition of Ken Ludwig's "Moon Over Buffalo," which opens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 17, for a three-weekend run. Inspiration Studios is at 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis. "Moon Over Buffalo" centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s who are playing "Private Lives" and "Cyrano de Bergerac" in repertory theater with five actors. On the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George's dalliance with a young ingenue, they receive word that they might just have one last shot at stardom: Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee. If he likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Unfortunately, everything goes wrong, abetted by a visit from their daughter's clueless fiance and uncertainty about which play they're even performing, thanks to Charlotte's deaf old stage-manager mother who hates every bone in George's body. Director Michael Pocaro undertook this raucous script as his fourth directorial for Village Playhouse, writing about the play, "This is vaudeville. This is slapstick." "The beauty of comedies like 'Moon Over Buffalo' is they're built upon the human weakness we all know and celebrate in our own lives," he wrote. "They're the shifty cousin, the overbearing uncle, the feisty nephew, the bumbling suitor and, most of all, the Self and all its adorable shortcomings." Veteran actors Robert Zimmerman and Donna Daniels maneuver their lead roles through the hilarious antics as they make their debut on the Village Playhouse stage on a colorful set designed by Sandra Wyss. Assistant Director Jamee Stefanski describes the production as "a fast-paced hilarious look at the backstage antics of a traveling theater company. Filled with drunken missteps, mistaken identity and slamming doors." Village Playhouse will present "Moon Over Buffalo" at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 17, 18, 24, 25, and May 1 and 2, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3. Tickets are $17 for general admission, $15 for seniors and students. Tickets and more information are available online at vpwmoonoverbuffalo.brownpapertickets.com, via voicemail at (414) 207-4VPW and via email to [email protected]. Submitted by Erico Ortiz, founder, Inspiration Studios 
Batcher rolls out first art exhibit in Inspiration Studios in West Allis
Artist Kevin Batcher is surrounded by his work to be exhibited at Inspiration Studios, a gallery in West Allis. Batcher describes his art as emotions and experiences on canvas. Photo By Erico Ortiz March 10, 2015 West Allis -- In its continuing effort to inspire new artists to create, explore and push their limits, Inspiration Studios is announcing a new exhibit by local emerging artist Kevin Batcher. "Angst" adorns the gallery walls at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St. from March 7-April 28. Although he's been tossing acrylics onto canvases since 2011, this is Batcher's very first exhibition. As a self-taught artist, he describes his art as both his emotions and experiences put to canvas. "Angst" allows viewers to explore the inner workings of Batcher's heart, mind, joys, frustrations and love for those around him. And the demons that plague him. Although he has always enjoyed art, Batcher began to paint in earnest after an injury left him unable to work a regular job. With the encouragement of his family, he began to transfer some of what was happening internally into an external expression of himself and his life. He explores old cars and floral landscapes, shadowy figures and nightmares where human forms are swallowed by caves and tall buildings. "It all comes from a very personal place", said Batcher. "Many of the pieces have references to items that inspired the painting, items hidden within the painting itself. It has become somewhat of a game among friends to see who can find them." This article was submitted by Erico Ortiz, owner of Inspiration Studios.  Police detective Caroline Clark played by Dawn Baldwin and data geek Max Jenkins (Derek Jacobs) begin a romantic celebration of their anniversary when the doorbell rings, beginning a life-altering chain of events. Photo By Village Playhouse/submitted photo
Theatrical misdirection on stage
at Inspiration Studios in West Allis February 2, 2015 West Allis "A Comedy in 3 Acts," penned by Village Playhouse veteran producer and director Tom Zuehlke opens this weekend at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis. In true theatrical misdirection, the show is not a comedy and is only one act not three. It's the story of Max (played by Derek Jacobs, who also designed the play's logo) and Caroline (played by Dawn Baldwin). They are celebrating the anniversary of their meeting with dinner and a romantic evening. Or, so they think. Complications ensue with a visit from Caroline's sister (played by Elizabeth Havican) and the arrival of jeweler, Frank (Erico Ortiz). A duplicate (or is it?) of granny's cherished necklace, a misspelled aunt's name, affairs and drug deals give this one-act play more twists and turns than a corkscrew, and it leads to an unforeseeable climax at life's third act. One weekend onlyPerformances will be held for one weekend only at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 and 7; and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8. All performances will be at Inspiration Studios, home to the Village Playhouse. During the benefit performances, audiences will be asked to critique the play. Suggestions to the cast and to director Joan Williamson will be welcomed so they can fine-tune the production in hopes of winning an upcoming statewide community theater competition. The Wisconsin America Association of Community Theatres will hold its biennial competitive theater festival in Baraboo Feb. 19-22. At the competition, the Village Playhouse will be up against productions by six other community theater groups from around the state. Teams will be judged on their acting, directing, set, lighting, sound and overall production value. Competing for regionalsTwo will be chosen to go to the regional festival in Midland, Michigan in April. The America Association of Community Theatres competition had its origins in 1957 when Princess Grace of Monaco instituted Le Festival Mondiale du Thé tre Amateur to showcase amateur theater from around the world. The association competition is no longer a feeder for the world festival, but it remains a showcase for American community theater. Proceeds from the benefit will help defray costs of taking the show on the road. Tickets are $17 general, and $15 for students and senior citizens. They may be purchased online through BrownPaperTickets.com. Tickets also can be reserved by emailing [email protected] or by calling (414) 207-4VPW (4879). More information can be found at VillagePlayhouse.org. or inspirationstudiosgallery.com. This article was submitted by Erico Ortiz, Inspiration Studios founder and owner. 
