James May Gallery: Grand Opening: New Beginnings: featuring new work from Brian Frink (MN), Kassandra Palmer (WI), and Jill Birschbach (IL). 

Opening reception for Gallery Night MKE: April 21st 5:00pm- 8:00pm

Kendra Bulgrin is proud to announce the reopening of James May Gallery on Milwaukee’s east side at at 2201 N. Farwell Avenue in Milwaukee. 

The Grand Opening Exhibition - New Beginnings highlights not only the fresh start for the gallery but will also feature new work from three long-time artists of the gallery- Brian Frink, Kassandra Palmer, and Jill Birschbach. The gallery will also have a handful of functional ceramic artists as well as art jewelry on view. The opening is free, refreshments will be provided, and the artists will be in attendance!

Brian Frink (painting/ Mankato, MN) will be exhibiting his “Oddly-Shaped” paintings made exclusively for JMG.

“An important idea behind my Oddly Shaped Paintings is how my body relates to the shape. Art making, for me, is very much a process, oriented activity. As such my physical relationship to the surface I am painting on becomes important. A traditional square or rectangle communicates something to me that informs the eventual painting. Creating on an “odd shape” tosses this fundamental relationship into a place of tenuous uncertainty.  Thus, I create new and unexpected spaces and compositions.” — Frink

Jill Birschbach (ceramics/ Chicago, IL) will be exhibiting her large-scale ceramic sculptures and sculptural lamps.

“The surfaces of my ceramic work are imperfect and often appear to be dripping, cracking or corroding. I use found industrial textures pressed into the clay coupled with special glazes to amplify the idea of the object worn down by time.”—Birschbach

Kassandra Palmer (painting/ Madison, WI) will be exhibiting her more intimate, symbolic paintings. 

“Working from memory and imagination, I combine symbolic forms to create landscapes, portraits, and abstractions that point toward psychological and metaphysical themes. In my most recent body of work, I have drawn conceptual inspiration from my background in physics and from my experience of being a new mother in an era of pandemic. Imagery of butterflies, profiles in silhouette, moons, homes, trees and wood grain focus on themes of interiority and metamorphosis.” —Palmer 

The gallery will continue to offer art consulting for both private homes and businesses and are always willing to help with an art install or design need.