Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Milwaukee Art Museum "Flying" at Dusk

Moving from California to Wisconsin I knew I would be encountering small towns over big cities. As a native of San Diego (the eighth largest city in the United States), I grew up accustomed to large cities. Since moving to the Midwest I have become familiar with small size cities, towns and villages.

Naturally I was attracted to the city of Milwaukee which is Wisconsin’s largest city (population over 600,000). Milwaukee’s blue-collar imagery of “Laverne and Shirley” and breweries has evolved over the years to what is now a modern sprawling metropolis.

What really put Milwaukee on the traveler’s map a couple of years ago was the postmodern addition designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM).

The highlight of the museum architecture is the Burke Brise Soleil, a moveable wing-like sunscreen that sits on top of the museum. It acts as a sun shade throughout the day. The “wings” open in the morning, close/reopen at noon and close when the museum closes at 5:00 p.m.

I took this at dusk knowing the “wings” would be closing thus making for a dramatic slow shutter speed photograph. If it looks like the museum building is flying it maybe because the Burke Brise Soleil has a wingspan comparable to that of a Boeing 747-400.

MAM now serves as the iconic landmark for Milwaukee and a delight for photographers.

Happy Travels!

Text and photo copyright by ©Sam Antonio Photography

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