Exhibit Review by CricketToes.com
January 26, 2015 Write/Shoot, Shoot/Write, & Repeat A collaboration between the visual and literary arts is hardly a newfangled thing--it's been goin' on from the moment the two art forms locked eyes above the hot sparks of the campfire, undeniably drawn to each other's unique strengths of expression, driving them to converge and dance together until long after the light of the last ember was extinguished. In other words, it was love, people. But what makes a union of these two divergent disciplines genuinely successful and, therefore, a cut above the rest is the thoughtfulness of process and power of execution brought to the creative marriage by the artists themselves. As evidenced by their 2-year online project, shutters/dead ends/lens/pens, both visual artist/photographer William Zuback and writer David P. Press have consistently delivered the high level artistic goods necessary to claim such a genuine success. Now all that's left is to bring it from the digital into the physical world through an exhibition at Inspiration Studios. Loosely based on the age-old call-and-response tradition--ya know, somethin' like when I say "Art!" you say "Love It!" "Art!" "Love It!"--shutters/dead ends/lens/pens is anything but traditional. Beginning with a prose poem call by Press and followed by a photographic image response by Zuback, the caller and respondent alternate over 14 chapters. So the pattern is write/shoot, shoot/write, and repeat. But what really makes the project stand out is the execution, as the responses are not literal interpretations but rather born of intense focus on detail and intangible atmosphere. As Zuback put it during an interview over coffee, his approach as respondent was to zero in on specific phrases while also feeling the internal rhythm of Press' prose, very much like jazz musicians do while engaging in improvisational jams. Press expanded on that by stating that the project was really a contrapuntal exercise--which is just a fancy and much less wordy way saying a place where opposing or independent ideas meet--which provided room for spontaneity and nonlinear story-telling. For him too, it was in the detail and mood of Zuback's images where he found the root of his responses. Just as the collaboration follows its own method, so too does the exhibition schedule. There will be three openings ofshutters/dead ends/lens/pens, which runs January 31-February 28, 2015 at Inspiration Studios, 1500 South 73rd Street in West Allis: • Opening Evening Reception on Saturday, January 31, 5-9PM • Opening Day Reception on Sunday, February 1, 2-5PM • Special Mardi Gras Reception on Fat Tuesday, February 17, 6-9PM As a super bonus, actors from The Village Players will be giving staged readings of Press' prose poems while Zuback's images are projected on the gallery walls during each opening. It's multi-media madness! Keep in mind that all 14 chapters--each one comprised of a photo and a prose poem, framed and ready to hang--will be for sale, so be sure to bring your wallet, coin purse, or comically marked money bag. (Thanks, Bill & David!) West Allis NOW also published an article about the exhibit. Click the link to read more about this exquisite display.
shutters/dead ends/lens/pens 
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The tall figure appeared to artist Erico Ortiz as having a long road to walk, hence his “Long Road” painting. (Photo courtesy of Erico Ortiz)
WEST ALLIS NOW
Exhibit at West Allis Art and Performance Studio Reflects Scary Season
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Oct. 7, 2014
West Allis -- Tombstones and cemeteries, what better theme for an art exhibit during the month that contains Halloween.
West Bend photographer Mary Wagner has teamed up with painter Erico Ortiz to present a show of photos of tombstones and cemeteries, each with a painting from Ortiz in response to it.
There are about 20 photos and 20 paintings in the "Resting Places" exhibit at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis.
Among them is a statue of a robed figure standing tall and chilling against a cold blue sky surrounded by an up-sweep of barren tree branches.
But not all the pictures are on the edge of other-worldly. One shows a little sleeping angel. And another photo is of a tombstone showing the hand of a man romantically holding that of a woman. But the tender impression is rocked by the inharmonious name on the tombstone — Wildgrub.
Ortiz said he and Wagner were amazed as they hung the photographs with accompanying paintings on how bright colors of the paintings brought out the subtle tones in the photographs.
"We were both excited about it," Ortiz said. "This is actually pretty cool."
The exhibit will be up until Oct. 27. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment at (414) 587-3474.
"Resting Places" is only the eighth art exhibit since Inspiration Studios opened in March as an art studio and a performing arts center inside of what was a funeral home for many years.
While the building was being transformed into a place for the fine arts, echoes of what the building used to be were heard.
One afternoon last summer, Larry Beckley was working on a stage for the Village Playhouse that uses Inspiration Studios as its home when he and another volunteer heard something strange. As they listened to a song on Beckley's blue tooth speakers, they heard a woman singing.
Thinking it was somebody from the theater troupe, they looked around and called out. But found no one.
"We were there by ourselves," Beckley said.
"We looked at each other and said, 'Yep, we're haunted, but that's OK,'" he said.
And being a producer, technical director and assistant director with the Playhouse, Beckley noticed that the mysterious voice was in tune and in sync with the recorded music.
"But I know it wasn't part of the original recording," he said. "I listened to it after, and no, that was not there."
Jamee Stefanski moved into the apartment above the former funeral home with her husband and girls, ages 10, 8 and 5, only last May and already she has experienced something strange.
"It was one morning after everybody had left and I heard piano playing," she said. A glance out the window told her there were no cars in the parking lot.
After about five minutes, she had to see who was in the building. The piano playing had stopped shortly before she descended the stairs. When she reached the piano, no one was there. No one had left, either.
Stefanski said she can tell even from her upstairs apartment when people come and go because the door closes so loudly it almost shakes the building, she said.
Others have heard funny noises, said Judy Lee Tarbox, a director of the Village Playhouse.
"We do have a resident ghost or two," she said. "When I've been on the main floor I have heard like a chair moving or a door opening."
She has named the ghost Victor, after a dear friend on the boards who died three years ago.
Exhibit at West Allis Art and Performance Studio Reflects Scary Season
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Oct. 7, 2014
West Allis -- Tombstones and cemeteries, what better theme for an art exhibit during the month that contains Halloween.
West Bend photographer Mary Wagner has teamed up with painter Erico Ortiz to present a show of photos of tombstones and cemeteries, each with a painting from Ortiz in response to it.
