THE PFISTER® HOTEL ANNOUNCES HANDS-ON ART TOURS
Led by Artist-in-Residence Todd Mrozinski, tour participants will learn about paintings in the hotel’s collection by practicing the techniques used to create them
Home to more Victorian art than any other hotel in the world, the historic Pfister® Hotel, which is owned and managed by Marcus® Hotels & Resorts, will now offer hands-on art tours of its collection. Led by newly named Artist-in-Residence Todd Mrozinski, tour participants will study three pieces from The Pfister’s collection, focusing on specific features of each painting to gain a better understanding and appreciation. During each art class, students will learn about the techniques of the chosen artists through guided demonstrations and then will be given paints and a board to practice them in the Artist-in-Residence studio, located on the lobby level of the hotel.
“The Pfister offers a rare chance to not only work with a resident artist, but also to study the museum quality collection in close proximity to the studio,” explained Mrozinski. “When I came up with the idea of these tours, I thought about how wonderful it would be to have people experience how a painting is made firsthand, through studying the artist’s techniques and having step-by-step demos, so they could better understand and connect with the art that is around them.”
The full schedule of the Hands-On Art Tours for May follows:
Landscapes of The Pfister
Wednesday, May 13, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The group will look at three landscape paintings in the Pfister’s Collection and learn about the techniques that make up the pieces. Students will learn impasto, thickly painted areas; scumbling, wet paint dragged over dry, textured paint; and glazing, semi-transparent paint over dry paint.
Fabric of the Pfister
Monday, May 18, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The group will look at three paintings with beautiful fabric in the Pfister’s Collection and learn about the painting techniques that make up the pieces. Students will learn impasto, scumbling, and glazing to create sheer fabric.
Animals of the Pfister
Saturday, May 23, 2015, 1:00 – 3:00 p.m.
The group will look at three paintings with animals in the Pfister’s Collection and learn about the painting techniques that make up the pieces. The group will learn alla prima painting, painting all at once to create soft fur; directional brush strokes, to create coarse fur; and scumbling, allowing a warm ground to show through.
Scenes of Victorian Everyday Life at the Pfister
Thursday, May 28, 2015, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The group will look at three genre paintings in the Pfister’s Collection and learn about the painting techniques that make up the works. Students will learn blending to create focus and space; adding sand to the paint to create ground texture; and glazing.
Each class is limited to 10 participants and costs $35, which includes materials and supplies. Participants must be 13 or older and are encouraged to wear painting clothes or bring a smock. No experience is necessary. These are technique-based classes; artists will not be going home with a “finished” painting, but instead will leave with a better understanding of painting and the artwork around them. To sign up for the classes, email Mrozinski at toddmrozinski@gmail.com.
As the new Pfister Artist in Residence, Mrozinski, who received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, has been drawing inspiration from what is happening around him at the hotel. He has been focusing on the staff and guests and the beauty of the shadows from the light that illuminates them in his “Light from the Pfister” series, in which participants pose for oil paintings that begin with shadows traced from light coming through the windows of the hotel.
In addition to the hands-on art tours, hotel visitors can schedule guided tours of The Pfister’s art collection with Mrozinski. The hotel also offers a self-guided augmented reality tour featuring selected pieces from the collection. Participants download an application on their smartphone and are provided with a real-time, digital, full motion experience, featuring games, videos and other graphics.
For more information on the latest news and updates from Marcus Hotels & Resorts, please visit: http://media.marcushotels.com.
About The Pfister’s Artist-in-Residence Program
In its seventh year, The Pfister’s Artist-in-Residence program features a working art studio and gallery that is open to hotel guests and visitors. The program encourages the public to interact with the artist and witness the evolution of each piece first-hand.
Over the years, The Pfister has received national attention for its Artist-in-Residence program. Since 2009, the hotel has been a member of the Alliance of Artist Communities, www.artistcommunities.org, an international association of artists’ communities and residencies featuring a diverse field of more than 1,000 programs worldwide.
The program’s current artist is Todd Mrozinski (2015-2016), toddmrozinski.com. Past artists include Niki Johnson (2014-2015), www.nikijohnson.com; Stephanie Barenz (2013-2014), stephaniebarenz.com; Timothy Westbrook (2012-2013), www.unicorns.carbonmade.com; Shelby Keefe (2011-2012), www.studioshelby.com; Katie Musolff (2010-2011), www.katiemusolff.com; and Reginald Baylor (2009-2010), www.reginaldbaylor.com.
About The Pfister Hotel
The Pfister Hotel has been the premier hotel in downtown Milwaukee for over 120 years. Originally built in 1893 by businessman Guido Pfister, it was the most lavish hotel of its time. The hotel’s storied elegance had faded following World War II, until 1962, when Ben Marcus, founder of The Marcus Corporation, purchased this grand hotel out of bankruptcy. The Marcus family renovated and restored the hotel to its original glory, adding convention facilities, a parking garage and 23-story guest tower. The Pfister Hotel remains home to the largest collection of Victorian art of any hotel in the world, and recently unveiled an interactive augmented reality tour of pieces in this impressive collection.
Today the Pfister Hotel continues its tradition of gracious service and impeccable style, and has been recognized for 39 consecutive years by AAA as a Four-Diamond property. The hotel is also an ongoing member of two prestigious organizations, the Historic Hotels of America and Preferred Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The Pfister Hotel is located at 424 E. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee. More information and updates on the hotel can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thePfisterHotel and on Twitter (@PfisterHotel).
About Marcus Hotels & Resorts
Marcus Hotels & Resorts, a division of The Marcus Corporation (NYSE: MCS), owns and/or manages 20 hotels, resorts and other properties in 11 states. A force in the hospitality industry, Marcus Hotels & Resorts provides expertise in management, development and historic renovations. The company’s portfolio includes a wide variety of properties including city-center meeting hotels, upscale resorts and branded first-class hotels. For more information on the latest news and updates, please visit: http://media.marcushotels.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter.
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