There are about 20 photos and 20 paintings in the "Resting Places" exhibit at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis.
Among them is a statue of a robed figure standing tall and chilling against a cold blue sky surrounded by an up-sweep of barren tree branches.
But not all the pictures are on the edge of other-worldly. One shows a little sleeping angel. And another photo is of a tombstone showing the hand of a man romantically holding that of a woman. But the tender impression is rocked by the inharmonious name on the tombstone — Wildgrub.
Ortiz said he and Wagner were amazed as they hung the photographs with accompanying paintings on how bright colors of the paintings brought out the subtle tones in the photographs.
"We were both excited about it," Ortiz said. "This is actually pretty cool."
The exhibit will be up until Oct. 27. The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and by appointment at (414) 587-3474.
"Resting Places" is only the eighth art exhibit since Inspiration Studios opened in March as an art studio and a performing arts center inside of what was a funeral home for many years.
While the building was being transformed into a place for the fine arts, echoes of what the building used to be were heard.
One afternoon last summer, Larry Beckley was working on a stage for the Village Playhouse that uses Inspiration Studios as its home when he and another volunteer heard something strange. As they listened to a song on Beckley's blue tooth speakers, they heard a woman singing.
Thinking it was somebody from the theater troupe, they looked around and called out. But found no one.
"We were there by ourselves," Beckley said.
"We looked at each other and said, 'Yep, we're haunted, but that's OK,'" he said.
And being a producer, technical director and assistant director with the Playhouse, Beckley noticed that the mysterious voice was in tune and in sync with the recorded music.
"But I know it wasn't part of the original recording," he said. "I listened to it after, and no, that was not there."
Jamee Stefanski moved into the apartment above the former funeral home with her husband and girls, ages 10, 8 and 5, only last May and already she has experienced something strange.
"It was one morning after everybody had left and I heard piano playing," she said. A glance out the window told her there were no cars in the parking lot.
After about five minutes, she had to see who was in the building. The piano playing had stopped shortly before she descended the stairs. When she reached the piano, no one was there. No one had left, either.
Stefanski said she can tell even from her upstairs apartment when people come and go because the door closes so loudly it almost shakes the building, she said.
Others have heard funny noises, said Judy Lee Tarbox, a director of the Village Playhouse.
"We do have a resident ghost or two," she said. "When I've been on the main floor I have heard like a chair moving or a door opening."
She has named the ghost Victor, after a dear friend on the boards who died three years ago.
Inspiration Studio in Downtown West Allis Sparks Art/Theater Life
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Sept. 16, 2014
West Allis -- If you read a story that started out "Once upon a time, the people in a town decided that what they really wanted was some kind of theater or cultural arts center — and poof, one magically appears," you would probably toss it away as a fairy tale.
But it came true in West Allis.
For a year, West Allis residents who want to develop a vision for their town, met and debated. They agreed it would be great to have a theater and arts center.
Meanwhile, retired high school assistant principal and lifelong lover of the arts, Erico Ortiz and more than 100 volunteers were buzzing like a swarm of honey bees around a former funeral home, transforming it into a theater and art gallery.
The grand opening was in March and the Village Playhouse is ready to launch its first full season there. The Playhouse held a gala opening last Saturday with a mock murder mystery radio show. The suspects were all characters in the six shows the playhouse will present this season.
The upbeat and energetic Ortiz bought the building to be a home for the playhouse and a gallery to display the work of emerging artists.
He calls the building, just off downtown at 1500 S. 73rd St., Inspiration Studios after his motto: "Inspiration is all around us."
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine welcomed the opening saying, "It's a great addition to downtown."
"It's a couple steps from the downtown district so it's a great opportunity to have dinner and go to a play or go to a play and have a drink after and talk about the play," he said.
Despite the city's blue collar reputation, many residents appreciate the ballet arts, Devine said, and they likely will patronize the theater and gallery.
Similarly, Ortiz said he wasn't at all deterred by the city's factory beginnings. As soon as he walked into the building, he knew it was what he was looking for.
"I saw the building and said this is beautiful," he said.
Inspiration Studios stands as the city's only art gallery and permanent home of live theater.
Inspiration Studios is home to other art venues. The Skai Academy offers children's Saturday morning music and theater classes. The experimental folk rock band Old Earth calls the Studios home as does storyteller David Hendrickson.
Inspiration Studios stage can fill a niche in the metropolitan area that has large and small musical venues but not much in between, Devine said.
"There aren't a lot of venues in the Milwaukee area that seat 60 people for live music," he said.
An independent production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" will take the stage in November.
The question being asked: Will downtown West Allis be the next Third Ward or Walkers Point?
"West Allis seems to be revitalizing with the addition of specialty cafes with interesting menus," said JudyLee Tarbox, a playhouse board member and former president. "Some of the more upbeat restaurants may pull in more young professionals and hopefully we will be a draw for that."
"I'm hoping more artsy things go in," Ortiz said. The area already sounds an artistic note with the presence of Sound Check Entertainment & Studios, 7234 W. Greenfield Ave., he said.
Sound Check that gives music lessons and sells musical instruments and recently helped dozens of middle school students form their own bands which will present a concert at Inspiration Studios at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
"I've heard from a fair number of people who feel that West Allis could be the next Bay View," he said — "A hip place to live with a lot of activity such as cafes, destination restaurants, all the things I've seen popping up in the community in the past few years."
There is a similarity between West Allis and Bay View's Kinnickinnic Avenue that has a theater company across from a popular cafe, he said.
"If people support the places that are here and make a point of going to the West Allis downtown, other businesses will see West Allis is a good place to be," he said.
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Sept. 16, 2014
West Allis -- If you read a story that started out "Once upon a time, the people in a town decided that what they really wanted was some kind of theater or cultural arts center — and poof, one magically appears," you would probably toss it away as a fairy tale.
But it came true in West Allis.
For a year, West Allis residents who want to develop a vision for their town, met and debated. They agreed it would be great to have a theater and arts center.
Meanwhile, retired high school assistant principal and lifelong lover of the arts, Erico Ortiz and more than 100 volunteers were buzzing like a swarm of honey bees around a former funeral home, transforming it into a theater and art gallery.
The grand opening was in March and the Village Playhouse is ready to launch its first full season there. The Playhouse held a gala opening last Saturday with a mock murder mystery radio show. The suspects were all characters in the six shows the playhouse will present this season.
The upbeat and energetic Ortiz bought the building to be a home for the playhouse and a gallery to display the work of emerging artists.
He calls the building, just off downtown at 1500 S. 73rd St., Inspiration Studios after his motto: "Inspiration is all around us."
West Allis Mayor Dan Devine welcomed the opening saying, "It's a great addition to downtown."
"It's a couple steps from the downtown district so it's a great opportunity to have dinner and go to a play or go to a play and have a drink after and talk about the play," he said.
Despite the city's blue collar reputation, many residents appreciate the ballet arts, Devine said, and they likely will patronize the theater and gallery.
Similarly, Ortiz said he wasn't at all deterred by the city's factory beginnings. As soon as he walked into the building, he knew it was what he was looking for.
"I saw the building and said this is beautiful," he said.
Inspiration Studios stands as the city's only art gallery and permanent home of live theater.
Inspiration Studios is home to other art venues. The Skai Academy offers children's Saturday morning music and theater classes. The experimental folk rock band Old Earth calls the Studios home as does storyteller David Hendrickson.
Inspiration Studios stage can fill a niche in the metropolitan area that has large and small musical venues but not much in between, Devine said.
"There aren't a lot of venues in the Milwaukee area that seat 60 people for live music," he said.
An independent production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" will take the stage in November.
The question being asked: Will downtown West Allis be the next Third Ward or Walkers Point?
"West Allis seems to be revitalizing with the addition of specialty cafes with interesting menus," said JudyLee Tarbox, a playhouse board member and former president. "Some of the more upbeat restaurants may pull in more young professionals and hopefully we will be a draw for that."
"I'm hoping more artsy things go in," Ortiz said. The area already sounds an artistic note with the presence of Sound Check Entertainment & Studios, 7234 W. Greenfield Ave., he said.
Sound Check that gives music lessons and sells musical instruments and recently helped dozens of middle school students form their own bands which will present a concert at Inspiration Studios at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 23.
"I've heard from a fair number of people who feel that West Allis could be the next Bay View," he said — "A hip place to live with a lot of activity such as cafes, destination restaurants, all the things I've seen popping up in the community in the past few years."
There is a similarity between West Allis and Bay View's Kinnickinnic Avenue that has a theater company across from a popular cafe, he said.
"If people support the places that are here and make a point of going to the West Allis downtown, other businesses will see West Allis is a good place to be," he said.
West Allis NOW
Inspiration Studios provides artists and actors stages to display talents in West Allis
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Sept. 16, 2014
West Allis — An opportunity of enjoying theater with a bit of art on the side or enjoying art with a bit of theater on the side is offered in the only theater/art gallery in West Allis -- Inspiration Studios at 1500 S. 73rd St.
The Village Playhouse is embarking on its first full season at Inspiration Studios where the art gallery opened in March.
During productions, theater seating is extended into the art gallery and theater-goers take in the art during show intermissions.
"It's really, really great that we have a home now," said Judy Lee Tarbox, Village Playhouse board member who has put in a couple of stints as its president.
The Playhouse started in 1976 and played to audiences at the former Watertown Plank Road School in Wauwatosa until 1999 when the school was closed. Since then, the troupe formerly known as the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa, performed at Wauwatosa West High School, at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield and at a couple of churches.
"It was terrible," said Erico Ortiz, also a member of the Playhouse board, who bought the building in West Allis to be a home for the theater and to start an art gallery for emerging artists.
To kick off its first full season and to raise money to pay for it, the Playhouse held an opening gala on Saturday, Sept. 13, featuring a murder mystery. A character from each of the six productions this season was a suspect and the audience had to figure out who dunnit.
The season will open with "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in October. December will bring the community theater's performance of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
The new year will bring "All in the Timing" in February, "Moon over Buffalo" in April, the Playhouse' 30th One-Act Play Festival in June and the season topper "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in August.
The Inspiration Studio venue is a bit smaller than a school stage, but Tarbox said play selection should not be affected too much.
"We could even do a small musical," she said.
The Playhouse is known for its Wisconsin One-Act Play Festival and for its touring children's show.
Some 25 to 30 Wisconsin playwrights submit plays to the One-Act Play Festival and only about half a dozen are selected. But this year, the crop of entries was so exceptional that more were produced and the festival was split into two sessions.
Over the years, some of the one-act playwrights have gone on to acclaim. One of the shows was produced in New York, Tarbox said. Also, Mark Wyss, Marion Youngquist and Ludmilla Bollow are among the several well-known playwrights who got their start at the Playhouse, Tarbox said.
The gallery is for emerging artists and already a talented artist who never showed her work before has rung up more than $1,500 in sales and counting from her show earlier this year, Ortiz said.
"She was thrilled," Ortiz said. "It's kind of cool."
The gallery features a different artist each month, with September featuring the landscapes and abstracts of artist Letizia Perez who lives in Monterrey, Mexico. An artist's reception will be held at Inspiration from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20.
The gallery hours change for every artist because they show their art themselves at the gallery.
AT A GLANCE
The Village Playhouse 2014-15 season:
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a brilliant scientist frustrated by dull "respectable" life in 1888 Victorian London. He creates a formula to unleash his inner bestial nature, transforming him into the brutish Edward Hyde. Hyde lives the high life while Jekyll's middle-aged normalcy continues — until Hyde's passions begin to turn up a body count.
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31, Nov. 1; 2 p.m. Nov. 2
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
When Charlie Brown complains about the materialism that he sees at Christmas, he needs Linus' help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21
"All in the Timing"
Six one-act comedies
Performances: February
"Moon over Buffalo"
Centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s who are on the brink of a split-up caused by George's dalliance with a young ingénue. Giving them hope of a comeback they learn that Frank Capra will be in the audience and if likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong, with hilarious consequences.
Performances: in April 2015
2015 Original One-Act Play Festival
Several one-act plays by Wisconsin playwrights
Performances: June 2015
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Shakespeare's classic of love and fairies in a magical wood outside of Athens.
Tickets for all the shows are $17 general; $15, students and senior citizens. Information is available at (414) 207-4VPW (4879)
Inspiration Studios provides artists and actors stages to display talents in West Allis
By Jane Ford-Stewart
Sept. 16, 2014
West Allis — An opportunity of enjoying theater with a bit of art on the side or enjoying art with a bit of theater on the side is offered in the only theater/art gallery in West Allis -- Inspiration Studios at 1500 S. 73rd St.
The Village Playhouse is embarking on its first full season at Inspiration Studios where the art gallery opened in March.
During productions, theater seating is extended into the art gallery and theater-goers take in the art during show intermissions.
"It's really, really great that we have a home now," said Judy Lee Tarbox, Village Playhouse board member who has put in a couple of stints as its president.
The Playhouse started in 1976 and played to audiences at the former Watertown Plank Road School in Wauwatosa until 1999 when the school was closed. Since then, the troupe formerly known as the Village Playhouse of Wauwatosa, performed at Wauwatosa West High School, at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield and at a couple of churches.
"It was terrible," said Erico Ortiz, also a member of the Playhouse board, who bought the building in West Allis to be a home for the theater and to start an art gallery for emerging artists.
To kick off its first full season and to raise money to pay for it, the Playhouse held an opening gala on Saturday, Sept. 13, featuring a murder mystery. A character from each of the six productions this season was a suspect and the audience had to figure out who dunnit.
The season will open with "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" in October. December will bring the community theater's performance of "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
The new year will bring "All in the Timing" in February, "Moon over Buffalo" in April, the Playhouse' 30th One-Act Play Festival in June and the season topper "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in August.
The Inspiration Studio venue is a bit smaller than a school stage, but Tarbox said play selection should not be affected too much.
"We could even do a small musical," she said.
The Playhouse is known for its Wisconsin One-Act Play Festival and for its touring children's show.
Some 25 to 30 Wisconsin playwrights submit plays to the One-Act Play Festival and only about half a dozen are selected. But this year, the crop of entries was so exceptional that more were produced and the festival was split into two sessions.
Over the years, some of the one-act playwrights have gone on to acclaim. One of the shows was produced in New York, Tarbox said. Also, Mark Wyss, Marion Youngquist and Ludmilla Bollow are among the several well-known playwrights who got their start at the Playhouse, Tarbox said.
The gallery is for emerging artists and already a talented artist who never showed her work before has rung up more than $1,500 in sales and counting from her show earlier this year, Ortiz said.
"She was thrilled," Ortiz said. "It's kind of cool."
The gallery features a different artist each month, with September featuring the landscapes and abstracts of artist Letizia Perez who lives in Monterrey, Mexico. An artist's reception will be held at Inspiration from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20.
The gallery hours change for every artist because they show their art themselves at the gallery.
AT A GLANCE
The Village Playhouse 2014-15 season:
"The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
Dr. Henry Jekyll is a brilliant scientist frustrated by dull "respectable" life in 1888 Victorian London. He creates a formula to unleash his inner bestial nature, transforming him into the brutish Edward Hyde. Hyde lives the high life while Jekyll's middle-aged normalcy continues — until Hyde's passions begin to turn up a body count.
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17, 18, 24, 25, 31, Nov. 1; 2 p.m. Nov. 2
"A Charlie Brown Christmas"
When Charlie Brown complains about the materialism that he sees at Christmas, he needs Linus' help to learn what the real meaning of Christmas is.
Performances: 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 19 and 20; 2 p.m. Dec. 14 and 21
"All in the Timing"
Six one-act comedies
Performances: February
"Moon over Buffalo"
Centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the 1950s who are on the brink of a split-up caused by George's dalliance with a young ingénue. Giving them hope of a comeback they learn that Frank Capra will be in the audience and if likes what he sees, he might cast them in his movie remake of "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, everything that could go wrong does go wrong, with hilarious consequences.
Performances: in April 2015
2015 Original One-Act Play Festival
Several one-act plays by Wisconsin playwrights
Performances: June 2015
"A Midsummer Nights Dream"
Shakespeare's classic of love and fairies in a magical wood outside of Athens.
Tickets for all the shows are $17 general; $15, students and senior citizens. Information is available at (414) 207-4VPW (4879)
Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, August 15, 2014
Inspiration Studios Breathes Life Into West Allis Arts
Milwaukee Record--May 15, 2014
For 70 years, 1500 S. 73rd Street in West Allis was an edifice shrouded in death, loss, and mourning. In 1930, Slattery & Skubal Funeral Home took root in the imposing brick building. In 2000, the funeral home, too, died and left the lower level of the corner property vacant until 58-year-old retired educator Erico Ortiz breathed new life into the ignored property to usher in art exhibits, dramatic works, community meetings, and—beginning this weekend—live music events in his new artistic outlet, Inspiration Studios. Saturday night, Old Earth, Christopher Porterfield, Dietrich Gosser, and storyteller Dave Hendrickson will officially christen the unconventional site a music venue, as the young artist hub will house its first full-fledged concert.
“It’s a black box,” Ortiz says. “I can use it for anything that I want.”
Last December, Ortiz—a longtime musician, avid community player, and novice painter—purchased the former funeral home in hopes of having a place to ply his lifelong passion.
“I was running out of space in my house for my own art and I wanted a space of my own,” Ortiz says. “And the theatre company, the Village Playhouse [of Wauwatosa], was looking for a home. So I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and get a building.”
Ortiz looked at a variety of properties, mostly storefronts, but nothing stood out to him. When walking through the vacant 80-year-old former mortuary, he was quickly taken with the classic and eerily beautiful building. That said, the aged establishment was far from a turnkey operation: Ortiz replaced a boiler, pulled up a significant amount of carpet, dismantled the stage (which he deduced once held caskets during visitations, sermons, and eulogies), and filled five dumpsters full of garbage. While cleaning out the garage, he found three urns with ashes, along with prayer cards, and log books dating back to the early 1930s. Ortiz intends to build a display case for some of those items in the entrance to pay respectful homage to the building’s funeral home past. The most extensive and funeral-appropriate restoration was that of the embalming room.
“It was a mess. It was filthy and ugly,” Ortiz says. “When we bought the place, the floor was all brown—blood. It stunk like crazy. We scrubbed and scrubbed, then we had a guy come in take a power-washer and come back a few days with a cleanser. Now we use it to store paint.”
That motif of rebirth and re-purposing is evident throughout Inspiration. The abandoned embalming room stores paint for set pieces. Those same set pieces are built downstairs and transported to the ground level by way of a thin elevator shaft that was once unmistakably used to transport coffins and embalmed bodies to the showing room. In that showing room-turned-art gallery, a donated grand piano now sits where the stage once did. Since its March 1 grand opening, the site that had long been synonymous with grief and expiration is now tinged with an aura of happiness and expression. As Ortiz likes to say, he’s “giving new life to a place that celebrated death.”
The new life finds Inspiration Studios casting a vast creative net to serve as a theatre for both community and youth productions, a rehearsal space for plays and dance troupes, a site for rotary club meetings, West Allis’ only art gallery, and now a place for intimate musical performances in the 99-capacity setting. Ortiz says Inspiration has already drawn kind words and a visit from West Allis Mayor Dan Devine. Field Report front man Christopher Porterfield also saw something special in the studio, as evidenced in his recommendation that Old Earth mastermind Todd Umhoefer book a show in the space. After touring the site, Umhoefer gladly booked the inaugural musical performance in the unconventional venue. He said he was taken by the stage lighting, the presence of a piano, Ortiz’s commitment to local art, and, of course the building’s morbid past.
“As soon as I found out the history of it being a funeral home, I thought this fits right in with the Old Earth narrative for sure,” Umhoefer says. “You can only play so many places so many times. I’m an experimental artist and I have to experiment with the spaces I’m performing in as well. It’s different when I’m performing at a bar than a place that’s dedicated to that.”
Ortiz, too, was drawn to Umhoefer’s artistic integrity. He feels Old Earth and the other performers playing Saturday will pair well with the locally sourced art (currently prints, etchings, and mixed-media assemblages by Sheboygan artist Angie Zimmerman) hanging on his gallery walls.
“I want to work with emerging artists. I want to work with people who haven’t yet made it,” Ortiz says. “I want to support those who are starting. I’m into Todd’s whole vision, his goals, and what’s behind his stuff.”
Ironically, since starting Inspiration Studios, Ortiz’s own art has suffered due to a mixture of preoccupation and working his hands to the point of severe arthritis—forcing him to wear braces on his hands temporarily in preparation of reconstructive surgery on his thumbs. Still, the retired vice principal is beaming in his new position. He’s sunk nearly $50,000 of his own money into Inspiration Studios, not to mention thousands of hours, and the well-being of his own artistic instruments—all to revive a dead and discarded building. And he couldn’t be happier with his decision.
“It’s heartwarming. It’s exactly what I wanted. I want it to be a busy, vibrant place, and I think it’s turning into that,” Ortiz says. “I’m trying to touch a broad community and I’m hoping that West Allis will support us.”
-Tyler Maas, Co-Founder and Editor at MilwaukeeRecord.com
Inspiration Studios hosts Old Earth, Christopher Porterfield, Dietrich Gosser (Madison) and David Hendrickson Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets to the all-ages show are $10 and come with an immediate download of Old Earth’s Milwaukee To Edinburgh 2013 album.
“It’s a black box,” Ortiz says. “I can use it for anything that I want.”
Last December, Ortiz—a longtime musician, avid community player, and novice painter—purchased the former funeral home in hopes of having a place to ply his lifelong passion.
“I was running out of space in my house for my own art and I wanted a space of my own,” Ortiz says. “And the theatre company, the Village Playhouse [of Wauwatosa], was looking for a home. So I thought I could kill two birds with one stone and get a building.”
Ortiz looked at a variety of properties, mostly storefronts, but nothing stood out to him. When walking through the vacant 80-year-old former mortuary, he was quickly taken with the classic and eerily beautiful building. That said, the aged establishment was far from a turnkey operation: Ortiz replaced a boiler, pulled up a significant amount of carpet, dismantled the stage (which he deduced once held caskets during visitations, sermons, and eulogies), and filled five dumpsters full of garbage. While cleaning out the garage, he found three urns with ashes, along with prayer cards, and log books dating back to the early 1930s. Ortiz intends to build a display case for some of those items in the entrance to pay respectful homage to the building’s funeral home past. The most extensive and funeral-appropriate restoration was that of the embalming room.
“It was a mess. It was filthy and ugly,” Ortiz says. “When we bought the place, the floor was all brown—blood. It stunk like crazy. We scrubbed and scrubbed, then we had a guy come in take a power-washer and come back a few days with a cleanser. Now we use it to store paint.”
That motif of rebirth and re-purposing is evident throughout Inspiration. The abandoned embalming room stores paint for set pieces. Those same set pieces are built downstairs and transported to the ground level by way of a thin elevator shaft that was once unmistakably used to transport coffins and embalmed bodies to the showing room. In that showing room-turned-art gallery, a donated grand piano now sits where the stage once did. Since its March 1 grand opening, the site that had long been synonymous with grief and expiration is now tinged with an aura of happiness and expression. As Ortiz likes to say, he’s “giving new life to a place that celebrated death.”
The new life finds Inspiration Studios casting a vast creative net to serve as a theatre for both community and youth productions, a rehearsal space for plays and dance troupes, a site for rotary club meetings, West Allis’ only art gallery, and now a place for intimate musical performances in the 99-capacity setting. Ortiz says Inspiration has already drawn kind words and a visit from West Allis Mayor Dan Devine. Field Report front man Christopher Porterfield also saw something special in the studio, as evidenced in his recommendation that Old Earth mastermind Todd Umhoefer book a show in the space. After touring the site, Umhoefer gladly booked the inaugural musical performance in the unconventional venue. He said he was taken by the stage lighting, the presence of a piano, Ortiz’s commitment to local art, and, of course the building’s morbid past.
“As soon as I found out the history of it being a funeral home, I thought this fits right in with the Old Earth narrative for sure,” Umhoefer says. “You can only play so many places so many times. I’m an experimental artist and I have to experiment with the spaces I’m performing in as well. It’s different when I’m performing at a bar than a place that’s dedicated to that.”
Ortiz, too, was drawn to Umhoefer’s artistic integrity. He feels Old Earth and the other performers playing Saturday will pair well with the locally sourced art (currently prints, etchings, and mixed-media assemblages by Sheboygan artist Angie Zimmerman) hanging on his gallery walls.
“I want to work with emerging artists. I want to work with people who haven’t yet made it,” Ortiz says. “I want to support those who are starting. I’m into Todd’s whole vision, his goals, and what’s behind his stuff.”
Ironically, since starting Inspiration Studios, Ortiz’s own art has suffered due to a mixture of preoccupation and working his hands to the point of severe arthritis—forcing him to wear braces on his hands temporarily in preparation of reconstructive surgery on his thumbs. Still, the retired vice principal is beaming in his new position. He’s sunk nearly $50,000 of his own money into Inspiration Studios, not to mention thousands of hours, and the well-being of his own artistic instruments—all to revive a dead and discarded building. And he couldn’t be happier with his decision.
“It’s heartwarming. It’s exactly what I wanted. I want it to be a busy, vibrant place, and I think it’s turning into that,” Ortiz says. “I’m trying to touch a broad community and I’m hoping that West Allis will support us.”
-Tyler Maas, Co-Founder and Editor at MilwaukeeRecord.com
Inspiration Studios hosts Old Earth, Christopher Porterfield, Dietrich Gosser (Madison) and David Hendrickson Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m. Advance tickets to the all-ages show are $10 and come with an immediate download of Old Earth’s Milwaukee To Edinburgh 2013 album.
Feeding the Soul
Milwaukee Magazine--May 2014
Todd Umhoefer, the man behind Old Earth, doesn’t let much get in the way of making the music he loves.
BY TYLER MAAS 4/30/2014
It’s inordinately quiet near the corner of Broadway and Michigan Street just before 8 o’clock on a Tuesday night. The silence is pronounced in the confines of a former office building, with an interior appearing to be either midway through renovation or demolition. Up the dusty stairs and past a reception desk left on hold from more profitable times, a sound begins to swell. Halfway down an otherwise darkened corridor, light shines through an open door. Palm-muted guitar and shrill, ominous vocals grow louder with each step. Behind the door is a cache of instruments and microphones, a computer, some empty beer bottles, a blanket-strewn futon and the source of this clamor, Todd Umhoefer. The force behind experimental folk project Old Earth, Umhoefer spends the majority of his weeks stationed in this room, sacrificing nearly everything to make music that’s now gaining an audience locally and helping put Milwaukee on the map for fans throughout Europe. “I try to shrink it down and say, ‘Are you making good songs?’” Umhoefer explains. “That’s what drives it all.”
The New Berlin native began playing in bands in the late ’90s, including heavy metal act Killtheslavemaster with current Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley. After graduating from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Umhoefer relocated to San Francisco in 2010 to focus on his music and art. After two years in California, family responsibilities meant Umhoefer – now entrenched in Old Earth – moved back to help his father take care of a family property in Menomonee Falls. It was in the basement of this home (that’s been in his family since 1842) where Umhoefer essentially “chained [himself] to a guitar” and wrote a low place at The Old Place. The one-track album is more than 18 minutes of brooding beauty divided into six movements that reflect on his bittersweet return to Wisconsin – a move predicated by the death of relatives.
photo by Adam Ryan Morris
“That’s basically the concept – working through some shit and reconciling these weird experiences I had of coming back to this family home,” he says. “That land that low place was written on, that record was so important because that [land] was the last vestige of my family.”
Christopher Porterfield, who is the lead singer and frontman of accomplished Milwaukee outfit Field Report, contributed vocals and additional instrumentation to low place, and most Old Earth output thereafter. “He’s completely and utterly uncompromising,” Porterfield says of his former Conrad Plymouth bandmate. “He has deep integrity with his art, and he comes at it from an art school background, a conceptual and thematic background.” Not long after that release, low place caught the attention of Edinburgh, Scotland-based record label mini50, which became Umhoefer’s U.K. label in early 2013.
“Immediately, it was just something I loved,” says mini50 label manager Euan McMeeken. “Some artists work hard, but working with Todd in the studio and seeing him live a couple of times just highlighted how seriously he takes his art.” The label initially agreed to release Old Earth’s 2013 EP Small Hours, but has since continued to release his laborious and frequent tracks of intricately looped guitar, with influences that range from folk to hip-hop. Umhoefer will have released six in total through mini50, including an album of live recordings released in April and an as-of-yet untitled album that is slated for an August release. While the mini50 agreement has been invaluable in helping Old Earth develop a foothold in Europe, Umhoefer is far from financially comfortable stateside. His commitment to his project finds him living as a starving artist, well below the poverty line and lacking a true residence from week to week (unless you count the nights spent in his shared studio).
“He doesn’t play the game,” Porterfield says of Umhoefer, whom he credits as helping him become a better songwriter. “He’s an artist first. He’s not looking to be a pop star, and what he makes isn’t a pop product. He’s managing to carve out an audience with [his music], but to get it, you need to take it on his terms.”
Umhoefer’s renderings certainly go beyond the music. His work extends to individually pressed packaging, issuing small runs of records in which his liner notes are as artfully arranged as the songs themselves. The moment a song is done, Umhoefer has set his sights on covering his next blank sonic canvas with the brushstrokes of determination, discomfort and an obligation to expression. “For me, No. 1 is putting work out there – more than money or recognition,” Umhoefer says in his instrument-laden office, the soft rumble of two small space heaters flanking his words like parenthesis. “I’m an artist first and foremost, and I will starve if I have to so I can make art the most important thing.”
Old Earth (May 17). Inspiration Studios. 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis, 414-587-3474,oldearthcontact.bandcamp.com.
This article appears in the May 2014 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
BY TYLER MAAS 4/30/2014
It’s inordinately quiet near the corner of Broadway and Michigan Street just before 8 o’clock on a Tuesday night. The silence is pronounced in the confines of a former office building, with an interior appearing to be either midway through renovation or demolition. Up the dusty stairs and past a reception desk left on hold from more profitable times, a sound begins to swell. Halfway down an otherwise darkened corridor, light shines through an open door. Palm-muted guitar and shrill, ominous vocals grow louder with each step. Behind the door is a cache of instruments and microphones, a computer, some empty beer bottles, a blanket-strewn futon and the source of this clamor, Todd Umhoefer. The force behind experimental folk project Old Earth, Umhoefer spends the majority of his weeks stationed in this room, sacrificing nearly everything to make music that’s now gaining an audience locally and helping put Milwaukee on the map for fans throughout Europe. “I try to shrink it down and say, ‘Are you making good songs?’” Umhoefer explains. “That’s what drives it all.”
The New Berlin native began playing in bands in the late ’90s, including heavy metal act Killtheslavemaster with current Fall Out Boy drummer Andy Hurley. After graduating from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, Umhoefer relocated to San Francisco in 2010 to focus on his music and art. After two years in California, family responsibilities meant Umhoefer – now entrenched in Old Earth – moved back to help his father take care of a family property in Menomonee Falls. It was in the basement of this home (that’s been in his family since 1842) where Umhoefer essentially “chained [himself] to a guitar” and wrote a low place at The Old Place. The one-track album is more than 18 minutes of brooding beauty divided into six movements that reflect on his bittersweet return to Wisconsin – a move predicated by the death of relatives.
photo by Adam Ryan Morris
“That’s basically the concept – working through some shit and reconciling these weird experiences I had of coming back to this family home,” he says. “That land that low place was written on, that record was so important because that [land] was the last vestige of my family.”
Christopher Porterfield, who is the lead singer and frontman of accomplished Milwaukee outfit Field Report, contributed vocals and additional instrumentation to low place, and most Old Earth output thereafter. “He’s completely and utterly uncompromising,” Porterfield says of his former Conrad Plymouth bandmate. “He has deep integrity with his art, and he comes at it from an art school background, a conceptual and thematic background.” Not long after that release, low place caught the attention of Edinburgh, Scotland-based record label mini50, which became Umhoefer’s U.K. label in early 2013.
“Immediately, it was just something I loved,” says mini50 label manager Euan McMeeken. “Some artists work hard, but working with Todd in the studio and seeing him live a couple of times just highlighted how seriously he takes his art.” The label initially agreed to release Old Earth’s 2013 EP Small Hours, but has since continued to release his laborious and frequent tracks of intricately looped guitar, with influences that range from folk to hip-hop. Umhoefer will have released six in total through mini50, including an album of live recordings released in April and an as-of-yet untitled album that is slated for an August release. While the mini50 agreement has been invaluable in helping Old Earth develop a foothold in Europe, Umhoefer is far from financially comfortable stateside. His commitment to his project finds him living as a starving artist, well below the poverty line and lacking a true residence from week to week (unless you count the nights spent in his shared studio).
“He doesn’t play the game,” Porterfield says of Umhoefer, whom he credits as helping him become a better songwriter. “He’s an artist first. He’s not looking to be a pop star, and what he makes isn’t a pop product. He’s managing to carve out an audience with [his music], but to get it, you need to take it on his terms.”
Umhoefer’s renderings certainly go beyond the music. His work extends to individually pressed packaging, issuing small runs of records in which his liner notes are as artfully arranged as the songs themselves. The moment a song is done, Umhoefer has set his sights on covering his next blank sonic canvas with the brushstrokes of determination, discomfort and an obligation to expression. “For me, No. 1 is putting work out there – more than money or recognition,” Umhoefer says in his instrument-laden office, the soft rumble of two small space heaters flanking his words like parenthesis. “I’m an artist first and foremost, and I will starve if I have to so I can make art the most important thing.”
Old Earth (May 17). Inspiration Studios. 1500 S. 73rd St., West Allis, 414-587-3474,oldearthcontact.bandcamp.com.
This article appears in the May 2014 issue of Milwaukee Magazine.
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